Moving day is quickly nearing and the packing process must begin. Don’t put it off any longer. Procrastination doesn’t help. However, loading your entire home into boxes and transporting everything to a new, perhaps distant, location is daunting. It is overwhelming. At times, it can feel impossibly stressful. But do not despair! Packing doesn’t have to be your most dreaded task. Following a few simple tips can eliminate a great deal of anxiety and can even transform your packing process into an exciting challenge. How is this possible? You have reached the perfect starting place. Take a quick look at the following tips for 7 ways to make packing your home easier.

Organize and Declutter

Yes, organizing and decluttering are essential pre-packing activities. Once accomplished, these tasks will completely transform the rest of the packing process. Simply put, before stowing your home into boxes, organize your home. How? Some helpful tips apply to this activity:

Make Lists: One simple yet vital key to organizational success lies in list-making. This will excite some readers and fundamentally worry others. Regardless of where you land, this easy practice will serve you well during a move (and may become a life skill afterward). Make a list of items you don’t want or need—room-by-room.

See What You Own: Some items are obviously unnecessary to bring along. These are the possessions you haven’t used in years or maybe even forgot you possessed. Others will require deliberation. Pull all your items out and really see what you own. Some rooms become a catch-all for extra stuff, like closets and garages—consider starting here. Make sure you know exactly what you will have to bring with you in the move.

Make Piles, Fill Bags: Form two or three piles and fill a few bags. Collect anything you will throw away. Fill a bag of items you will donate. Consider hosting a garage sale and make another pile for these items. Once you complete this, make a point to donate those selected items, throw all garbage away, and get rid of anything that doesn’t sell at your garage sale.

Purchase a Binder

Buy a binder and dedicate it to the storage of all your moving details, from the moment you finish organizing and decluttering to the second you settle in. What details should you include?

A list of needed packing supplies. This includes boxes, bubble wrap, furniture padding, labels, sharpies, etc. Anything you can think to need for a safe, successful move. If you’ve kept old boxes for computers, TV screens, or gaming systems, save money and reuse these. Make sure you have enough because you don’t want to have to purchase more packing supplies half-way through your move.

Make a list of items that will require unique accommodation to transport, such as your piano, trampoline, or antique piece of furniture, and make a moving plan. If you plan to use a moving company, make sure the company will safely, efficiently accommodate your heavy or delicate items.

Write a room-by-room packing schedule. For example, begin packing your bedroom closet, move to your bedroom, the kitchen, bathroom, etc. Don’t start packing every room (or even multiple rooms) at once. In this instance, multitasking will hinder productivity.

Keep track of important receipts, paperwork, etc. These items are sure to pile up throughout the moving process and having a place to put them is invaluable.

Label Your Boxes

Careful labeling is part of a smooth, seamless transition. Be specific with tags, and label multiple sides of the boxes. Even though this might be time-consuming, it will be absolutely worth it when your items are transported. Use anything you need to keep track of your boxes. Are you a visual person? Perhaps color-coded labels will work best for you! Use whatever means will work best for you—simply keep track of your boxes.

Know What’s in Each Box

Take a moment to create a list of what is found in each box. Be as specific as you need to be. If you are not a dedicated list-maker, considering making generalized lists. Sort by category and leave it at that or make a more detailed list of specific items. When in doubt, over-organize. In the midst of transporting and unpacking, you will never regret time spent organizing.

Keep Careful Track of Electronics

Some items need to be transported directly with you, such as your expensive electronics. Keep these in a safe spot, such as your essentials box. Charging cables, chords, earbuds, etc. can be placed in separate, labeled baggies to keep them from untangled and safe.

Make an Essentials Box

An essentials box resembles something you might throw together for a mini vacation, and it is crucial for moving day. In short, it should contain enough supplies to last you about a day so that your move is smooth. What steps should you take to successfully put one together?

Make another list! Identify everything you need to pack or purchase for your box.

The list of essential items will change, depending on the individual. However, here some ideas to get you started:

  • Phone
  • Pair of clothes
  • Toiletries
  • Emergency kit
  • Snacks, drinks
  • Pet supplies
  • etc.

Pack Smart Boxes

After extensive organization, the final step to making moving easier is packing smart boxes. In any relocation, two simple guidelines can be followed:

Pack heavier items on the bottom of boxes

Use your smallest boxes to transport the heaviest items

Even when utilizing the best tips, moving and packing can still present a stressful challenge. Sometimes, finding a professional and affordable moving company is the best option to ensure a streamlined and stress-free move. Alliance Moving & Storage is committed to providing you with an excellent relocation solution. We seek to serve every client well. This is why we provide packing, unpacking, disassembly, and reassembly services with every move. We are dedicated to excellent service and superb organization to provide you with a successful transition. Contact us today for a free quote!