If you haven’t done so already, read Moving Tips Part #1. By now your truck should be rented, boxes assembled, and you have purged everything that requires purging.
Packing Books
- Smaller boxes are better. Books are heavy, so if you fill a big box it will weigh a tonne and you risk hurting yourself or the box breaking open. Look for boxes that have a strong bottom (wine boxes are great for this activity). Tape up the bottom just to be sure!
- Place larger, heavier books on the bottom of each box. Finish out the top of the box with paperbacks.
- If storing the boxes for a while, make sure to not store them on the ground. Moisture and critters will get into your precious books.
Packing Computers/Electronics
- Don’t you wish you had kept the original box with all that custom-fit styrofoam? If you didn’t, pack electronics in a large box. Wrap each piece with old towels or sheets to protect them.
- Keep the cords in order. Roll them up and put them in a cardboard tube (toilet paper and paper towels rolls work great). Write on the tube which cable is inside, and which component it belongs to. No paper rolls? Use plastic wrap for the cords — much better than the sticky residue that tape leaves behind.
Packing Dishes
- Use all of your kitchen linens (dish towels, etc) to lay between each plate as you stack them. The nice thing about using kitchen linens is that when you unpack you won’t have to clean up loads of packing trash. In lieu of kitchen linens, paper towel, cardboard, and bubble wrap works nicely.
- If you can find some milk crates, they are the best thing to pack dishes in. No fear of the bottom breaking out!
- Fill up the spaces surrounding the dishes with cooking utensils and such. You don’t want the box to be too heavy.
- Fill up the extra spaces with rolled up newspaper or bubble wrap. If items can shuffle around, that is how they get broken.
Packing Clothes
- Leave everything in the dresser drawers. Move the dresser with everything intact.
- For hanging clothes, gather about 20 hangers. Tie a piece of string around the top. Pull a large garbage bag over the clothes from the bottom up and tie again at the top. This means you can reuse the garbage bag once you unpack.
- Use every piece of luggage you have. Borrow luggage if you have to. Pack out of season clothes first. Pack luggage with clothes for your last week. That way, everything else can be packed ahead of time.
- Shoes are no fun to pack. Put socks/belts inside the shoes so they will keep their shape. Pack shoes in a big piece of luggage or duffle bag. Lay out one row of shoes, place a towel over top, and layer over another set of shoes. Continue until the bag is full.
Do you have more tips to add to the list?
Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!