One of the most challenging parts of a move is also one of its most fundamental tasks: packing. Corralling your life into movable parts that can be relied upon to reach your new home in one piece can seem daunting, but, luckily, some simple tricks can take the stress out of the process and give you peace of mind. Here are 10 moving hacks that make packing easy.
1. Plastic Wrap and Plastic Bags
You don’t actually have to empty out the drawers on that dresser or take those clothes off their racks. Cover the drawers with taped-down plastic wrap and put plastic bags over hanging clothes to make moving and unpacking these items hassle-free. This tip can also be used on drawers full of toiletries to prevent them from spilling during the move.
2. Protect Your Breakables With Socks and Linens
Use socks to protect breakable glassware and shirts and linens as a packing material for other fragile dishes. They provide better protection than paper and a more economical option than Bubble Wrap. Make sure you pack plates vertically inside the packing material, which makes them less prone to breaking.
3. Use Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Tubes as Organizers
Spare wires and cables can easily become a tangled mess, making it a challenge to find the one you need, and this can be even truer after they’ve gone through a move. Fortunately, someone had the ingenious idea of using empty cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls as individual organizers.
4. Use Bags and Suitcases to Cut Down on Moving Boxes
Suitcases are specifically designed to be moved from place to place, so there’s no reason not to let them shine in that role during your move. It cuts down on time spent acquiring, assembling and securing moving boxes. Suitcases with wheels are especially useful for packing books to make moving these notoriously heavy items easier on the back.
5. Invest in Large Plastic Storage Totes
Storage totes are more expensive than cardboard moving boxes, but they’re also more spacious, easier to carry, more durable and, above all, reusable. Search your favorite retailer’s site for “storage totes.” These totes are typically designed to stack on top of one another and to be easily tied down with bungee cord. They are particularly useful if you have items that you expect to stay packed for most of the year, such as Christmas lights and decorations.
6. Color-Code and Label Your Moving Boxes
Whatever mixture of boxes, totes and suitcases you end up using, ensure you can see at a glance which box is destined for which room of the house by assigning each room’s boxes a specific color. Put together a color key and mark the boxes using the appropriate color of painter’s tape. Label each box with its contents. This makes it easier to find much-needed items after a busy moving day.
7. Cut Handles on Cardboard Boxes
The last thing you want on moving day is to find yourself struggling to get your hands under a cardboard carton. You can make your cardboard moving boxes easier to carry by using a box cutter to cut a simple triangular handle in the sides.
8. Take Pictures of Cable Setups
Snap a picture of the back of your television or entertainment system, showing clearly which cables and wires go where. When you arrive at your new home, duplicating the setup will prove to be much quicker and easier and will spare you having to figure the setup out from scratch.
9. Purge as You Pack
Use packing as an occasion to rid your life of needless clutter. Set aside items you no longer use and either donate them to charity or have a yard sale. Note that different cities have different regulations regarding yard and garage sales: if moving in Dallas, TX, for example, consult the City of Dallas guidelines on garage sale permits.
If you don’t have time for either of those solutions, pack the unneeded items in storage totes and set them aside at the new home for later disposal.
10. Keep Moving Day Necessities Accessible
While moving into your new home, you will want easy access to a supply of snacks and coffee to keep everyone going and some easy-to-prepare foods to cover mealtimes. Put these in a laundry basket and set it in the kitchen as early in the move as you can.
Seek Out More Moving Hacks That Make Packing Easy
The above list of moving hacks that make packing easy isn’t exhaustive. Plenty of other small tricks and tips can help to secure and organize your items and make moving faster, safer and less frustrating.
Using the above list of moving hacks and packing hacks for moving that make packing easy is a great way to ease the challenges of moving day. Whether you are moving yourself or hiring professional movers, you’ll find these hacks invaluable in cutting down on the stress of packing and moving.
