For many people looking to change their address, packing for a move is just their worst nightmare. There’s just so much to do! Where do you even start? And how do you keep on track? Well, we have good news for you! The best professional packers at State to State Move have gotten together and created the ultimate packing checklist to help you out with this enormous task. It will be your perfect guide to this part of the relocation process! Just follow these tips and you won’t have any trouble with packing for your upcoming move.
The ultimate packing checklist starts with preparation – gather your supplies!
Not only is packing itself a grueling task, but it also requires some preparation. You can’t just wake up one morning and decide to pack your whole household like it’s no big deal! No, what you need to do instead is take some time out of your busy moving schedule to set everything up. The first step is gathering all the supplies you need. The second step is creating a kind of “packing station” in your home, a place where you’ll keep all your supplies so you don’t lose track of them and don’t have to haul them around the house all the time. But that part’s easy once you have everything you need. So we’ll be focusing on the harder part – getting the supplies in the first place!
What supplies will you need?
Obviously, you will need moving boxes when you’re packing for relocation. But that’s far from the only thing you’ll need! So be on the lookout for:
- sturdy boxes in a variety of sizes
- specialty boxes, such as for clothes and electronics
- durable and reliable tape
- cushioning material such as bubble pack or shredded paper
- markers for labeling boxes
- tools for disassembling and reassembling furniture and appliances
- dollies, blankets, sliders and other tools to help you move heavy things around
Where can you get packing supplies?
Your best bet for finding quality packing supplies are your household movers. They can usually sell you some of the best packing supplies at some of the best prices. But you can also look for boxes to reuse around your home or at your work. Sometimes, large stores will also give them away for free. Finally, dollar-stores and DIY supply stores may also offer some of the things you need.
Follow the room-by-room rule
If you’ve ever seen professional packers work, you may have noticed that they move room-by-room. This is the most efficient way to pack for a move. It’s also what we would advise you to do when packing by yourself. Finish up in one room, then move on to the next one. You’ll stay organized and always know where you stand. You’ll also have an easier time unpacking once you arrive at your new home because all your boxes will be labeled by room.
The ultimate packing checklist for the kitchen and dining room
The kitchen is a surprisingly difficult room to pack. So make sure you put it high on your priorities list! You don’t want to leave it for the night before the big day. Here’s what you need to do:
- empty and defrost the fridge: make sure you eat your perishables and not buy too many groceries in the days leading up to the move; store what food you don’t eat on ice because you will need to unplug and defrost the fridge at least 48 hours before the move
- pack the kitchenware: packing dishes and glasses is not so much hard as it is tedious – you will need to wrap each one individually to ensure they don’t break; use a sectioned box for cups and glasses to make this easier
- pack the appliances: ideally, you should use the original packaging for all appliances, but if that’s not possible, you can also rely on cushioning material
- pack the table and chairs: disassemble what furniture you can but keep the parts together; stack the furniture you can’t disassemble so it’ll take up less space
- pack the decorations: put all your trinkets in one box but protect the valuable and breakable ones
The ultimate packing checklist for the living room and den
Electronics and decorations will probably be your biggest problems in the living room. But not to worry! We know exactly how to take care of that:
- pack your electronics: if possible, pack all electronics back into their original packaging; if you can’t do that, make sure to keep all parts together for easier reassembly later
- take care of the artwork and decorations: tape an X over all glass surfaces in frames and on mirrors to prevent them from shattering
- pack the furniture: disassemble what you can; wrap what you can’t in blankets or tarp depending on the material
- deal with your book, CD and DVD collection: split up your books, CDs and DVDs into multiple boxes to ensure that they aren’t too heavy to carry
The ultimate packing checklist for the bedroom
Packing the bedroom is not too hard. The only thing you need to be careful about is the mattress – if you’re putting it in storage, be careful not to fold it or store things on top of it. Otherwise, the packing should be pretty easy:
- pack clothes and bedding: start with things you’re unlikely to need soon; use clean garbage bags or other large plastic bags to keep everything clean
- pack the jewelry and valuables: keep the most important documents, photographs and jewelry with you while moving
- prepare the mattress for transport: use a mattress bag to protect your mattress from outside elements; don’t transport heavy things on top of the mattresses to avoid damage to them
The ultimate packing checklist for the bathroom and laundry room
Packing the bathroom and laundry room is probably the easiest part:
- pack the appliances: small appliances won’t be a problem to pack away but get some help with loading and unloading the washing machine
- pack the toiletries and towels: use Ziploc bags for liquids to prevent spillage
- throw away leftover detergent and softener: detergent and fabric softener are considered potentially dangerous so don’t move them – just buy more when you arrive at your new home
Some more useful tips for packing for a move
No ultimate packing checklist is complete without some general advice on packing! So here are some important things to remember: start as early as possible, get more supplies than you think you need, do not overfill your boxes and pack an essentials box or bag that’ll come with you on moving day. If you follow all these tips, you’ll have no problems packing for your relocation at all!
