Packing: How Best To

Are you getting ready to move? For some people this can be a daunting task. You have things tucked away in closets, extra rooms and in the back of the cupboards--items that may have been collected over 20 years. Where do you begin? Storage London North can help answer that !

First you need to have that initial yard or boot sale or charity donation. Second, pack the things that are not in daily use; pictures on the walls, out of season clothing, once a year use small appliances and dishes, decorative items, books, and photo albums.

When packing. always mark clearly on each box what you've placed inside. Another tip from Storage London North: indicate which room the items came on the box. When you arrive at your new home it will help to know what room the “pictures” came from. This will jog your memory because what we remember most is where we saw the item(s) last. This also helps in placement of the boxes when unloading at your new home.

So what's left? Now you are down to the items you use daily. Keep bins in the garage for charity or another boot sale, and a trash bin. Moving is a great opportunity to weed out those items we no longer wish to store, and to get rid of the extra clutter of things we no longer use every day.

When your move date is within a week or two you will want to designate a large room in which to stack boxes and the items you have ready to move. Three empty rooms (other than large pieces of furniture) and only one room with boxes will lessen your anxiety, helping you to feel not only organized, but ready for the day of the actual move. Having four out of ten cabinets empty in the kitchen will also help you to feel like you have been productive and don’t have as much to do on the actual day of the move. The process of cleaning out the cupboards, packing non-daily use items into boxes, transferring them into the large designated room, and consolidating what you have left into a few cupboards rather then having your items spread throughout the kitchen, will keep you organized for the day you are faced with packing the last minute items.

Organizing your packing will also make the actual moving process much faster. You won't have boxes spread all over the house in every single room and closet. You will have more empty spaces then full ones, and the people loading will not be searching every cabinet, drawer and room for items to load onto the truck.

1. Make sure to pack everything that belongs in a particular room together in a room labeled box. It also makes unpacking easier once you get where you're going. Start packing one room at a time, packing smaller items first to get them out of the way. Carefully mark and tape each box so you can find everything when you unpack.

2. Pack a suitcase or box for each member of the family several days in advance. Include a personal-sized bar of soap, new toothbrush and toothpaste, towel and washcloth, disposable razor if needed, some 'relaxing' clothes (sweats or something similar) and two complete changes of clothes, and anything else you know each person will need during the first few days (while everything else is in boxes). Keep these boxes or suitcases in a safe place where they won't get mixed in with everything else, perhaps in the car or even farther away (work or a neighbor's house). Bring them with you in the car or however you are traveling.

3. Clean out the kitchen. Toss away junk and only box things that you use. Use your kitchen food storage containers for all loose things you find as you empty drawers from the kitchen, desks, or table drawers. Don't forget to look inside the dishwasher. Label boxes according to contents and rooms they belong in then securely close or tape them. Use various sized bags for the same purpose. Add a sticky note inside each bag noting the contents like "stereo cables" and "pens and pencils". Place all containers and bags inside a larger box labeled appropriately with room and content.

4. Begin taking apart any large items and placing all hardware in double-thick Ziploc bags according to contents and room. Keep all bags in one box along with the proper tools -- allen wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. This will make it easier to put everything back together when you have moved in.

5. Make sure you keep the box of hardware and tools in a central place where everyone can find it. This will make re-assembling much easier. Place in it the small things like video ear plugs, remote controls, boxes of nails and things you will need immediately after moving in.

6. Stack the boxes as you are finished filling, taping, and labeling them. Try to keep them stacked in the rooms that you have finished packing. Keep all power strips and extension cords and grounded adapters in one specific box; they'll be much easier to find later on. Very clearly label the hardware box and the extension cord box. Consider spray-painting both boxes bright yellow or red. Place all the screws or bolts back into an item after it has been taken apart. This way, you can connect the bed or put the lampshade back on immediately instead of searching for them.

7. Look in each room, and make sure that everything has been removed. Place any last minute items together in one room.

8. Remember, that when the truck has been filled, and the movers tell you that they have everything, to check out each room to make sure that nothing has been left behind. This is your own responsibility. When you are certain that each room is completely clean, then it is time to shut the door and leave!