Packing tips from the professionals

Moving to a new home can be an exciting endeavor. But an unorganized packing process can take away from the precious experience of embarking on a new journey. If your packing is unorganized, the process may take longer than it should, causing even more stress on you (as if moving isn’t already stressful enough).

Don’t think it’s important to plan out your packing process? Don’t put it off until the last minute and let all the work pile up until moving day. If you do, you’ll likely be stuck trying to do everything at once, which makes for a more hectic moving process.

To help guide you through the process, the team at Meathead Movers has put together a guide so that your move goes as smoothly as possible.

How to pack: Tips from the experts for a seamless move

Some people underestimate the importance of planning out the whole packing process. Many just think it’s acceptable to wait until moving day (or the day before) to begin packing. But it isn’t as simple as you might think.

For a more organized process, you have to figure out what you want to bring with you and what not to bring with you. You have to plan out small details, all the way down to the materials you’ll be using to pack. There’s really a lot more to packing than meets the eye.

Let’s go over some tips to help you achieve your smoothest move yet

Know the basics

Before you get started packing, it’s important to know the basics. Some things may seem like common sense. But since these things are so second nature, they can be easy to overlook. For example, it’s important to place heavy items in small boxes and lighter items in large boxes. 

Key tips include:

• Packing heavier items at the bottom of the box and lighter items at the top.
• Wrapping breakable items in blank newsprint or bubble wrap.
• Securing the top and bottom of each box with lots of tape.
• Labeling each box in as much detail as possible, which includes writing FRAGILE for items that can break easily.
• Making sure you carefully pack irreplaceable and highly valuable items separately and keep them with you at all times during the move.
• Disposing of or packing hazardous or flammable materials separately.
• Using mattress bags for mattresses and box springs.

Beyond those tips, it’s a good idea to learn how to pack step-by-step.

Packing a standard box to minimize damage:

1. Create a two to three-inch layer of padding at the bottom of the box with crush news wrap.
2. Then, place the heaviest items at the bottom of the box. Next, add items of medium and the lightest weight on top.
3. Make sure you fill each layer with crumpled news wrap or other packing materials to eliminate empty spaces. This ensures your items aren’t moving around in the box while it’s in the back of the truck and prevents damage.
4. Cover everything completely with paper or other padding.

Packing small and fragile items in a box:

If you’re packing glass items like vases or fine china, it’s important to handle them with special care compared with how you handle everyday goods.

1. Individually wrap small or fragile items in news wrap or bubble wrap. The more fragile the item, the more padding it needs.
2. Pack fragile items separately in small boxes. Fully cushion each box with paper or other packing materials.
3. You can place the smaller boxes in a larger box, and cushion each small box with additional news wrap to fill the gaps in between the boxes.

Packing disassembled furniture:

1. Make sure you group parts and pairs together so that you know exactly where they should go when you start unpacking.
2. Place hardware in plastic bags and tape them securely to the furniture pieces they belong to. 

As you can see, packing is a process that takes careful time and consideration. With these best practices in mind, you’ll be able to pack like a pro in no time. 

Start the process early

It’s never a good idea to wait until the last minute to start packing. Whether you’ve just bought a house or signed a lease to a new apartment, you’ll likely know in advance that a move is coming. So, use that knowledge to your advantage and start packing as far in advance as possible.

So, early on, you can begin to pack items you don’t really use. For example, items in your home that are purely for decorative purposes are good to pack first, such as decor, artwork, books, or magazines.

Other non-essential items to consider packing first are vinyl records, picture frames, items in junk drawers, off-season clothes, and holiday decorations. It’s easier to pack these items first because you likely won’t need them during the move or the weeks prior. 

That way, when it’s finally time to move, you have less to worry about because many items will already be ready to go, giving you less to stress about. 

Get organized

Having a system in place is key to a successful packing and moving process. For example, thinking about how you’re going to pack each room will give you a clear focus on what you need to pack and how you need to organize the process. Below are some tips and best practices for packing items for each room in your home. 

Home office:

Your home office might include a lot of important items and documents. Taking great care to pack your electronics, paperwork, and other stationery is essential.

Follow these best practices for packing your home office:

• Avoid overstuffing boxes.
• When disassembling electronics, consider color-coding wires to stay organized and ensure you know every item’s place when it comes time to unpack.
• Make sure you keep all your important documents in a secure box and close to you.
• Consider taking a picture of your electronics before disassembling them. That way, you’ll more easily be able to put them back together after the move. 

Outdoor furniture and garage items:

As you pack up your home, it’s only natural to just think about the things inside your home. But don’t forget about items on the outside, such as any outdoor furniture or things in your garage.

Here’s how you should approach unpacking outdoor items:

• Go through your outdoor gear and determine what you need to pack and what you can give away. Think about how much space you’ll have in your current home, and whether it will fit certain outdoor furniture and garage items. 
• Clean outdoor furniture to get rid of any dust and debris, and then, disassemble it so that it easily fits on a moving truck.
• Set your tools aside, as you might need them for moving. In fact, pack those last.
• Place any sharp tools in their original carrying case. If you don’t have the original carrying case, cover them with cardboard or towels to ensure safety and prevent damage to other items.

Kitchen or pantry:

If you’re like most people, your kitchen is one of the most used spaces in your home. This means that you’ve probably accumulated a lot of things in your kitchen over the years, from small appliances to knick-knacks to cool kitchen gadgets. And if you have a pantry, then you’ve likely made good use of it by storing tons of food. 

When it comes to efficiently unpacking your kitchen and/or pantry, you should:

• Go through all of the food items in your pantry. Throw away any food that’s expired. And if you have open packages, it’s best to dispose of them, too. That’s because you don’t want to have a big mess when you’re on the move.
• Be sure to clean and empty all your small appliances, like your blender, coffee maker, air fryer, or crockpot before you place them in a box. Neatly wrap their cords in a plastic bag and place them inside the appliance. And if you have the original boxes for your appliances, use them for packing.
• Label all breakable items, such as dishes, bowls, and other glass, and place them in a box labeled “FRAGILE”.
• Use bubble wrap to stack smaller dishes so that they don’t break during the trip.

Dining room/living room/bedroom:

Packing up the items in your dining room, living room, or bedroom may be more of a challenge than other rooms because you’ll be dealing with larger pieces of furniture. But to make the process easier, you can start by gathering the small things and get the larger items last.

• Remove light bulbs and shades from lamps and chandeliers. Then, wrap each separately. 
• Pack valuable items and keepsakes like family photos separately and keep them near you during the move.
• If you have mirrors or paintings, use blankets or towels to provide cushion and prevent damage.
• For your bedroom closet, leave all your clothes on the hanger and place them directly in boxes or moving containers.

Bathroom:

Properly packing up your bathroom for a move requires some sorting, purging, and organizing. It’s likely that you have some items you don’t use or no longer need. Plus, you may have some belongings that you can pack early to save time during the week of moving day. 

Follow these best practices when packing up items in your bathroom:

• Sort your belongings into different categories (i.e. toiletries, cosmetics, hair care products, skin care products, etc.)
• Get rid of unnecessary items. Think empty shampoo bottles, grimy bars of soap, and half-rolls of toilet paper.
• Consider packing all your bathroom necessities last.
• If you have open bottles containing liquid, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in plastic bags to prevent spills.
• Line the boxes containing appliances, hair products, and toiletries with towels.

Gather your packing materials

Now that you’ve learned some essential best practices for packing, the next step is to gather everything you need to start packing. 

Items you’ll need:

• Boxes
• Packing tape
• Packing paper
• Plastic wrap
• Bubble cushioning
• Plastic baggies
• Tool set
• Labels and/or markers
• Cargo straps or rope
• Furniture pads
• Furniture covers
• Stretch wrap

Weigh the pros and cons of hiring professional movers and packers

Maybe you don’t have the help you need to get everything packed and moved to your new home, while keeping your sanity. Or maybe you do, but you just don’t have the time or energy for packing. Does that sound like you? If so, consider hiring a professional moving company like Meathead Packers to take the pressure, stress and work off of you. We not only offer moving services, but we also provide professional packing services to help you save time and fully focus on the prospect of embarking on a new journey.

Meathead Packers: Professional packing services

Upgrade your moving experience with the Meathead Packers. You can book a full service move with our professionally trained Meathead Packers to pack your entire house or just the most time-consuming room. Choose from three bundle packages to accompany your move.

100 box bundle:

• 4 packers 4 hours
• 46 small boxes 
• 28 medium boxes
• 9 medium-large boxes 
• 7 extra-large boxes
• 10 wardrobe boxes
• Newsprint, bubble wrap and tape included

50 box bundle:

• 2 packers 4 hours
• 28 small boxes 
• 9 medium boxes
• 4 medium-large boxes 
• 4 Extra-large boxes
• 5 wardrobe boxes
• Newsprint, bubble wrap and tape included

25 box bundle:

• 2 packers 2 hours
• 16 small boxes 
• 5 medium boxes
• 2 medium-large boxes 
• 2 extra-large boxes
• Newsprint, bubble wrap, and tape included

Our packers are professionally trained in extensive, time-tested packing methods to quickly and efficiently pack your belongings in the most protective way possible to prevent damage. Our packers are prompt, polite, and handle your belongings with the utmost care.

Having our packers do the packing work for you not only saves you time, but also ensures that it’s done quickly and effectively. Get in touch to get your free quote today.