10 tips for Stress-Free Packing

Moving home is a big job, and it can be fairly stressful especially if you aren’t fully prepared! We’ve put together a list of ten helpful packing tips to make your move as smooth as possible.

DECLUTTER

We cannot stress enough how important it is to declutter your home before you pack. This involves selling, donating or throwing away any items that don’t need to come with you to your new home. Take the time to go through your belongings and be ruthless about it. If it’s broken or you no longer need or use it, it’s time to get rid. What’s the point in bringing things with you that will only collect dust in your new place?

START WITH THE ROOMS YOU USE THE LEAST

Packing can be a long and gradual process, so you’ll want to start by packing the rooms that you don’t use every day. This way, you won’t have loads of packed boxes in the way disrupting your daily schedule. Start by packing up your attic, garden shed, garage and storage rooms. Seasonal items such as Christmas decorations can be packed up first.

PACK ROOM BY ROOM

It can be overwhelming when you look around at how much there is to pack. Don’t try to tackle it all at once – just go one room at a time. This will help to you keep you and your boxes organised and packing will go by much quicker.

DON’T OVERPACK YOUR BOXES

This is really important! There will be a LOT of lifting and carrying on the day that you move. Make sure you avoid injuries by keeping the weight of your boxes under 15 to 20 kilos. It’s safer to have lots of lighter boxes than a few really heavy ones.

When packing, make sure you’re packing the right items in the right size boxes. Large boxes are best for lighter items such as bedding and towels, whereas smaller boxes are best for heavier belongings such as books and crockery.

SAFE AND EFFICIENT PACKING

Fragile items

Be sure to wrap any fragile items in plenty of bubble wrap and packing paper, and pack these in the smaller boxes. Avoid placing other items on top apart from lighter things such as pillows and linen.

When packing up the kitchen, make sure to wrap plates individually and pack them vertically side by side rather than on top of each other – this will avoid having a plate at the bottom taking on too much pressure.

Toiletries and makeup

Prevent leakages by covering the tops of bottles and tubes with cling film underneath the lids, and pop some cotton pads into any powder cosmetics to avoid them breaking.

Clothing

If you are packing your clothes into boxes, you’ll find you’ll use up less space if you roll up your items instead of folding them. This also helps to stop them from creasing.

However, a more efficient way to transport your clothing is to tie together the hangers of five or so items at a time, and then slide the hangers through a hole in the bottom of a rubbish sack and tie a knot at the bottom. This way they won’t crease and are ready to put straight back in the wardrobe.

Furniture

Moving day is already hectic, without finding yourself underneath the sofa taking it apart. Get ahead of the game by disassembling larger pieces of furniture before the day comes. The last thing you want is to have your schedule run off course due to blocked doorway!

When taking apart furniture, make sure to keep any small parts and screws in a clear, labelled zip lock bag.

ELECTRICAL ITEMS

Fridge/freezer

If you’re taking your fridge/freezer with you, make sure you’ve allowed adequate time to defrost it beforehand!

Computers

Pack up your computer in it’s original box. If you no longer have the original packaging, make sure to wrap it in lots of bubble wrap and cushioning material and pack it in a thick walled box. Hopefully this way you won’t risk any damage, but always make sure you have backed up your computer devices just in case!

Cables

Take photos for reference of how your electronic devices are set up, for example your tv box and internet router. This will make life so much easier when it comes to setting them up again in your new place!

When packing up cables, hold them together with masking tape and label the masking tape with what cable it is and what it’s for.

LABEL EVERYTHING

Labels aren’t the most fun thing ever when you’re packing, but you’ll be so glad you did when it comes to unpacking in the new house. Make sure to label every single box with the room it’s going to, and its contents. If you like, get even more organised and use coloured stickers to coordinate each box to which room its for.

PACK YOUR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS TOGETHER

This means your birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance documents, passports, bank details, medical records, licenses, mortgage documents and contracts. Keep all of these together in a folder and keep this on your person when you move!

CONSIDER ARRANGING CHILDCARE FOR THE DAY YOU MOVE

If you have young children, you might find it’s easier for you all if you have organised for someone trusted to take care of them on moving day. You will be able to deal with the moving without worrying about the kids and what they’re up to, knowing that they are safe and having fun somewhere out of the way.

PACK AN ESSENTIALS BOX FOR THE FIRST NIGHT

It’s going to take more than a day to move everything and unpack it all, so we recommend packing a box of essentials for your first night in your new home. This can include pyjamas and toiletries, bedding, phone chargers, tea and coffee etc. Remember to include some scissors for the unpacking part!

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