Smooth Move

Packing properly – solid tips to ensure a smooth move

Packing is one aspect of relocation which you should never plan or do in a hurry. It takes time to prepare and plan a packing schedule and the more organized you are, prior to packing, the less strenuous and tiring it is going to be. Here are some proven tips for packing properly, which are aimed to ensure a smooth move for you and your family:

As mentioned earlier, packing can not be accomplished with in a couple of days. Of course, larger apartments need more time than a smaller home, but nevertheless you have to plan to pack several boxes per day, weeks ahead of your actual move. It is a good idea to pack one room at a time and make sure that you do not pack items which might need during the interim period, prior to your move. If you can organize your packing in this way, you can avoid any last minute tension or even items which are missed or lost in the frenzy of packing in a hurry.

When you take up a particular room, do one corner of the room and then proceed to the rest of the areas. Trying to tackle the entire room at the same time will only land you in confusion and a mess. It is common for small items to get lost or misplaced during packing or sometimes it gets thrown out along with other rubbish. To prevent this from happening, you could wrap each small and tiny item in colored paper, before putting them in packing boxes.

The room-wise boxes can have colored coding in the form of stickers or labels. For instance, all boxes pertaining to the bedroom carry a blue sticker. The label, also in blue should carry a legend which says 1 of 5 etc. When you arrive at your new home, you could hang the same colored balloons in each room, so the movers may easily locate the room and put the relevant boxes in the room. Use a general description of the items inside the box, which makes it easier to unpack and unload.

Remember to use unprinted newsprint for wrapping the household items. Printed newspapers may soil your belongings as the printing ink can seep.

It is a fact that old and used cartons are cheaper than new ones. But the risks of using the old boxes are: they can break or give way with the load you put inside; they can be unclean from previous use; the shape may be unwieldy for packing and loading on to the trucks. Thus it is a good idea to invest in new packing boxes. Many moving companies offer attractive discounts on packing materials which are door delivered.

While unpacking delicate and fragile items, unpack them on top of the box they came in. This way, you can prevent any breakage while unpacking, as they are likely to fall inside the packing materials.

Remember that there are several hazardous materials which no moving company will agree to relocate. Examples include: paint, varnish and thinners, gasoline, kerosene and oil, bottled gas, aerosol cans, nail polish and remover, ammunition and explosives, corrosives, and cleaning fluids and detergents.

All documents pertaining to you and your family, including passports, will bank papers; social security numbers, and insurance papers, mortgage loan papers etc should be carried on your person and not packed with the rest of the things of the household.