Moving can be stressful, and finding ways to offset the anxiety of packing and shipping your belongings to a new location are incredibly beneficial. Organization and efficiency are key to a successful relocation and being ready for when the movers arrive. Here are five tips to keep in mind.

How to Pack for Moving

1. Purge Items

Clear out belongings you don’t need. Why carry items from place to place when you haven’t needed or used them in years? Before packing, sort through clothing, books, furniture, and other pieces you have accumulated over the years. Make piles for items you want to keep, sell, donate, and discard.

2. First-Night Essentials

You don’t want to be scrambling for necessities that first night. Create an essentials moving box to get through the initial days until you’re settled in. Include a few sets of clothing, bathroom items like toilet paper and soap, toothbrushes, medications, and a book to relax with before tackling the boxes. For young children, give them their own moving box containing important toys and personal items they will need to feel at home in the new place.

3. Hazardous Materials

Movers cannot relocate flammable, corrosive, or hazardous items like paint, pesticides, cleaners, and most items found in a garage. If you want to transport these materials, you would need to carry them yourself to the new place. In most cases, it is not worth the time to pack these and is usually easier to replace your stock with new ones. If you choose to move them, make sure bottles and containers are secure, and clearly label the box as hazardous.

4. Non-Essentials

Pack non-essentials first since you won’t need them in the weeks before your move. These include books, clothing, decorations, photo albums, sports equipment, seasonal items, and anything else not critical to your day-to-day. Starting with these items weeks before the movers arrive will make it easier to pack last minute stuff as moving day approaches.

5. Room Order

Pack up less frequently used rooms like guest rooms, formal living rooms, or storage areas. Leave important rooms like bathrooms, the kitchen, and bedrooms for about a week before movers arrive so you can still live comfortably while preparing your relocation. Take time to disassemble furniture in each area and secure fragile pieces with safe packing materials like moving blankets and foam. Keep hardware in small bags and in a place you’ll remember when you need to put everything back together.

For moving tips and the expertise of a professional moving company, call Carlton Movers. Serving the Greater Cincinnati area, these movers offer top-notch relocation services and packing supplies to make moving day stress-free. As a family-owned company, the team knows how to handle your items safely and will ensure everything arrives as expected. Call (513) 579-0007 or stop by online for more on their storage and moving options.