How To Pack For a Move: The Complete Guide

Planning to pack for a move is the most important part of the process. Planning a schedule, a budget, how to incorporate kids and pets, all requires some forethought, in order to stay on budget and keep your family and belongings safe. Let’s see how to pack for a move, the right way:

Essential Packing & Moving Supplies

You need to go over this checklist before starting your process:

Moving Truck or Trailer

It is best to hire a moving company to take care of it for you.

Moving Boxes and Bins of Various Sizes

 Boxes & Bins are vital moving tools. Some packing and moving companies have their own, at a competitive price  – so ask them if they have moving kits, reusable bins, and special moving boxes (like TV boxes and wardrobe boxes)

Moving Blankets and Pads

 You’ll need some sort of padding to keep your belongings safe.

Straps for Securing Larger Items

One item falling and breaking is a big financial cost at best and a big physical injury at worst.

Locks to Keep Your Belongings Safe

Some people are extra cautious of their private belongings – like business documents, private letters, etc. Lock them at all times when unattended by you.

Pens, Paper, Markers, Tape (to Label Boxes)

Get these to mark the boxes and items. When it comes to figuring out where everything belongs in your new place, you can even draw how things are stored inside cabinets.

Mark fragile items with different colored tape – pro tip!

Packing & Moving With a Big Family

Packing and moving on your own is totally different than packing and moving with a big family.

Let’s see how to do it better:

1. Make it a road trip: Put on a road trip playlist on Spotify, get your children’s favorite toys, snacks and games.
2. Change schools in advance.
3. let your kids pack some of their own belongings – make them feel included.
4. Avoid a “Home Alone” situation – if you have a big family, do a headcount after each stop on the journey to the new place.
5. Unpack Children’s beds, linens, and “emergency box” – a box with the essentials, like a favorite toy, toothbrushes, etc.

Packing & Moving With Cats & Dogs

We love our furry friends and want to keep them safe.

Pets can get traumatized, injured and worse- run straight into the road when you reach your new place.

Here’s how to take care of them:

1. Safety precautions: Keep them in a room while packing and moving. During transport, place them in a crate to avoid injury.
2. New veterinarian: Make sure to have their medical records and that you have the contact details of a new vet and an emergency room for animals.
3. Introduce them to the new environment: When possible, take your pets to the new location. Take a walk around the new neighborhood and park. This will make them be familiar with it and less apprehensive during the actual moving day.

A Week–By–Week Packing Schedule

Here’s our short week–by–week packing guide, to help you plan for your upcoming move or relocation:

1. Start packing AT LEAST 3 weeks before moving day.
2. Week 1: Clean, declutter, donate.
3. week 2: Pack unused rooms.
4. week 3: Pack rooms, garage, kitchen, and bathrooms last.

The Role of Professional Packers

Professional packers will come into your place of residence or business, and pack up everything.

This is done using their expertise:

1. Damage-free packing: not only using the best packing materials but protecting walls and floors.
2. Labeling everything, creating diagrams, and taking photos of placements.
3. Unpacking everything where it belongs: In your new place, in the right cabinets, and in the right order. People are often shocked at how easy it is: all they have to do is show up!

Packing Tips From Pro Packers & Movers

Our packers are absolute pros, and they have some packing tips:

1. Fill the box – if the box is sturdy enough (like book boxes), you should leave no gaps that will cause items to move and break.
2. Heavier items at the bottom – so they don’t “smoosh” the objects below.
3. Labels – Every box should have a label, specifying: room, items, cabinet, “fragile”, etc.
4. Different boxes for different items – Book boxes, wardrobe boxes, TV boxes, etc. Sometimes your fragile valuables will not fit into a standard box, and that’s why we have carpenters who create custom crates for special objects.
5. Different colored tape – to easily mark fragile items.