Guest Post - A Room by Room Packing Guide for Your Upcoming Move

While moving can be a joyous time in your life, packing up all your belongings definitely doesn’t elicit feelings of joy or fun. Let’s face it: boxing up your entire life and organizing all your possessions sounds incredibly overwhelming. You could always hire a packing service if you’re unwilling to deal with the task.

But:

Don’t fret, we’ve got all the tips and tricks you need to make the packing process a seamless one.
Before you even begin, create a list that prioritizes which rooms you want to start packing up first and which rooms you’ll want to unpack as soon as you arrive at your new place. Typical high-priority rooms include the kitchen, your master bedroom, and the kid’s bedrooms (if applicable).

To help you pack up your belongings as efficiently as possible, here’s a room-by-room packing guide that’ll take the stress out of the equation.

Packing Up Your Kitchen

This kitchen is one of the more challenging rooms to tackle as it’s chock-full of fragile items, bulky appliances, and oddly shaped utensils. So, why not get the hardest room out of the way first?

To get started:
Separate all perishable and non-perishable food.
Since you can’t transport things like milk or ice cream during your move, you’ll either need to toss these items in the trash or donate them to a local charity (if unopened).

Pack your glassware and china by wrapping each plate or cup with bubble wrap, newspaper, or blankets. The extra padding is crucial for avoiding unwanted breakage during their moving process.
When packing pots and pans, stack them inside one another - this is an effective way to maximize the available space within your box.

To pack your cutlery, use a rubber band (or similar item) to tie items together - i.e. all spoons in one group, all forks in another, and so on.

Lastly, tackle your appliances. Begin with your smaller appliances, such as your blender or microwave and work your way up to the larger, more difficult ones, like your fridge or stove. Assembling and disassembling larger appliances can be tricky.

To avoid damage, you may want to consider having your moving company take care of these items as they are the experts.

Packing Up Your Living Room

The family room is a place where laughter, memories, and life milestones take place. There’s a strong chance it holds a special place in your heart, so treat it with extra care.

Begin with your electronics. Carefully unplug things like your TV, stereo equipment, etc. and wrap all cords with a rubber band before placing them inside their respective containers.

Using their original boxes is highly recommended, but if you tossed them, no worries. Don’t forget to mark any boxes holding your electronics as “fragile.”

Start disassembling your larger items, like your furniture. Remove cushions and use plastic wrap as a way to protect your upholstery from dust, dirt, and moisture. Be sure to empty cabinets, like your entertainment center or bookshelves and carefully pack those items away in a box labeled, “living room.”

Lastly, tackle smaller memorabilia, like photos, toys, games, etc.
*Pro Tip: If you have valuable artwork in your living room, you may want to let your moving company handle packing these items. You wouldn’t want to risk accidentally damaging your precious belongings by attempting to make it a DIY project.

Packing Up Your Bedrooms

If you live in a multi-bedroom home, chances are you’re not too thrilled about having to pack up each one. However, if you take it one room at a time, you’ll be surprised how quickly you complete the task.
Tackle your clothing first.

You can either use wardrobe boxes and keep your clothes on hangers (incredibly useful for unpacking) or fold your garments and group them based on season and/or clothing type - i.e. summer vs. winter; sweaters vs. t-shirts, etc.

For your bed and mattress, remove all pillows, bed sheets, and blankets first. When removing your mattress, place it in a special bag made especially for this item.
Be sure to empty drawers and disassemble any furniture items, such as your bedside table or a shelving unit

Packing Up Your Bathrooms

Believe it or not, this will be your easiest room to tackle.

Address open bottles first. Properly seal the lid and either place in a plastic bag or use aluminum foil before placing it into your packing container. This will help catch any unwanted leaks from seeping into other items.

Once complete:
You’ll want to organize your medications. Check the labels for any expired or outdated medicine - this way you can toss these items instead of packing them.

Remaining items, like your toothbrush, toothpaste, and other toiletries can be placed inside your overnight bag in lieu of a brown box. This will allow you to easily access the items you need as soon as you arrive at your new home.

Packing is hard but working room-by-room will help make the entire process a piece of cake. Don’t forget, you can always enlist the help of friends and family members and have a little fun with it. Hopefully, this makes your move as stress-free as possible.

Author Bio: Adrian Brito, on Behalf of North Dallas Moving and Storage