How many of you truly know how to move?
Do you start packing weeks before the move? Do you buy boxes, bubble wrap, dish packs? Do you stress out when filling the truck and have to make multiple trips?
If the answer to any of the above were yes, then the answer to the first question is NO.
My husband and I know how to move, we have made an art out of it. Don’t get me wrong here, we don’t enjoy it. Maybe that is why we are able to accomplish what we do.
We can pack an entire house, move it and unpack in the same day. I swear to you, it can be done and I will tell you how.
You are still living in your current house; you don’t want it cluttered up with boxes. That would suck to have to walk around boxes for a month or more, don’t do that.
1-2 weeks before the move start acquiring boxes. Liquor store boxes are the best, they have built in handles and if they can support a case of beer, they can support your stuff. I know what you are thinking, “they are too little.” Let me ask you, why do you need big boxes? You don’t, big boxes are heavy. If you call the liquor store ask them to save the boxes and you tell them you will pick them up 15 minutes before closing every night, and you prefer that they NOT break them down. You will need at least 2 times the boxes you think you will. I would get at least 100 for the average sized house. Collect some newspapers too. You will need 7 days worth of a normal paper. If you are using the Washington Post or something like that, then 3 or 4 days should be fine.
I know that there is no way you are going to be able to resist packing before the big day, so I will tell you what you can pack.
Pictures off the wall- all of these will go in to a beer box standing up straight. You will have some that won’t fit in the box, those big pictures stay on the wall until moving day.
Clothes- pack the opposite season’s clothes. DO NOT USE BOXES. Use trash bags, you can take them straight from the closet still on the hanger and put them in the bag. Don’t pack the clothes in your drawers, you will find out why a little later.
Items from the shed/garage/basement- DON’T PACK YOUR TOOLS. You are going to need them. But, you can go ahead and pack your grass seeds, fertilizers, bird seed, ect. Again, use the trash bags. Anything that would rip the bag goes in a box.
Kitchen items- only the ones that you are not going to need. Items that you use for holiday dinners or things of that sort. You could also go ahead and empty your china cabinet (if you have one) most people don’t use their china everyday, they keep it on display. I will say that this is one thing I do use dish packs for. You can go to Lowes or your local home improvement store and buy the padded sleeves to put your china in. They even have boxes for your stemware.
While you are packing I need you to keep one thing in mind. The boxes have to stay in the room they are packed in. Why? Because, it will make your moving day that much easier, trust me.
Now we will fast forward to the day before your move. If you are moving too far away to make trips, this is where the bulk of your packing will take place. First thing you need to do is pack for a 3 day trip, like you are going to a hotel. Put those bags out of the way. Then you start in the bedrooms and move to the rest of the house. Utilize trash bags for clothes, shoes, purses, toys. Save your blankets, sheets and pillows; you will need them later.
Moving is a perfect time to “de-junk.” Seriously, if you haven’t touched it in a year… you don’t need it. Make a pile for eBay, Craigslist, Goodwill or just trash it. When your help gets there they can dig through your pile, they will love it.
Kitchen items- pack it all. Most of the time plates & bowls can be piled up and place in a box, unless you are going a long distance. Use your dish & bath towels as packing paper (so to speak). Why buy bubble wrap when you own something better? Make sure that your cleaning supplies are together, do not separate them. Utensils and silverware can be dropped in a box with all your other kitchen items. Junk drawers, just dump’em in a box, worry about going through that when you get to your new house. Also, you have dirty dishes in the sink… I know you do. If this is a short move then take them with you and wash them at your new house. Longer moves (cross country and stuff, yeah not such a good idea… wash it first.)
Bathroom- nothing special here, put it in a box.
Knickknacks - Here is where the newspaper comes in. Rip the paper in half and wrap each item in a piece. If they are small items then you can put a few items in the same piece of paper. No tape needed, just wrap it and put it in the box.
AV equipment- nothing special again. Stack 2-3 items in a box and MAKE SURE THAT THE WIRES ARE WITH THE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IT GOES TO. You will thank me for this.
Movies, video games, toys- Pack them up using boxes and bags as needed. Laundry baskets come in handy in this phase.
Now just pack everything else.
The day of the move!
More than likely in the top of your rental truck there is a space over the cab. Put boxes up here that you don’t need right away… like your knickknacks.
If you have children the keep out the toys until the end, again… trust me. You want that to be the last thing on and the first thing off. Keep those little guys occupied.
Couches first, pushed up against the side of the truck with the back facing the middle. Put a mattress on the couch against the side of the truck. The space between the mattress and the back of the couch is where your flat screen TV goes, wrapped in one of your comforters. Make sure it is secure and won’t move, use more blankets. Mirrors, big pictures and other stuff like that can go between mattresses as well.
Dressers are next. Stack them if you can. Take the drawers out (with the clothes still in them) and carry the empty dresser out first, then put the full drawers in the dresser while on the truck. Wrap mirrors in comforters and place between items so they won’t shift. After all the furniture is in, then come you bags. They go on top along with any other boxes that you have left and any items that did not get put in a bag or box. Pack to the ceiling before starting a new row. You are paying for the whole truck, use it.
After that space is full, start bringing the boxes, room by room. All of the bathroom first, then the kitchen, then the bedrooms, then the basement, ect.
Cleaning supplies go on last or can go in a car; you are going to find things that you will want to clean before moving your stuff in. Mainly the kitchen cabinets, most people do not think to wipe out the cabinets before putting your stuff in there. I clean my cabinets at least twice a year, I have moved into far too many houses with nastiness in the cabinets.
Again, keep in mind while packing the truck that you paid for the entire space, meaning that your stuff needs to be packed to the ceiling. It has to be, because then it can’t fall. If something can fall, that’s how stuff gets broken. You don’t start a new row until the previous one is to the roof.
You are going to be tempted to put the mattresses in last so that you will for sure have somewhere to sleep that night. This is the precise reason that the mattresses go in first. You can’t stop until you have the truck empty.
Now that we have the truck figured out, let’s talk about you using pickups instead of renting a truck. If you are doing a cross city move, this is the way to go. You move one room at a time, it’s that simple.
Use signs in your new home that match exactly what you marked the boxes with so your help knows what room they go in. Example: If you mark your boxes with bedroom, then they will drop them off in the nearest bedroom. Yes, I know your friends are great. But, after carrying 10 boxes up the stairs they will figure that they got it this far you can do the rest. You need to label Master Bedroom, Little Jimmy’s Room and even Master Bath. Idiot proof it. Label your boxes correctly when you pack them; hey, you could even color code it if you are feeling spunky.
Unloading the truck is as simple as loading it, just in the opposite order. When the truck is unloaded and everything is in the house, feed your help. Get a few of them to put the beds together while you wait for the pizza to arrive; you need somewhere to sleep after all. Nothing to eat before it’s done, and please, NO ALCOHOL until you’re done. You don’t need drunkards carrying your stuff.
The rest of the evening is for you to unpack. And since your stuff has only been packed for 1 day, nothing got dirty in the boxes. Just take it out put it away and go to bed. Do not pick through boxes, if you need something in a box, unpack the entire thing. Again, this is one reason we use small boxes.
The next day you should be finishing up putting your china away, hanging pictures, arranging furniture. It should all be done within 2 days after the move. The more you move the better you will get.
