The pre-packing process should start 6 to 8 weeks before and the actual packing process should start 3 weeks before the relocation date.
Once the moving date and the removalists are finalised, follow this procedure to organise your belongings:
It is not advisable to move all the items to a new house and any rarely used items should be discarded or sold when relocating. This will not only allow people to start a new life with new items but will also help in reducing the volume of belongings to be shifted.
Good quality packing materials help secure the items throughout the relocation process so avoid buying low-quality material that might fail to protect the packed belongings.
Some essential packing materials include double corrugated moving boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, and plastic wrap. Using old newspapers is reliable and an easy way to save money.Always pack items in storage, out-of-season clothes, china and other dishes, wall hangings, pictures, photo frames, artwork, etc. Prioritise small items that are generally found lying on the table, towels, extra linen, and books.
For the sake of convenience, label the boxes to know what is in them.
Packing important items earlier will leave people deprived of using them. For instance, important items in the bathroom and kitchen should be left last. Pack all the extra clothes, linen, towel, toys (if any), extra dishes, and crockery first. This will help in avoiding any inconvenience during the final weeks before leaving the house. It is a good idea to empty the wardrobes, table drawers, etc. as much as possible with only the essentials staying in them. Consider the list of rooms to be packed first. Pack the garage as it must be filled with several small items that are not essential. Most items will be hardware tools and car-related materials. Basements are generally filled with items that are stored for longer sessions. Closets should be emptied as much as possible. They usually contain shoes, clothes, sports equipment, etc. Spare rooms and kids’ rooms will always be filled with useless items so consider emptying them first. Finally pack all the unimportant items from the bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen (remember to pack the unimportant items only).
Some products are not moved by the moving companies unless they are packed properly, hence efficient packing of these items is crucial.
Packing items based on the room they reside in is more organised than when packing each room separately. For instance, it is advisable to pack the garage, kids’ rooms, and spare rooms first. Once all the items of these rooms are packed, label the boxes such as “Tom’s toys”, “garage tools”, etc. This makes unpacking convenient after relocation.
It is extremely important to be extra cautious and careful when packing fragile items such as artwork, decorative items, china, and crockery, etc. Items made of glass are highly fragile hence make sure to wrap them in bubble wrap. When packing empty vessels such as wine glass, cups, mugs, etc. fill these vessels with crumbled old newspapers.
Avoid selecting incorrect packing materials. There is a correct packing material to pack each item. For instance, fragile items are first wrapped in a bubble wrap and then kept in a box whereas clothes, linen, and other similar items don’t require wrapping. Passports, booklets, documents, earphones, and other similar small electronic gadgets can be packed in plastic wrap.
Use good quality tape to seal all the moving boxes. Seal all the openings of the boxes including their top and bottom. Always keep heavy items below with light and soft items on top of them in a box. Fragile items should be kept separately in a box dedicated to them. This means a box with fragile items must not have anything other than fragile items. Make sure the fragile items can’t move inside the box. Even a minor bump on the road can cause the items to move within the box which will cause motion resulting in potential damage. Use a wardrobe box, which is meant for packing clothes. These boxes are specially designed for convenient storage and transit. Wardrobe boxes usually have a hanging rail making it easier to transfer clothes hanging in the wardrobe to the wardrobe box. Specialty boxes are designed for oddly-shaped items. These boxes are available specifically for mirrors, artwork, computers, musical instruments, etc. Make use of original packing if possible. Products if packed in their original packing will ensure little during the transportation. Avoid gaps between the items. Each item should be sticking to the other and the boxes should be kept together without any space between them. Fill the gaps inside the box with old newspaper and or bubble wrap.
Ensure that all the cardboard boxes are properly labelled to know their contents. Put a 'fragile' label on the boxes with delicate products so that the person carrying them can be extra careful.
The time can increase up to 10 days or more if there are several small items to be packed or if the owner needs to get rid of a lot of old items. Still, assuming that the homeowners devote most of their time to packing things, it can take up to a week to pack a three-bedroom house.
A couple can easily complete this task in a few days (up to 5-6 days). They might end up packing and unpacking some items several times due to lacking experience.
With the help of friends and or relatives or a moving company personnel, the packing process will be swift consuming about 3-4 days only.
A three-bedroom house can give about 40m3 boxes and furniture in total (though there is no such rule of thumb). This load can be moved to a truck in about 6 hours under normal circumstances with the help of 2 movers.
Hazardous items that can cause accidents are not transported by the movers.
Liquid items that can spill during the move and damage other boxes and packets nearby.
Perishable food items can spill, leak, or damage the nearby products.
Valuables such as cash, family photos, collections, important documents such as bonds, stocks, etc. are sometimes avoided by the moving companies.
Power and yard equipment such as lawnmowers, chain saws, weed trimmers, etc. must not contain any fuel inside them or else they will not be moved by the companies.
Liquor and other alcoholic beverages might not be transported by the moving companies even if the bottles and or containers are sealed. The possibility of transportation depends on the state’s laws.
Here is a week-by-week guide:
For the first 6-8 weeks, do a thorough cleaning of the house. Go through each room and separate the items that will be shifted from those that will be left behind.
In the 5th week, get rid of the items that will be left behind by discarding or selling. Try selling them on eBay or gumtree.
During the 4th week, finalize a moving company. Get quotes from several companies nearby. Shortlist at least 3-5 experts.
From the 3rd week, begin packing the items
In the final week before relocation, start packing the kitchen including daily-use dishes, crockeries, etc. Pack clothes, bedding, and any other daily-use items.