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Moving doesn’t have to be completely stressful. So, how to avoid beginner packing mistakes and loads of stress? Moving is considered as one of the most stressful life events regardless if it is a frequent or first-time experience. Still, it doesn’t have to be that way. If planned and done correctly packing can take the pressure off the whole process as there are many things that you can do to make it efficient. To achieve this, Thorton CO movers have come up with some common mistakes that people make when packing. Here are the ways to avoid them if you are a newbie to this hard and tedious task. You will need a strategy and some strength and perseverance but hard work always pays off. Try these tips and tricks.
Don’t forget to plan ahead
Plan ahead of time. Some people make the mistake and start packing their household without proper planning. To avoid a lot of stress and wasted time, write down what your strategic plan is for packing all of your belongings. Which room should you start packing first? Kitchen or bedroom? Which things do you have to dispose of? How do you want to pack your stuff? The best time to start planning is at least a month earlier. That should give you enough time to make a good strategy and decide which packing materials you need.
Don’t start late
You snooze, you lose! Don’t procrastinate, not with packing! It usually happens that you need much more time than you think. Even with a detailed plan. And especially if you have kids, so roll up your sleeves and stick to the plan. Hire packing services Denver if you get emotional easily to get things going. You can start months earlier with the things you do not use often. To put it more precisely, start with the things you won’t use before the move. These are:
- basement or attic items
- out-of-season items
- porcelain ware
- decorations
- books
Avoid beginner packing mistakes – don’t pack your kitchen last
Pack toughest rooms first. Kitchens have too many items hidden in the drawers, cupboards, and under the sink. Sorting everything out takes hours and hours and let’s be honest you use only a small number of kitchen items. Leave out only kitchen essentials and start packing the kitchen early. Naturally, kitchens take very long to pack due to the number of breakable items and utensils that need to be protected. Leave the kitchen last and you will welcome Homegrown Moving and Storage Company Colorado with half the plates and peelers unpacked.
Purge and discard
Start sorting your items. Make piles of items you decide you do not need at your new place. Sort them into four categories: donation, recycle, trash, garage sale, and act accordingly. Goodwill is a good place to start with the unused or new item that you want to donate. Or just give away to friends and family things you do not need anymore. You can also sell some of the things you won’t be taking with you. Sell either online or organize a garage sale on time. Select what is your household waste and can be recycled for good reason. Papers, glass, plastics, and old textile items are the first to be selected for recycling purposes. If you can’t recycle the only option is to trash it. But don’t worry if you followed the four-step process of purging listed above there won’t stay much for the landfill.
Opt for quality packing supplies
Another important thing that you can do to avoid beginner packing mistakes is to buy quality packing supplies. You will end up regretting it if you try to save on packing material. Cheap moving boxes might tear while you are loading them. And that can cost you way more than the cost of quality moving boxes. Professional packing services have everything that you will need for effective packing. But, if you are having a packing party on your own or with friends, you need to prepare well. Buy enough quality boxes that fit your items. What other supplies will you need? Boxes and packing tape are the essentials but you will also need plastic wrap, bubble cushioning, packing paper, plastic baggies, toolset, labels, and markers. If you are not sure what you need, ask your residential movers CO to help you.
Take a moving inventory
It would be a great idea to take inventory and see just how many belongings you will have to move. You will have a checklist to follow and make sure haven’t left anything behind. You can ask your kids to help you so that you can pack and they can take turns to write down every single thing you put in the box.
Label your boxes
Your packing plan should include labeling the boxes to keep everything well organized during and after the move. You or your professional moving crew will know where things go, and you still keep control of everything. You should choose to develop a color-coding system, use stickers that identify each box’s destination, label each box on multiple sides with waterproof markers, label all sides of your boxes, or create a numbering system. Whatever system will work better for you. Forgetting to label the boxes may cost you hours of your time at your new address.
Organization inside the boxes
Heavy stuff goes on the bottom, light items on top. The same system as going shopping. You must have a proper order to avoid crashing your lighter items. Don’t overweight boxes. There is a limit set. Each box should weigh no more than 50 lbs. This is a safety issue, the last thing you want to do on moving day is hurt yourself or the helping hand of your friend. Pre-packing your small things in small bags will help you to find them easier when you’re unpacking.
Packing is one of the most important phases of moving. Whether this is your first big move or you’ve moved a few times in your lifetime, moving is always stressful and overwhelming. We hope these tips will help you avoid beginner packing mistakes as well as general packing mistakes.