Where to Start Pack For Your Move

Undoubtedly, moving is one of the great stressors in life. Knowing what needs to be done and when things need to be done can be absolutely overwhelming. Getting organized can be the first step in reducing your stress and making the move less of an anxiety-ridden experience. Let’s review what to pack first and how to streamline your move overall.

Where To Start?

When you begin to sort through your belongings for packing it may feel like you don’t quite know where to start. Experts suggest doing some major downsizing of your possessions in order to simplify the process.

Start by systematically going through your kitchen cabinets where there tends to be lots of unused and duplicate items. Weed out the items you no longer need. Go with the policy of sorting items into: keep, trash, donate, and recycle.

Then go through your home’s closets to do the same for clothing, shoes, and storage items. The more you can discard or donate, the easier your packing and unpacking will be.

Seasonal Items

One of the best places to start packing is with the items that you are currently not using. For example, your seasonal decorations should be organized, packed, and labelled. Seasonal items to pack could include: sports items, holiday decor, lawn equipment, beach items, and off-season clothing. Be sure to remove items that are in disrepair, need to be discarded, or could be donated.

If you have fine China, fragile art pieces, or high value items that need to be carefully wrapped and packed, talk to your movers early to get your items packed and safely put away in storage to keep them secure during the moving process.

Knick Knacks

Every home has them. Keepsakes, treasures from vacations, family photos, and knick knacks of all shapes and sizes. Some may be valuable items collected over the years, while others hold sentimental value. Pack all of these up in smaller boxes with packing wrap to keep them safe on the journey.

These small pieces that are probably scattered all around your home make for a good grouping to get packed among the first items. It’s really hard to think about moving the big stuff like shelves, bookcases, and dining room cabinets when there are a million keepsakes and knick knacks laying around.

Books

Whether they are your college texts or your favorite beach reads, books are another item that can be a good starting place when prepping for your move. Shelves and bedrooms can quickly look less daunting when the books, keepsakes, and seasonal items have been neatly packed and labelled.

Linens and Towels

Obviously you will need to continue to sleep on sheets in your bedroom and use towels after showering, but maybe start gathering all of your extra linens and towels including beach towels. Wash, fold, pack, and label these so that when you arrive in your new home, you will be able to place them immediately in your new linen closet.

Packing is a process that can be made easier by starting with the items you don’t use as often and working your way down to the items that you need on a daily basis being packed last.

Do you need assistance with packing, storage, unpacking, and moving into your new home? Mastodon Moving can help you get organized and do all the heavy lifting for you.