12 Quality Time-Saving Packing Tips for Moving

When you’re facing an imminent move, there is never enough time to do all the things that you want and need to do, is there?

It is a well-known fact that packing is the most time-consuming process in a move, and you’re going to have to make that universal constant work for you, not against you. But how to save time when packing?

The magical trick is to save little bits of precious time here and there throughout the individual moving tasks with the help of some proven time-saving packing tips that we have hand-picked especially for you.

#1: Give Yourself A Good Head Start

If possible, take the proactive approach and start your moving preparations two good months before moving day knocks on your door. Nobody can tell you exactly how much time you’ll need to get yourself completely ready to move out of your house due to the great number of variable factors that come into play, such as the type of move (short distance local move, long-distance cross country move or international move), the household size (studios, small apartments or college dorms; 1-2 bedroom houses or larger apartments; 3-4 bedroom houses, large apartments or offices; 4+ bedroom houses or apartments) and the moving preparation speed (1-2 hours a day, 4-5 hours a day or more).

It’s essential that you start crossing out the great number of organization tasks as soon as possible in order to avoid the almost unbearable stress of an emergency last minute move.

#2: Create A Week-By-Week Planner

Have in mind that it doesn’t matter how early you start the required relocation arrangements if you don’t organize your time the right way. And the right way is to create a highly customizable detailed moving calendar for your own unique relocation needs – after all, nobody understands better than you what has to be done for a smooth move.

Take a blank sheet of paper, or open a new text document on your computer, and write down all the things that you need to do before you move out without worrying about sorting them or organizing them in any sensible way. Once your to-do list seems ready, put some effort into appointing a time frame for each task on a weekly basis.

Such a moving week-by-week planner will not only help you see clearly the larger relocation picture, but will also save you tons of valuable time by keeping you extremely organized and totally focused on the tasks at hand.

Bonus: Get good ideas for your unique weekly planner from this example moving calendar.

#3: Know What NOT To Pack

Save time by packing only the household items that are allowed to be transported. Due to safety reasons, moving companies will not move hazardous materials (flammable, corrosive or explosive goods), perishable foods (frozen, refrigerated or fresh) or possessions of extreme monetary or sentimental value. Furthermore, it is your responsibility to transport your pets and plants since the law forbids movers from relocating them for you.

Each moving company has a list of such non-allowable items so make sure you request it long before you start the packing process. If you’re moving locally on your own, then consider hauling some of these dangerous or fragile items on your own – just pack them properly and do not expose them to extreme temperatures.

#4: Get Your Packing Materials In Advance

If you run out of appropriate materials during packing, you’re sure to lose precious time trying to find more cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, bubble wrap, packing tape or just anything else that you may need to ensure that your possessions are wrapped up properly and ready to be moved.

To make sure that unpleasant scenario never happens, buy all your packing materials in advance either from the closest office supply store or your moving company. Luckily, moving boxes can be often obtained for free from retail stores (supermarkets, bookstores, liquor stores, etc.), local recycling centers or friends of yours who have recently moved house.

Needless to say, if you’ve requested a full service move and expect a packing crew to come over and pack all your household items, then you shouldn’t worry about packing materials at all.

#5: Devise A Smart Sorting And Labeling System

This is probably the single packing action that will save you the most time later on when unpacking the moving boxes.

The first step is to inventory your entire house and sort out which items you’re taking with you to your new place of residence and which ones you’re leaving behind. Be mindful of the fact that it’s not worth moving a particular possession if you haven’t used it in years and have no intention of doing so in the near future.

And then comes your preferred labeling system – take a black marker pen and mark each box with the essential information that will make the unpacking process so much easier and faster – content, destination room, FRAGILE or THIS SIDE UP. Also, colored labels representing individual rooms will speed things up considerably when the marked boxes are carried into your new home.

#6: Pack In Stages

You should never underestimate the time required to pack an entire house and regardless of how many possessions you have to get ready for moving, packing all of them in one single go just won’t work. And even if you had superhuman packing speed, that feat would still be impossible due to the influence of another factor – space.

Have in mind that the best working strategy is to pack for a few hours each day until the arrival of the moving truck. This way you’ll be able to keep your concentration at a maximum level while having your current living space uncluttered.

#7: Pack A Survival Kit

Think a few steps ahead and prepare a survival kit – a box or two of absolute essentials that you’re going to need in case you have no other option but to spend the night at your old or new home without the rest of your possessions.

A survival kit, also known as an open-first box, will enable you to adequately respond to emergency situations and save you plenty of time looking for a needful item through the piles of recently delivered boxes. Such a kit should include stuff that you can’t imagine living without even for a day – prescription medication, basic kitchen utensils, a change of clothes, vital tools, toiletries or why not even the favorite toys of your kids or pets.

#8. Use Garbage Bags To Pack Clothes

Clothes are best packed and transported in specialized wardrobe boxes. However, not only can those boxes take up plenty of space in the moving vehicle, but they are not cheap either. So, is there a cheaper and faster alternative that will require much less space, money and time?

Yes, there is. Believe it or not, clean garbage bags will keep your clothes and hangers perfectly organized – simply bundle your clothes together inside a trash bag straight out of the wardrobe or dresser and save yourself plenty of valuable packing time.

#9: Pack Your Jewelry The Smart Way

Once the move is over, finding your favorite jewelry pieces broken will surely not be any fun, while having them tangled will only cost you additional time in fixing them. So, make sure your jewelry is properly packed and relocated.

Your necklaces and bracelets have long chains which can get easily tangled in themselves. What can you do to prevent this from happening? The solution is simple yet ingenious – slip the chains of smaller jewelry through drinking straws and clasp the ends. If the thicker chains of your larger necklaces and bracelets don’t fit into straws, then use empty toilet paper rolls instead.

Also, you may waste extra time after the relocation if your earrings have hooked together. To avoid that, attach your decorative pairs on pre-holed cardboard cards, store them in pill organizers (especially the smaller stud ones) or place them inside Ziploc bags of appropriate sizes.

#10: Pack Your Plates Safely

Together with your glassware, the china plates you own are the household items that are most likely to be damaged during a local or long distance move. A great packing trick that will save you time when packing your plates and prevent headaches when unpacking them is to purchase inexpensive disposable paper plates and place one between every two breakable ones for extra padding and protection.

You’re not advised to use newsprint for wrapping your breakables because it could leave ink stains whose removal will cost you even more time later on.

#11: Take Photos Of Wired Devices

Have you ever taken off the electrical wiring from your TV, computer or any other electronic device and then lost considerable amount of time trying to figure out how to properly re-connect all the cables and wires? Chances are that you have.

Here’s an easy way to make sure it won’t happen again: take out your camera and photograph the way your gadgets are wired for future reference.

#12: Ask for packing help

Friends don’t let friends pack on their own.

One of the most effective ways to accelerate the time-consuming packing process is to send a call for help to all your friends and family members, and keep your fingers crossed that some of them will find the time and desire to give you a helping hand or two.

Another well-known fact (besides eating up a lot of time) is that packing is a rather boring task. But hey,  it’s entirely up to you to make things a bit more exciting by adding three doses of pizza, two doses of Chinese take-out food, one dose of great music and a pinch of genuine creativity. Organizing a packing party? Cool!

Despite your ultimate efforts to emerge victorious from the battle with time, sometimes you just end up miles away from the finish line. In which case there’s only logical solution left for you – contact a reliable moving company for unrivaled professional packing assistance.

Also Read

10 Tips for Moving on a Budget: You Can Do It!

Moving on a tight budget is never fun. Highlights Moving on a budget is a true challenge but you will... Read More

How to Move a Refrigerator by Yourself: Fridge Moving Guide

Highlights Refrigerators look sturdy and almost indestructible… but they are not. During a move, they... Read More

The Epic Family Moving Checklist: Family Relocation Timeline

Table of Contents[Open][Close]FOUR WEEKS before move dayMAKE an informed decision: MOVERS or DIYFIND and book... Read More