Hooray, that new home is yours! After the exciting process of viewing and bidding, certainly, you will soon receive the key to move to your new home!
The stress of moving may drown out the revelry. Questions arise:
- What will it be like to live in my new home?
- What else do I need to arrange before that happens?
- Can I find a handy moving checklist somewhere?
- Where do I start packing?
This blog provides useful tips from professional movers that help pack your household effects smartly, quickly, and safely. We handle the packing of different household effects and make packing as easy as possible in this way.
Packing stress? With these handy tips, packing for your move will be simple and clear!
Packing when moving: tips in advance
Lack of overview can cause stress and a feeling of restlessness. Unfortunately, a lack of overview is also exactly what many people encounter when packing for the move. Especially the question ‘where do I start?’ we often hear. We are happy to give you some tips.
Tip 1: Start on time
It is often difficult to estimate how much time packing will take. Therefore, the first and most valuable tip is to start packing your things on time! By starting on time, you avoid stress at the last minute.
Tip 2: Provide good packaging material
Good packaging material is not only the best protection for your household effects but also works best. However, sometimes quality protective packaging material costs a little more. For example, a good, sturdy roll of bubble wrap is more expensive than a cheap roll with bubble wrap, which is lighter and protects less well.
However, quality packaging material does not have to be expensive. Good packaging materials that everyone has at home are:
- newspapers
- (old) clothes
- (old) towels
- (old) bedding
- garbage bags
- foil
- plastic bags
Later in this article, we explain how you can use these everyday items as packaging material when packing for your move. But, above all, if you want to purchase protective packaging materials at reasonable prices, feel free to visit Britwrap.
Tip 3: In case of stress: start somewhere
Stress can have a paralyzing effect: you don’t know where to start and therefore put off starting. A remedy for this crippling situation is to start somewhere. First, begin packing an item you are comfortable with. For example, a good starting point is to sort and pack the stuff in the attic.
Tip 4: Pack the things you don’t often use first
By first packing all the things in the house that you do not use often. This could be, for example:
- stuff in the attic
- winter clothes (in summer) and summer clothes (in winter)
- books
- collections
- sports equipment that you are not using this season (winter sports equipment, surf equipment)
Tip 5: Label all boxes
Write on all the boxes what is in them and in which room of your new house the box should go. This will prevent a lot of frustration in your new home because, by definition, all boxes land in the right room, and you can easily find your stuff.
Packing for my move: where to start?
We already mentioned it: the idea that everything in the house has to be packed can be overwhelming. This can leave you feeling indecisive and not knowing where to start, causing you to keep putting off packing. The motto then is: packing for your move has to be done anyway, so simply start somewhere. You will see that it makes a difference once you have begun and that the next boxes are much easier if there are already a few packed boxes in sight.
Where to start is different for everyone. A good method is first to sort out your belongings, room by room before you start packing for the move. In some areas, you can pack the remaining items immediately after sorting them out if you are no longer using them before you move. In other rooms, you will still need most of the remaining stuff.
For example, the to-do list might look like this:
- pick and pack the attic or attic
- choose bedrooms 1, 2, 3
- then select a study room and pack it
- choose a bathroom
- pick out the hall and partially pack it
- choose the living room and partially pack it
- figuring out the kitchen and partially packing it
- pick out the pantry and partially pack it
- pick out and pack a shed
‘Part-packing’ applies to the rooms where you will need some items until just before the move, but not others. In the kitchen, for example, you will need the plates until just before the move, but you can already pack the inherited crockery that is only decorative on the sideboard.
The things you don’t pack yet are automatically the things you still use. You pack more and more of these things as the move approaches.
Packing moving boxes: practical tips
Many of your belongings can be packed in moving boxes. However, we get relatively many questions about some types of household effects. Therefore, we have listed the easiest way of packing these types of household effects for you.
Tip: Packing glasses and packing wine glasses
- Packing glasses: it doesn’t remain easy. There are several methods:
- Wrap your glasses or wine glasses in bubble wrap.
- Wrap your glasses in old newspapers.
- Use old towels, washcloths, or old clothes to wrap your glasses properly.
- (Old) socks are a perfect way to wrap tightly (wine) glasses. For extra security, it can also help to put socks in the glasses;
A box divider is a convenient and secure packaging method for smaller glasses.
Tip: pack dishes
The same packing methods apply to crockery (cups and saucers) as to glasses. Consider using:
- bubble wrap;
- Old newspapers;
- Old towels, washcloths, or old clothes;
- (Old) socks.
This applies in any case to the packaging of dishes and glasses: make sure that you arrange the boxes with dishes and glasses so that the dishes and glasses do not move. Place and place the crockery pieces tightly against each other.
Special tableware paper is also available for packing crockery for your move.
Tip: Packing clothes
There are also special boxes for packing clothes: wardrobe boxes. In these boxes, you can hang your clothes on a rod so that your clothes do not wrinkle during the move.
Do you want to move your clothes cheaper? Then opt for transport in normal moving boxes or in (garbage) bags. You can also use clothes to wrap up other objects. For example, you can pack crockery or glasses in items of clothing.
Packing furniture
Packing furniture for a move is another sport. Here’s a little checklist to help you pack your furniture:
- In any case, make sure that parts of furniture that are loose (such as shelves and drawers) are packed separately. A loose drawer or shelf that falls out of a piece of furniture while moving can cause damage and injury.
- If you have removed the loose parts, check whether the furniture can be easily disassembled. Furniture is generally a lot easier and safer to transport when disassembled.
- Now is a good time to look at the feet of your furniture: are all the protective felt pads still there? Apply new felts as needed and replace worn-out felts. This way, you protect the floor in your new home against scratches.
- Then look at both the assembled and disassembled parts of the furniture to see which parts protrude. Corners, legs, and decorative carvings are especially sensitive to transport damage. Pack these parts in, for example, bubble wrap and tape.
- If the entire furniture is vulnerable (for example, scratch-sensitive wooden furniture must be completely protected against scratches), pack the furniture carefully with moving covers when loading.