Having to move to a new home is not a process that most enjoy. It may be exciting to think about your new home and all the things you will enjoy doing, but the moving side of everything is more than often a real source of dread and anxiety for most of us. You will need to call utility companies, make sure your old home is cleaned from the top to the bottom, hire a removal company or vans and pack all your belongings into boxes (or have to make other travel arrangements when they don’t fit), and then move everything from one house to the next, preferably keeping everything intact that is valuable to you. This is no easy task, and many things could go drastically wrong during this process. So, do you know the right way to prepare your home for a move?

Collect Your Supplies

Before you even attempt to start packing, you will need a few essential packing supplies. This will help you to avoid running around in search of extra boxes or packing tape, and it will ensure you maintain a consistent flow when it comes to packing. You are going to need:

• Small, medium, and large boxes
• Specialist heavy-duty boxes
• Wardrobe boxes
• Packing tape
• Newspaper
• Bubble wrap
• Labels and Sharpies
• Furniture wrap

You can buy most of these items from your local store, but these are often expensive and might not be up to the task. Many of the self-storage facilities (which includes us) have these products available at much more affordable prices, which means you can pick up all the items you need without putting a dent in your bank balance.

The quality boxes will be high and long enough to move, pack or store heavy and bulky items without collapsing or breaking under weight (like most supermarket boxes will). If you are unable to find items such as wardrobe boxes, it is still possible to make your own. All that you will need to do is insert a metal railing from one end of a long box. If you are looking to get long-term storage in the future always make sure you read any Storage long terms the storage provider has.

Tips On How To Pack

Once you have everything ready, you can start your packing process. Each person has a different approach when it comes to packing up their homes, but we can give you a few basic tips to ensure the process goes a lot smoother.

Start Early

You will want to avoid having to stay up until the early hours of the morning before your moving day because you have not finished packing. It will make you tired and irritable on your moving day, making the entire process a lot more difficult. So, try to start packing as soon as you can by aiming for at least 1 box daily, which will ensure you are ready on a moving day!

Start With Items That Are Not In Use

We suggest breaking down your packing into 2 batches. Aim to pack the first batch a month or more in advance which will include packing away items you do not use that often. Your second batch will be done closer to your moving date. This batch will be easier to manage now that most of your other items have already been packed into boxes.

De-Clutter

Moving to a new home is one of the best times to honestly assess what you do and don’t need. All of us accumulate junk and clutter over the years in our homes. Many of these items go unnoticed until you need to put them into boxes. So along with your boxes for packing, make sure you have a roll of bin bags on hand. Divide your throw-away items into a pile for a charity shop and another pile that will go into the bin.

Pack Your Boxes Room By Room

Packing can often feel overwhelming since there are many items that need to be packed. One of the easiest ways to keep everything under control is to pack one room at a time. Stick to the principle of first packing items you won’t be using very often and throwing away what you won’t need. This breaks the process up and makes the task of packing more manageable and easier.