Should you do your own packing for your move?

When planning their move many customers ask, “should I consider doing my own packing?” It’s a great question that is sometimes difficult to answer. The quality of packing can determine whether your items get to their new destination undamaged. If you choose to pack some or all of your own belongings, your approach and attention to detail will determine the success of your local or long-distance move.

There are a few things you should consider when deciding if you’ll take on the responsibility of packing your household items in preparation for your move.

1. Do you have the time to commit to the packing process? Even a small home can take a great deal of time to pack.
2. Do you need to keep your home staged while it is for sale, or can you have packed boxes in view?
3. Are you willing to purchase the supplies such as boxes, paper, and tape yourself?
4. Depending on your schedule and your other responsibilities, will you have adequate time to get everything packed before your movers arrive?

If you decide to self-pack, here are a few tips to help make the process go smoothly.

Create a bag or box to keep essentials you will need to access during your move. This might include medications, valuables, important emergency and insurance documentation, your computer and charger, upcoming bills, toiletries, basic tools, a change of clothing, and any other essential items that you might need while your household possessions are in transit. As it gets closer to the actual move date, you’ll want to be fully prepared.

Develop a plan.

Think through your approach to packing. Do you want to begin with specific rooms or are you going to focus on items in each room that you will not need access to in the weeks leading up to your move?

One method is to begin with anything you won’t be using before your move. This may include:

1. Holiday and seasonal items
2. Guest rooms
3. Basements
4. Kitchen and Dining Room items that are infrequently used
5. Any other items you don’t use, but you are keeping due to their sentimental value

Regardless of how you decide to tackle your move, START EARLY! Starting early eases stress in the weeks and days leading up to moving day. You want to do everything possible to be prepared and ready to go when the movers show up to load and transport your items. An effective packing job not only protects your belongings but makes the move more efficient.

Kitchens take the longest to pack primarily due to the extra care required when packing breakable and fragile items. You will want to be sure you don’t save this task later in the process.

Now that you’ve established a plan, here are a few helpful suggestions to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

1. Be prepared with the correct type and number of boxes. In most cases it’s okay to use gently used moving boxes. Just be sure they’re structurally sound and can be securely closed and taped.
2. Keep all of your packing materials organized as you move from location to location within your home or apartment. Doing so will minimize frustration and time spent tracking down materials. Be sure you’re packing supplies are complete including items such as tape, markers, paper and boxes.
3. Label your boxes. Put those markers to good use and be sure to label each and every side to help you and the moving team easily identify what box belongs in what location at its final destination. You should consider making notes on the contents of the box and whether or not it’s fragile. This simple step will help make the unload proceed most easily.
4. Choose small boxes for heavy objects such as books and financial records, big boxes for lighter objects, and medium boxes for everything else. Try not to overstuff any of the boxes, because bulky boxes will be awkward to carry, difficult to stack, and vulnerable to breaking or collapsing.
5. Be certain your boxes are all closed and taped securely.
6. Do not mix your metal and glass items together in the same box to avoid damage and breakage.
7. Fill your boxes to the top and use as much packing paper as necessary to fill in the gaps for complete protection of your belongings.
8. Make sure that you put labels on each box that you pack with a readable list of its contents, designated room or location, and necessary fragile warnings,
9. Finally, don’t pack what you don’t need. Moving is a great time to go through items in your home or apartment that are no longer used.

If you’ve decided that you do not want to deal with the hassle of packing, Cross Town Movers offers full packing services for your move including the supply of standard moving boxes, shrink wrap, tape, and paper as well as the labor for packing. In addition, we offer partial packing services, which can be useful when you only need some of your furnishings and possessions packed, but not all. Our goal is to exceed the level of service and professionalism that other moving companies offer by providing a more customized experience that will help to make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible. Call us today to get scheduled 208-378-0226. We would love to help you with all of your moving needs.