Like any major undertaking, moving takes a considerable amount of planning and organization. Unfortunately, not everyone is an expert planner. Some even prefer to wait until the last minute to begin planning, organizing, and packing. So, if you’re one of those people who struggle with organization, does that mean you’re doomed to have a stressful, chaotic move? Not at all! In fact, you can get the ball rolling on moving prep by using the following packing cheatsheet from the expert movers at our Gainesville moving company.
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Storage Items
The items you have stored away in your garage, basement, attic, and deep in the back of your closets should be some of the first items you pack up. Considering that many of the items in these places may already be packed into storage bins, this should be an easy place to start. Just make sure to take some time to purge items you no longer need and consolidate space by combining things into fewer boxes.
Fine China
It’s unlikely you’ll be hosting any fancy dinner parties right before you move, so go ahead and start packing up that fine china. Go ahead and pack up any other dishes you rarely use as well. Remember to label any boxes that contain breakable dishes as “fragile” and ensure they’re packed very carefully.
Wall Art
Leading up to moving day, your house probably won’t be the tidiest it’s ever been. So, you might as well go ahead and pack away decorative pieces like artwork, family photos, and any other ornamental wall hangings intended to liven up. Packing up wall art early on also gives you a chance to make sure you have enough time to pull nails out of the wall and fill any holes if you live in a rental.
Knick-Knacks
Knick-knacks, trinkets, and gewgaws are next. Knick-knacks could be old souvenirs, tabletop decor, your kids’ toys, or even your garden gnomes. Go ahead and pack them up now, as these items are small enough to be easily forgotten later on.
Out-Of-Season Clothes
If you’re moving in the summer, there’s no reason you can’t go ahead and pack up all those heavy winter coats. Luckily, clothes are easy to pack. You don’t even need to take them off their hangar! Just grab a trash bag, bundle a few clothing items up next to each other, slide the trash bag around the bundle, and tie the trash bag off with the hangars poking out of the top. This way you can just hang them up and pull the bag off when you get to the new place.
Books
Books are heavy, especially when a bunch of them are packed into a single box, so you might as well get them out of the way first. If you’ve got one or two books you’d like to keep out to read during the move, that’s fine, but go ahead and pack up the rest of the library. Also, make sure to comb through your collection and look for any books you may have borrowed. The last thing you want is to make off with a buddy’s book, especially if returning it means you’ll have one less book to transport.