Packing and Wrapping
Moving is the process of relocating of your belongings from one place to another. So, while the emotional and mental preparation for your house move is, undoubtedly, crucial for the successful outcome of your relocation adventure, the actual preparation of your items for shipment is just as important, too. You need to inventory your possessions, sort them out, de-clutter your home, get rid of any unwanted items, carefully pack the things you’re going to take with you, provide appropriate insurance for your valuable, and so on.
All these preparatory steps are essential for organizing a smooth and trouble-free relocation, of course, but it is the packing process that should be your greatest concern – it is, without a doubt, the most time-consuming, laborious, and consequential moving task you have to deal with. To ensure your packing success and the safety of your cherished possessions, you need to create a packing list, get hold of appropriate packing materials, observe the golden rules of packing, and steer clear of packing mistakes.
But first things first – before you can get down to work, you need to know where to start packing for a move.
So, what to pack first for moving? It’s only logical that the first things to pack will be the things you need the least.
Storage
Everything that has been safely stored away and hidden out of sight in garages, basements, or attics, is certainly rarely used and little needed (if at all). It is highly unlikely that you will need any of these half-forgotten items in the time left until moving day, so you are recommended to start organizing them and packing them away as early as possible. Remember that going through the storage areas in your home and sorting out all the miscellaneous things kept there will take a lot of time and effort.
Sort out your belongings into three separate piles:
1) “to be discarded” – all the items that are too outdated or too worn out to be used ever again, as well as any damaged pieces you still keep;
2) “to be sold, donated, or given away” – all the knick-knacks, decorations, old furniture, specialty equipment, craft supplies, tools, and so on that are still in good conditions but you don’t like anymore or won’t be able to use in your new surroundings, be it because of the climate, the available space, the peculiarities of your new lifestyle, etc.
3) “to be packed for moving” – anything that has considerable practical, aesthetic, or sentimental value and you don’t want to part with.
Needless to say, you need to dispose of the first pile immediately and take care of the second one as soon as possible (otherwise you may reconsider your decisions and start pulling items out of that pile). Organize a moving sale or sell online any costly possessions of yours that you’re not taking with you (artwork, sports gear, specialized tools, etc.), donate practical items of little market value (old clothes, toys, furniture pieces, etc.), and give away to friends and family whatever they may like or need.
Which room to pack first?
When you have sorted out and boxed up the storage areas (the toughest packing challenge you’ll be faced with), you should move on to the other less commonly used rooms in your home, such as the guest rooms and the living room. The most essential rooms – the kitchen, the kids’ room (if applicable), the bedroom, and the bathroom – should be packed last, of course.