The image to the left is what it feels like. Having recently completed an interstate move I have some thoughts on successfully packing. I need to mention that I tend to be anal retentive about organization and that I lucked out and had an absolutely awesome driver who knew how to pack a truck so everything arrived in good condition.
I have felt a big move coming on for a couple of years so I spent considerable time going through the house I had resided in for 17 years and deciding what needed to go with me and what needed to be moved on to someplace else. I sold things on Ebay, the local Craigslist, I seriously used freecycle.org with great results and lastly donated to Denton County Friends of the Family who were so appreciative of everything I gave them. Oh, and I had a garage sale. It was my first and quite a learning experience.
So when it came time to pack up I had seriously pared down, not knowing how seriously I would downsize. The move was further complicated by purchasing a fixer upper so the smart thing was to pack in a way that a lot would stay boxed while I worked on the house. Jeez — it got complicated.
Tip #1: Start asking you newspaper subscribing friends to start saving newsprint for you. Tell them to recycle all the ads and coupons since they aren’t good for packing, but keep newsprint only. I could not believe how much paper I went through to protect my belongings. Yes, you’ll get black newsprint on your hands. Go wash them.
Tip #2: See if your selected moving company has used boxes at no charge. Boxes for an entire household are several hundred dollars. If you can get them for free it’s a bonus. My mover also kicked in packing tape and 2 bundles on newsprint. Everything you move will have to be in a box so the number of boxes required is astronomical.
Tip #3: Shop for movers. I got a great quote at a weight that turned out to not be correct. Getting multiple quotes helped me figure out what my stuff really weighed so I could accurately compare the quotes. They’re sneaky and the more information you have the easier it will be for you to figure out the tricks.
Tip #4: Since I’m an organizational freak I would have liked to close a box when I was done with a particular type of stuff instead of mixing contents. Forget it. Fill every box completely. If necessary use towels, decorative pillows, dust rags, sheets to pad the top of boxes before you close them. Full boxes don’t crush when then have other boxes stacked on top of them. Half full boxes will crush and things will get broken. It will be more confusing when you’re unpacking, but your stuff won’t be broken.
Tip #5: Utilize wardrobe boxes. Put lamp bases in corners (pack the lampshades in another box). Wrap pictures that will slide down the sides of the wardrobe box in paper/bubble wrap and then wrap again in cardboard and then slide them down the sides of the wardrobe box. I even slipped a table leaf down the side of one wardrobe box. Use a corner of one box for long things. I slid curtain rods, yardsticks, anything under the 46″ box height. Use wardrobe boxes for garden tools that are under 46″ — I put a trash can in one wardrobe box and then filled it with hedger, weed trimmer, leaf blower, etc. I kept one wardrobe box for moving day and put all the linens from my bed in it. Mattress pad, comforter, pillows, blankets, sheets were all packed in Space Bags first and then put in the box. My bedding and the table leaf filled an entire box.
Tip #6: Cushion the bottom of dish packs with a generous layer of wadded up paper before packing the dishes with plates on their edge. Add glassware at the top and then fill with more wadded paper. Like I said — I could not believe how much paper I went through.
Tip #7: I found big pictures to be one of the biggest pains to pack. I generously wrapped each in a lot of layers of paper and then broke down an appropriately sized box and wrapped it around the picture and then taped the ever-loving crap out of it. The mover didn’t provide mirror boxes, but this method worked well.
Tip #8: Label the boxes CLEARLY as to what room they go to. The movers will love you. Labeled boxes and full boxes and they will know you have more than done your part and will show their appreciation by handling your stuff with care.
Tip #9: Okay — this one in uber anal. Make a list of your boxes and a general description of what’s in the box. I had a spreadsheet with the box number, the general contents, and where it was to go at the new house. That spreadsheet has saved my butt. I wonder where the hell something is, pull up the spreadsheet, do a “find” for the word, and locate the box number. It was a total and complete pain to do, but all the pain has paid off since my arrival.
I used Allied Van Lines for my move. I was not impressed with the sales person or customer service person on the Dallas end of the move, but lucked out and got George out of Charlotte, NC who was an artist at packing a truck. It was luck of the draw. I could have just as easily gotten some bozo who didn’t know how to load a truck. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the pre-move people a 2 at best. George was a definite 12. At the end of the day, the person caring for your belongings is the most important element of a move. If there’s any way you can find out about the experience of the driver and the percentage of damage claims, that would be the most important information to have next to pricing.
There’s no way around how painful moving is. Avoiding the heartache of damage will lessen that pain.
