8 Packing Tips – Moving Day Made Simple

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When it comes time for you to start packing up your house in preparation to move, how you pack your things can either help make the move go smoothly or can make you fantasize about burning all of your belongings and moving into a tiny house instead…

We want to help you achieve the first option, so below we share with you the tips we’ve picked up over the years about how to simply and effectively pack for moving day to help you have a relatively stress-free experience of moving to Port Alberni.

Packing Tip #1 – Use your linens to pack up the breakables

It saves money on bubble wrap and you will be able to fit more things into less boxes! But remember to keep out some clean towels and face cloths so that on moving day you won’t have to dig through boxes of wine glasses and tea cups to find a towel for a post-move-in shower in your new home in Port Alberni.

Packing Tip #2 – Get your kitchen packed up well before moving day.

It’s tempting to try and keep some dishes and soap and a toaster and… all the other things we need for making meals accessible until moving day, but you will find yourself with more work than it’s worth. Keep a stack of unbreakable or disposable dishes and cutlery in the kitchen and feed your self with either take-out food or by preparing one or two big casseroles in disposable pans that you can warm and serve on the last few days before the big move.

Packing Tip #3 – Start to de-clutter your house well before you begin to pack.

Get rid of anything that you are not 100% sure that you want in your new home. Go through the closets and storage areas and give or throw away anything that you haven’t used in a year or more. If you never really liked it that much or you have a newer version of something, go ahead and give it away. It’s going to be refreshing when you unpack in your new place to have only those things that you really want, instead of having to sort through boxes of stuff that was cluttering up your basement in the first place.

Packing Tip #4 – Be methodical… but not too methodical.

Otherwise you’ll never be done with the task of packing! Don’t be afraid to pack things together that aren’t similar. Opt for packing things together that are from the same room, rather than, for example, trying to get all the candle holders into a specific box. If all the things from the bookshelf go in a box labeled ‘bookshelf’ and all the things from the wall shelves in a box labeled ‘ wall shelves,’ this will make the packing and unpacking process much more simple and even faster for you.

Packing Tip #5 – Don’t pack the modem or router.

When it comes time to give a call to the cable or internet company to notify them of the move, be sure to ask if the modem and/or router are yours or if they are to be returned as a part of your service agreement. This can be a costly mistake, especially if they are packed away and you cannot find them, because of course they will be in the last box you look in… So to remain stress-free, do the research on your wi-fi connection before moving day.

Packing Tip #6 – Before buying boxes, there are lots of places you can look to get boxes for free.

Ask your friends or local businesses if they have any boxes to spare. Often times offices will have sturdy paper boxes that are excellent for moving. Places that stock napkins and paper towels will also be a good source of decent sized and strength boxes.

Packing Tip #7 – Save the newspaper and flyers that you get for a month or two before the move.

It’s useful for filling spaces so things won’t shift, and can be a perfect buffer between breakables. It always seems impossible to find all the newspaper that you need at the last minute, so by stocking up early, you will know you have enough when the time comes for packing.

Packing Tip #8 – Be clear when labelling the boxes.

Don’t allow yourself to label any boxes ‘misc.,’ because we guarantee that you will not have a clue what is inside after a few hours of packing. Instead, give each box at least some kind of signifier like ‘cookbooks and colander’ or ‘living room misc.’ This way your memory will be jogged and all of the miscellaneous stuff that you packed with the cookbooks and colander are more likely to be memorable.
If you’re dreaming of moving to Port Alberni, we are happy to help facilitate your move. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, or to set up a viewing.

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Check out our properties for sale.