Packing your personal belongings is an important part for any move. Packing should not be taken lightly and should not be postponed to the last minute, packing requires some planning and preparations since doing everything on a tight schedule can become a daunting task. If you decide that packing everything  by yourself is to much you can always approach your moving company and request that your moving estimate will include full packing services, just be advised that full packing services may have a large impact on the price tag for your move.

                                    On average most people who plan to move plan to pack by themselves. The whole packing task can be made easier just by planning a head and purchasing the right equipment and packing supplies. It is recommended to prepare a list of all everything you plan to pack in order to know which packing materials to order in advance. This brings us the one of the most important parts of packing – Packing Materials. Do not assume that you have everything you need to pack your home, using old packing materials is not the right way to protect your personal belongings, plan to purchase packing materials online. Many packing materials companies will deliver to your door bulk packages that will contain everything you might need for the packing task.               

Those are the items and packing materials you might need:

·         Sturdy boxes in different sizes. (small boxes for heavy items like books and larger boxes for lighter items like beddings.

·         Cutting knife or scissors.

·         Materials to protect fragile items. (bubble wrap, packing paper, and etc.)

·         It may sound cheaper to use newspaper just remember that the ink may imprint on items and you will have to remove ink marks afterwards.

·         Packing tape sometimes called PVC tape or stretching tape.

·         Tools that will help disassemble items.

It is important to remember that many moving companies and moving insurance providers will refuse to insure items that are packed by you because the lack of quality control on the way you pack. It is a good idea to pack be yourself items that are not very expensive or non-fragile items. Expensive items should be packed by the moving company, for example If you have a 42’’ Plasma TV let the movers pack that. Any items that carry great sentimental value like photo albums should be carried by you just for you peace of mind. Do not pack or expect the movers to move flammable or any other hazardous material.

                                    The hardest part of packing is to start packing, once you start things will move quickly and smoothly. Approach the task of packing like any other tasks that may require some planning ahead. Do not pack items randomly or move from one room to the next. Choose a room to pack and complete all required packing in that room. Only when you finished packing the current room move to the next one. Packing one room at a time is an organized way to pack and also you will see the work progressing.

                                    Many people will pack boxes mark their content and the room they belong on top of the books. Some people will use a notebook to prepare a list of the boxes packed and their content. The notebook may be used later to make the unpacking process easier. It is a great tool to use color coding. Buy color stickers and mark each room in a different color. When the moving company will deliver the color coded boxes will be easier to recognize and placed in the right room.        

                                    Many of the furniture purchased today are delivered disassembled and require some assembly. Many times it will mean that those items will have to be disassembling before the move. If you want you can prepare those items for shipping by disassembling those items before the moving company shows up. Make sure you place all disassembled items their parts (screws and other hardware) in a clearly marked box that will be easy to find.

                                    There is one important box that you should start packing from day 1, the essentials box. That box should contain items that you will need in the new home without unpacking any other boxes; items such as a flashlight, telephone, light bulbs, and any other item that you feel that you may need immediately when the moving truck shows up in the new home.

                                    It is important to evenly distribute the weight of your boxes. do not pack boxes that are to heavy to carry by one person. It makes the moving process complicated and boxes that are to heavy to carry may collapse. Use large packing boxes for light items and smaller ones for the heavier items.