When you are moving house, or getting your belongings ready for storage, it can be a bit of a challenge to pack efficiently. It gets a bit overwhelming and tiring making sure that everything is wrapped and packed as well as it can be.
How to Pack Like A Pro
Following some simple guidelines on packing makes the process so easy that anyone would think that you are a total pro.
Picking your boxes
The best, and only sensible place to start with packing is with boxes, you need something to put your things in after all! We would recommend strong, sturdy boxes that will maintain their structural integrity when you are loading them, unloading them and while they are stored away. This way you can be confident that your belongings will be as protected as possible, and easy to move around until you are ready to unpack them.
For delicate or heavier items it is better to use smaller, sturdy boxes. For lighter items, larger boxes are good to use. You can also get wardrobe boxes for your clothes, so you will be able to store your clothing without having to worry about folding or creasing it.
You can purchase boxes at many locations. Burlington Storage Barn has a handy moving and packing supplies store where you can get all of your packing supplies.
If you are looking for free boxes, you can find them at grocery or liquor stores. However, you should be careful that they are not damaged, and are also free of anything that could attract insects.
Organizing your packing supplies
Along with boxes you will need some other packing supplies. It’s a great idea to have all of your packing supplies organized before you start. There’s nothing more frustrating (and distracting) than having to make any trips to the store when you’ve already started. A good idea is to make a little checklist of items you might need, it could look like something like this:
- Boxes
- Packing Tape
- Packing Paper
- Stretch Wrap
- Bubble Wrap
- Marker Pen
- Scissors
- Zip Seal Bags (for loose items, screws, liquids etc...)
Once you have your packing supplies organized, you are good to go!
Fragile items
Fragile items obviously need the most attention and care taken when you are packing them. Make sure that each item is individually wrapped, and choose a suitable box. Smaller, more sturdy boxes are the best for delicate items, this is because there is less chance that the box will be damaged, and it also ensures that there are not as many things sharing space with your delicate items. Put a layer of bubble wrap along the bottom of your box as well as around the sides, this will give your items an extra layer of protection. Make sure that your delicate items are packed in securely, but also are kept separate so that they can’t knock into one another and cause any damage.
Important documents
Important documents should be stored separately to other items. It is a good idea to give them a dedicated box. Place them in individual plastic sleeves, preferably sealable ones, so that you can keep them safe. Make sure you make the box with your documents easily accessible and identifiable just in case you need to grab something urgently. It is a good idea to keep any absolutely vital documents with you and not in storage, just to make sure that you always have them whenever you might need.
Heavy items
Like fragile items, heavier items are best kept in smaller boxes. This is not so much for their protection, but for yours. It’s easy to keep adding items into large boxes, and you can quickly make a large box too heavy to easily carry and move. To avoid this, don’t overload one box with heavy items, instead either only add one or two to a larger box, or keep them separated in smaller boxes. This way you won’t risk injuring yourself while you are moving your boxes and packing your storage unit.
Lighter items
Lighter items are a lot easier to pack and less of a worry than heavy ones. These can be packed in larger boxes, as long as you keep delicate items protected and you make sure you don’t over pack, lighter items are the easiest things to pack away.
Label your boxes
It’s surprising how often people can forget this step, but it is very frustrating when it comes to unpacking your things if you do! Remembering to label your boxes will save you a huge amount of time when it comes to unpack. It’s easiest to pack in room order, so your labels can be pretty simple, i.e. kitchen, bathroom, office, and so on. You should also mark items that are fragile and which way up boxes should be carried.
You don’t need to worry about printing any fancy labels, just writing on the side of the box in a marker pen will do the job.
Stacking boxes
The last thing to think about when you are packing is how you stack your boxes. This may seem like an obvious point, but, make sure that when you stack boxes the heavy ones go at the bottom and the lighter ones go on top, with fragile items kept separate and safe. Packing this way, with some organization will make it so much easier to get every room in your home packed away in no time!
When it comes to putting your items into storage once they are packed it is a good idea to look at our guide to protecting your belongings in storage to make sure you keep your items as safely as possible. Burlington Storage Barn has self storage units to suit all size and space requirements. Contact us today to reserve your unit.
