Whether you are packing your own storage van and hauling all your things across the country by yourself or hiring movers to move it for you, you will most likely still need to pack up all of your own things. Here are nine great hacks to help you conquer your cross-country move.
1. Pack a suitcase and put it in your car
If you are traveling cross country, there is a good chance you will be staying the night somewhere. Also, you will most likely want to take a shower the first night you are in your new home. Packing a suitcase before you pack anything else, will ensure you have everything you need and your items don’t get packed away.
2. Use clothing and linens as packing materials
Buying packing materials can get expensive, and you have to move all of your clothing and linens anyway, so why not use them instead. T-shirts, towels, sheets, and socks all make great cushioning for all of your most valuable possessions. Best of all, there is no waste when you arrive!
3. Pack the things you will need first in clear tubs
As soon as you arrive, there are things you will want to unpack first. If you pack those things in clear tubs, not only will they stand out from all of the rest of your belongings, but you can quickly and easily see what is in each one.
4. Inventory all boxes on a master list
While it may be a pain to create a master inventory list of what is in every box, your future self will thank you. Not only will it help you find things quickly and easily, but it will also help you know what needs to be unpacked first and what can go in a storage area to be unpacked at a later date.
5. Use colored tape to sort boxes
While labeling your boxes according to the room they belong in is great, colored tape is even better, especially if you are using movers. Movers can quickly and easily put all the boxes with the same colored tape in the rooms they belong in.
6. Stack dishes vertically
When you stack dishes, the dishes on the bottom end up having a great deal of weight put on them by the dishes on top and can easily break. If you insert dishes into a box vertically instead, there is no weight placed on any of them.
7. Pack hanging clothes in trash bags
Instead of taking all of your hanging clothing off hangers, packing them and rehanging them, just wrap clothing in trash bags and move them hangars and all. You can also use twist ties on bundles of hangars to keep them all together.
8. How to move furniture
If you disassemble any furniture, interstate furniture movers recommend placing any nuts, bolts, screws or other hardware in a zip-top back and tape it to the furniture. Here are some additional furniture moving tips:
- How to Move a Couch the Right Way
- 7 Cheapest Ways to Move Furniture
- How to Store Furniture in a Storage Unit
9. Use plastic wrap on utensil trays or other trays
Wrap plastic wrap around utensil trays or trays from the junk drawer or bathroom cabinets. Then you don’t have to sort through it all when you arrive. Just unwrap the plastic wrap, and you’re ready to rock.
10. Wrap knives in oven mitts
Oven mitts make a nice, thick, padded packing material for knives, so you don’t inadvertently cut yourself when unpacking them.