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Packing 101: A Guide for First-Time Home Movers

Practical ways to get started with packing for your move.

Did you recently buy a house in another suburb or city? Or perhaps you are just about ready to move to another place for work, school or retirement purposes. Whatever your reason for moving home, you might be feeling lost at what to keep, what to let go and how to go about the whole process of moving home, but there’s no need to worry because packing is not as complicated as it seems. Have a read of these house moving tips to get you started.

10 Practical Packing Tips for First-Time Home Movers

Here are some packing tips to help make life easier for first-time movers like you. These tips will also make the entire experience less stressful, even if you are just helping a parent or friend make the big move.

Get Rid of Everything You Possibly Can

1. Get Rid of Everything You Possibly Can

Less is more, and when it comes to packing – the less stuff you bring over to your new place, the more time you can spend doing something you really like instead of packing. Clear any clutter from your wardrobe, drawers and cupboards as soon as you know that you are moving.

Begin with clothes that you haven’t worn for a year or so. If you haven’t even noticed your old winter jumpers this year yet, chances are they will remain hidden behind your favourite jumpers, trackies and suits. If you have only worn them a few times, consider donating these clothes to charities.

Be ruthless when it comes to sorting out your clutter. That very first TV set you ever bought that takes up so much space? Junk it. You also won’t be needing that mantle clock that has been stuck at 2 PM since you can remember or that lumpy throw pillow. Remember, the memories are not held in your things, they are held in your mind.

Categorise Your Belongings

2. Categorise Your Belongings

Before you start putting anything in a box, organise your things first by category rather than by room. So, instead of spending a day cleaning out the whole of your bedroom, spend a couple of hours sorting through your entire wardrobe.

Go through every closet, laundry room, and dirty clothes hamper until you’ve got every piece of clothing you own in one place. Then comes the fun part – sorting. Do the same for shoes, bags, important documents, books, and so on.

Set Aside Old Belongings You Can Sell

3. Set Aside Old Belongings You Can Sell

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. So, if you have some items that you think you can sell such as luxury brand purses and shoes, collector’s items such as vinyl records, and video game consoles, set them aside.

There are several avenues through which you can sell your unwanted belongings. The simplest and easiest to arrange would be a garage sale. Ebay is another great port of call for items that may have some intrinsic value. You can also advertise in the local papers. For brand name clothes, shoes and accessories, get in touch with your local consignment store.

Pack Your Drawers

4. Pack Your Drawers

If you plan to take your dresser to your new house, you don’t have to empty out your drawers. Instead, remove breakables and perishables but leave everything else. Secure the drawers by wrapping them in plastic wrap and move them separately to the main frame of the chest of drawers, unless you’re Superman!

Keep All Furniture Parts Together

5. Keep All Furniture Parts Together

When you dismantle pieces of furniture, make sure you place small hardware items such as bolts and knobs in plastic bags. Tape them securely to the furniture where they are supposed to go when you assemble them back in your new place.

Organise Your Boxes

6. Organise Your Boxes

Place about three inches of crushed paper layer in the bottom of the box for cushioning. Put delicate items in smaller boxes, and then put them all together in a single large box, filling in spaces with crushed paper for added support. It’s best to aim for a firm pack that will prevent stuff from shifting and avoid overloading your boxes. Lastly, list the contents of every box on the side before you seal them.

Number or colour code each box that corresponds to a room in your new home (This will help ensure that movers put the boxes into the proper rooms easily) and label which boxes you want your Newcastle removalist to unpack first.

Use Original Boxes for Electronics

7. Use Original Boxes for Electronics

When it comes to transporting electronics, you don’t want to take any chances. Check to see if you have kept their original boxes. If you haven’t, make a list of what you will need to cushion your electronics properly. Quilts, thick blankets and towels and bubble wrap will work well to protect your computer monitors and other delicate items.

Another tip, if you aren’t technically minded; Take a photo of the back of your TV while it is still plugged in. That way, it will be easier for you to set it back up in your new residence later.

Raid Liquor, Food and Home Improvement Stores for Boxes

8. Raid Liquor, Food and Home Improvement Stores for Boxes

Most of these stores recycle their used product boxes. Ask if you can have some so you save a few trees (and a few bucks!) in your packing expedition. Just make sure that they are not so worn out and that you only use them to hold towels, linens and other lightweight items.

Buy Extra Packing Supplies

9. Buy Extra Packing Supplies

Pop into the nearest hardware store with your list of packing and moving supplies and stock up on boxes of all sizes, packing paper, packing tape, and bubble wrap. Don’t forget to grab some extra so that you don’t have to go back to the store when you run out of supplies.

Make sure you include every possible item that you might need during the moving process. Buy extra screws, a measuring tape, a broom to clean the rooms with, extension cords, and flashlights.

Pack Ahead of Time

10. Pack Ahead of Time

Packing for a few hours every day is far less stressful than trying to accomplish it all in one day. Start boxing the things you know you won’t be using, such as books you have already read, off-season clothes and keepsakes.

Hire an Experienced Removalist in Newcastle For Your Upcoming Move.

To make your moving experience a little easier, consider hiring removalists to do the job. Sunset Removals has 15 years of experience helping customers relocate conveniently to their new house or office. Our company’s personalised service and friendly yet professional staff have earned us numerous referrals and recommendations from customers. Read some of our testimonials to learn more and contact us to arrange your home move. You can request a quote, send us a message online, call us on 0430 11 11 07 or email us at sunsetremovals@live.com.

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