At Ruth Movers, Inc., we’ve seen it all—neat packing, messy packing and really messy packing. We’ve seen tears and laughter and mental breakdowns when customers think they lost the dog’s cage or the toothbrush or simply can’t find the essentials for the first night in the new house. And that’s all stressful.
As professional residential movers in the Twin Cities metro area, we often talk about moving day stress, specialty moving services and what to expect when working with a moving company. But what we don’t talk about a lot is how to pack like a pro. So as professional movers, we wanted to share a few go-to packing tips for your next (or first!) move. Master these packing tips and you’ll find the dog’s cage, the toothbrush, all the essentials and all of your sanity:
Make a packing schedule: The best way to avoid stress and stay on top of your overwhelming amount of packing is to schedule it. There are plenty of things in the house that you won’t use every day, so plan to pack those first and leave the essentials for last. Doing a little bit of packing every day makes the whole job a lot less overwhelming.
Plan for your specialty movers: Pianos, art, antiques and whatever oddly shaped stuff you have lying around the house that needs to be moved often require special attention. Make sure you plan the move of these specialty items by coordinating with your mover and taking precautions.
Take care of big appliances: Defrost your fridge the day before your move to prepare it for moving day. Clean the stove and the microwave to prevent damage. Check the manuals for all of your major appliances that you’re bringing with you to see if there are any special instructions for moving them. And if you’re not bringing them, leave them sparkling for their new owners.
Take stock and clear the clutter: Moving time is a great time to start clearing out the clutter and really taking stock of what you own and want to keep around the new house. As soon as you know when and where you’ll be moving, start going through your home and clearing out everything that you no longer need or want.
Get plenty of supplies: Strong boxes and lots of tape are moving and packing essentials, but make sure you have plenty of them. There’s nothing worse than having to run out for some last minute packing supplies the night before your big move because you didn’t have enough. Packing is stressful enough already!
Leave the essentials till the end: Toothbrushes, favorite stuffed animals, sheets and the coffee maker—some things are absolutely essential for your first night and first morning, and you won’t want to be digging around to find the coffee when you first wake up after an exhausting day. Put all of the essentials in one box that is the last on the truck and the first one off.
As the premier residential movers in the Twin Cities metro area, we’ve been moving, packing, advising and professionally transporting belongings for more than 50 years, and we know that well-packed stuff is half the battle of a great moving day. Call us today to get some more expert packing and moving advice and to plan your beautifully packed and executed move!
