Smart ways to store your items when relocating

Relocating can feel like a tedious task. Not only do you have to draw up a budget, but you have to also plan the logistics of your move. One of the most important aspects of planning a move is being able to pack your items in a space-efficient way.

Here are some quick tips on how to store your items innovatively when moving:

1. Declutter your belongings

Prior to setting out to pack your items, make sure you sift through your belongings. Due to the materialistic society we live in, we often accumulate items that we don’t have much use for. In general, it’s important to take inventory of what no longer serves you and what you’d like to keep, but even more so when you’re planning to relocate.

Be sure to separate your belongings into piles — one you’d like to keep, one you’d like to give away and one you’d like to throw away. By reducing the number of items you have, you will make packing much easier.

2. Make sure you pack by category

Packing your items randomly will undoubtedly make it extremely difficult to locate specific items once you unpack. The solution is to make sure you pack by category or room, so that once you’ve relocated it’s easy to find certain items. This will also help with packing in your new home, as you can start organising your home section by section, according to how you’ve packed your belongings into boxes.

3. Label your boxes

Packing by category doesn’t help much if you’re not sure about what’s in each box. Labeling your boxes makes it easier for you to determine where you’ve placed certain items, which will invariably make it less of a headache to re-pack your items in your new home.

4. Make sure your boxes are filled with packing paper or foam

When packing items into boxes, it’s important that you fill gaps with packing paper or foam. Doing this stops items from moving around and potentially breaking.

5. Wrap fragile items, such as glass, in newspaper or bubble wrap

Fragile items such as glass, ceramics, and others should always be wrapped in newspaper or bubble wrap. Doing this prevents them from breaking, and also potentially prevents accidents where broken glass could harm someone.

6. Roll clothing to create extra space

Still folding your clothing? Doing this actually takes up a huge amount of space, especially if you’re folding jeans. The best way to pack clothes is to roll them and stack the rolls on top of one another to make efficient use of limited space.

7. Double-box and pad your plasma TV

Plasma TVs are quite sensitive and the process of relocating can damage your prized possession. One way to prevent your plasma TV from being damaged is to double-box it. This means putting it in a box that is in another box, while also making sure that it is wrapped with bubble wrap or other types of padding to prevent breakage.

8. Store heavy boxes at the bottom of the truck

By storing the heavier boxes at the bottom of the moving truck, you ensure that lighter and more fragile items don’t get crushed and damaged by heavy boxes. It also makes it easier to unpack the moving truck once you reach your destination.

By using the above storage tips, you can ensure that packing your items in preparation for a move is as seamless as possible.

Courtesy of PrivateProperty