by waparkpartners

Best Strategies for Packing and Labeling Your Moving Boxes

There’s
no doubt that moving is a life-changing event. The idea of adapting to a new
environment can be somewhat daunting yet exciting as well. While most people
associate relocation with stress and disorganization, it doesn’t always have to
be that way. Setting up a simple system to streamline the process should do the
trick.

How Important Is Packing and Labeling Boxes?

Assuming
you’re already done with the pre-move phase, today’s article will help you
tackle getting organized efficiently. But first, why should you bother with
this task? Wouldn’t it more time-effective to pack and send everything into
transit?

Wrong. Organizing actually goes a long way in ending your move swiftly. Good packing ensures a quick unpacking, while labeling helps identify what boxes go in which rooms. This way, you won’t have to spend hours sorting things out after the moving truck is unloaded.

Knowing this, you need a strategy to make your life easier. So here are some tips that Imperial Moving & Storage, a top-rated moving company, would like to share with you.

1. Come Up with a Plan

Yeah, you’ve probably read about this a couple of times from various articles. But it is essential. A solid plan is the backbone of all successful moves. Planning can:

  • Help you proceed smoothly from one task to the next, ultimately achieving your goal.
  • Prepare you for challenges so you can quickly address them to avoid delays.
  • Help you utilize your resources properly.
  • Positively affect your decisions by mapping out possible scenarios
  • Motivate you since it gives you a clear vision of the end game.

In short, sit on the couch, pull out a notebook and a pen, brainstorm, and come up with a plan.

Always, always, ALWAYS make sure that you know what you’re doing.

2. Gather the Right Supplies

Have a plan ready? Nice! It’s time to make it a reality. Of course, you won’t get far without the right packing supplies. For the basics, you’re going to need:

  • Quality markers of different colors: Make sure you obtain permanent markers that don’t easily fade or smudge. You want the labels to remain even if the boxes get wet or exposed to the sun.
  • Label stickers: If you feel a bit fancier, purchase preprinted labels that already have the names of the rooms printed on them. Your moving company most likely sells these.
  • Packing tape, transparent tape, and scissors: These items are pretty essential.
  • Bubble wrap, pads, and foam peanuts: You need these supplies to act as a cushion for the shaking during transit.

3. Assemble Your Moving Boxes

Assembling
a box is easy. Start by laying the unfolded board flat on the floor, so it
looks like a square. Next, fold the small bottom flaps into the center, then
fold the larger flaps on top, and seal the ridge in the middle with packing
tape. Make sure to double the layer for security.  

Another alternative to avoid this hassle is to pick up already assembled boxes from your local grocer or marketplace. You can also request some from neighbors, friends, or your office. Alternatively, you can entrust the packing process to your movers.

Assembling moving boxes is quite easy.

4. Follow These Packing Tips

  • Group similar items together. For example, put all your kitchen utensils in one box, pots and pans in another, and plates or ceramics in another. The goal is to consolidate items relative to each other.
  • Use foam peanuts and pads. If you’re going to pack breakables, wrap them in paper or bubble wrap first. Fill the bottom of the box with the foam peanuts before you place the item. Don’t forget to insert pads between plates.
  • Distribute the weight. Put the heavier items in the bottom part, then place the lighter ones on top. This makes it easier for your movers to carry and avoids squishing lighter-weight items.

5. Labeling Boxes

Again, labeling is crucial so you don’t get hung up by the end of the move. That said, there are two ways to systemize marking boxes. You have:

  • Color coding: This is the most commonly used system by movers and homeowners, hence the multi-colored markers. All you need to do is assign a color to a room and label the items that it contains. For example, if you’ve decided that the kitchen will be blue, you can mark boxes with UTENSILS, PLATES, or TOASTER & COFFEE MAKER. You can then assign another color to other rooms like BEDROOM and LIVING ROOM. Lastly, it’s best to save red for FRAGILE. 
  • Number System: Just put a number on the top and one side of a box. Then write down the contents in your notebook. It should look like #1 – toys, #2 – chinaware, #3 – books, and so on. Easy, right?

Pro-Tip: Tape the labels. Sticker labels may curl at the edges or come off. Apply transparent tape over the labels to keep them in place. 

Know the different but simple ways of labeling your boxes.

One
Last Important Tip

Pack an essentials box. Basically, it’ll contain the necessities your family needs to survive the first day or two in your new home. It should contain fresh pairs of clothes, toothbrushes, bathroom products, medications, and dining utensils. Now that you know what to do, it’s time to make that move a success. You can do it!

by waparkpartners

Advice for Packing All Your Shoes and Boots for a Move

Don’t Leave Your Best Friends Behind!

So, you’ve decided to move. This can be both an exciting and frustrating adventure. While you may have already packed up your clothes, kitchen equipment, and even your books, you still have your shoes to consider. For many women, shoes are their best friend. They’re reliable, make them look great, and they’re just always there to make you feel better. The thought of possibly losing a beloved pair or having them damaged during the move is frightful. To ensure your shoes make it to your new location without a problem, consider some of these packing and moving tips from some of the best local moving companies.

1. Sort

Before you even begin to pack your shoes and boots, you need to take the time to go through them. Since this might take a few hours, it’s best this is done a few days before the actual move itself. Sit down with your pairs of shoes and boots and determine which are worth keeping and which can be donated or tossed out into the trash. This should be done for all of the shoes in the house and not just your own. If the shoes are worn or out of style and you know for a fact you’re never going to wear them again, then you might want to consider donating them. There are a ton of organizations out there who will take gently used shoes and boots. Once you’ve decided which shoes and boots you’re taking with you to your new home, then you can move onto the packing step.

2. Repair And Clean

During the sorting of your shoes, you may have noticed that a few pairs need some tender love and care. You can do this easily or have a professional do it for you. Either way, those shoes should be repaired before they’re packed away. You also need to take the time to clean your shoes. Sit down and give them a good scrub with the appropriate cleaning solution based on the material of the shoe. You don’t want to accidentally ruin leather, after all. By cleaning your shoes, you can be sure that there won’t be any dirt or pebbles that rub into the shoes during your travel. This can cause them to get scuffed up during the transport or just be dirtier in general.

3. Dry

After washing them, be sure that you take the time to dry your shoes. Simply have them air out for a few hours. The last thing you want is to trap moisture into the shoe box with your shoe because this can cause mold to grow. Gross, right? No one wants to stick their foot into that mess.

4. Stick Paper Into Them

Crumple up some newspaper or other origins of paper and stuff into the shoe and boot. this ensures that it keeps its form during the transport. If something falls on it during the trip, you don’t want your shoe to be bent up and pushed in and essentially damaged. By keeping it filled, you can preserve the shape of the shoe.

5. Shoeboxes

If you don’t have the original shoeboxes for your items, then find some. Shoes should be packed in pairs to maintain their structure.

by waparkpartners

Fifteen Items You Should Consider Keeping in Self-Storage

Making Extra Space

Everyone could use a little extra space. One of the best ways you can make space in your home is to rent a self-storage unit. By doing so, you can easily move items that you don’t necessarily need around all year long into them. Knowing just what you should and shouldn’t store may be difficult to decide. To help you out, consider these 15 items Cheap Portland Movers says you may want to consider placing in self-storage.

1. Holiday Decorations

If you like to decorate for the holidays, then you likely have quite a few boxes stacked in your home that is strictly devoted to them. Place them in a labeled box and put them in self-storage until it’s decorating time.

2. Childhood Toys

You were likely given all of your childhood toys when you moved out of the house. It can be difficult to part with some of them. However, they shouldn’t be clogging up your home. Pack them carefully and store in the unit.

3. DVDs

If you have a lot of DVDs sitting around the house that no one watches anymore, you don’t have to throw them out. Some of those DVDs could be worth something someday. Instead, pack them up and store them.

4. Old Video Games/Consoles

The same could be true of old video games and consoles that you may have on hand. You never know when something may become valuable — keeping onto these items could pay-off.

5. VHS Tapes

If you have any VHS tapes, some of them are already in high-demand and can be sold for a handsome price. Hold onto the ones you have just in case they also become valuable.

6. Vinyl Records

These need to be carefully stored, so make sure you take the appropriate measures to ensure they last for years yet to come.

7. Seasonal Equipment

As long as your snowblowers and leaf blowers are emptied of gas, they can also be stored away until you need them again.

8. Collectibles

Whether it’s action figures, comic books, coins, or something else, keep these safe to cash-in later.

9. Furniture

If you have extra pieces of furniture that are heirlooms or new, you can hold onto them by placing them in storage.

10. Gym Equipment

The same goes for gym equipment you no longer use regularly but don’t want to get rid of.

11. Appliances

An extra washer and dryer isn’t a bad thing to have on-hand in the event something goes wrong with the one in your house. In storage, it goes!

12. Scrapbooks

While these can be great to reflect back on, you don’t need them piling up in your home.

13. Books

Unless you have a large library, you likely need extra space for the books you’ve purchased over time. Storage can be the answer.

14. Clothes

Whether it’s fancy clothes or seasonal, you can keep your closet small by putting excess clothes in storage.

15. Shoes

The same can be said for shoes that are seasonal or don’t receive much use anymore. Place them in storage for when you do actually need them.

by waparkpartners

11 Things You Should Never Put in the Back of a Moving Truck

So, the moving truck is coming tomorrow, and you are finishing packing plus labeling the last few boxes. Have you made a list of the things that you need to carry that do not belong on the moving truck? A … Continue reading “11 Things You Should Never Put in the Back of a Moving Truck” →