Next, it’s time to head to the store for some packing essentials!
Step 3: Gather your packing supplies.
Condensing the entire contents of your home into a mountain of boxes can be a daunting project. When you realize how important smart and efficient packing is to the moving process, it becomes even more intimidating.
The key to conquering this phase of your move is to go into it with the right tools! Not sure what that means? That’s okay—the professional packers at Highland Worldwide have you covered.
The Ultimate List of Packing Supplies
Would a solider go to war without their weapons? Or armor? Of course not! Just like a smart packer wouldn’t start the process without the right provisions. Don’t even look at that storage pile in the basement until your armor yourself with these supplies!
Boxes, boxes, and oh…more boxes!
People have a funny way of accumulating a lot more stuff than they realize over the years. That’s why it’s better to overestimate the number of boxes and crates you’ll need than to find yourself without enough.
Stock up on boxes of various sizes—small, medium, large, extra-large—so you can properly group and distribute items of different weight and size. Use the larger boxes for lighter items so you can load them up and still carry them. Heavy items will be more manageable in smaller groups.
Check with your local grocery and liquor stores for leftover boxes you can take home. You can always purchase some at a hardware, moving truck rental, or shipping supply store too. You might want to check with your moving company as well, to see what they may have available to you!
Plenty of cushion.
If you haphazardly throw all your belongings into boxes with nothing to protect them, you’re going to find a lot of broken items when you go to unpack. You have to make sure there’s enough padding in your boxes to account for all the bumps and potholes on the road to your new house! Without it, your stuff is more likely to shift around and get damaged in transit.
Here’s what you’ll need to secure your boxes and standalone belongings as you pack:
- Packing peanuts
- Packing tape
- Newspaper/packing paper
- Bubble wrap/Saran wrap
- Furniture pads
- Blankets/towels
Organization tools.
Lists and labels are going to be your best friends as you prepare for your move—how else will you keep track of an entire house of belongings? Go out and buy a new pack of sharpies, a couple rolls of tape, and a few sheets of blank white stickers.
Make sure you have enough to label EVERY box, container, and bag you pack. This will make it a lot easier for your movers to keep things conveniently categorized and well-organized as they load and unload the truck.
Supplies you have around the house.
Since you have to pack away all your belongings anyway, you might as well see what can double as packing materials! Try using your items for some of these packing hacks as you gear up for your move:
- Clothing to fill up the spaces in your boxes and wrap breakables
- Garbage bags to cushion and easily move your hanging clothes
- Ziploc bags to organize electronic cables and wires
- Grocery bags to wrap breakables and liquids
- Suitcases, storage bins, and laundry baskets as substitute boxes
Making use of what you already have to help you pack is a great way to save money and space during a move!
