One of the most significant decisions to make when moving your home is whether you are going to hire Dallas moving services or pack entirely by yourself.
Sure, having professional packing services do all the hard work for you sounds impressive, but if you are not able to hire them for some reason, it is definitely not the end of the world.
In fact, with good organization and some practice, you may pack your inventory just as well as professional Dallas moving services.
Now, if you are still looking for some excellent tips and tricks on how to pack your entire inventory like a pro, we are offering our best packing guide!
Read our packing tips, and we guarantee that your possessions will be completely safe and perfectly packed once they arrive at the destination.
Decluttering Is A Must When Packing For Move
Now, you can not have a fresh start at your new cozy home if you take all the unnecessary things from your old place.
And no, this is not something your movers can or will do for you, no matter how experienced and motivated they are.
Simply put, your movers in Dallas cannot know what you use, what you will need after the move, and what you find unnecessary and want to get rid of.
If you are unsure whether you want to take something with you to this new chapter of your life, just ask yourself when you last used it.
If the answer is more than a year ago – you definitely do not need this item any longer.
Do you need some ideas on what to do with all these things?
You could earn money by creating a garage sale or selling the item via eBay, Amazon, or similar platforms.
You can also donate it to charity or give it to your friend.
And if the item is really unusable and too damaged, just toss it out.
- Save Money By Decluttering
Decluttering before packing can reduce the cost of moving, which is a good enough reason for everybody.
The fewer items you have, the lighter your inventory will be, making your move more affordable. Why not use the opportunity to save money and still have a very successful moving process?
2. You Will Have a Fresh Start
Moving is usually considered a huge milestone and a fresh start in a person’s life. You do not want to start carrying tons of useless and old items. You will never look at your new place the same way you looked at your old place.
3. You Can Earn Money
The third reason you should declutter your home before the move is that you could make money by doing it. Instead of throwing out or gifting things you want to get rid of, you could sell them and earn some extra dollars along the way.
Now that we have explained why getting rid of all the extra stuff in your home can be beneficial and essential, it is time to explain how to decide whether something is worth keeping or not.
If you have decided to get rid of all the things you will not need in the future and are unsure whether you will need them, there are some questions you can ask yourself and get answers to them.
These questions are as follows:
- Is the item I am contemplating getting rid of still in one piece?
- When was the last time I used this item? Has it been more than a year?
- Is anybody else in the household going to need this item?
If you answer these questions negatively, you definitely do not need these things anymore and can freely get rid of them.
If you want to make someone happy, you can give these items to your friends or family members as a gift or donate them to charity.
On the other hand, the best way to make money while decluttering is to have a garage sale or sell the item on a platform such as eBay or Amazon.
Essential Packing Supplies
It would be impossible to pack without the right packing supplies.
And if you want to prepare your inventory for moving like your professional Dallas movers, you will need to gather all the right packing supplies.
So, how do you do so?
According to our experienced Dallas movers, what supplies will you need the most to pack successfully?
1. Moving Boxes
The first and most important thing on the list is definitely boxes.
The biggest mistakes people make are not taking enough boxes and not taking boxes in various sizes, but only in one size, for example.
You need a lot of boxes in different sizes since each size has its own purpose.
The good news is that you do not have to buy boxes; you can find them for free.
Visit your local bookstore, grocery store, supermarket, or liquor store and ask the manager if you could take a few boxes off their hands.
2. Packing Tape
Packing tape will be your best friend during the moving and packing process, which means you will need a lot of it.
The tape is used to properly close and seal the boxes so that nothing falls out during the truck ride.
Wrap each box with packing tape at least a few times to ensure everything stays in its place when unpacking time arrives.
3. Packing Paper And Bubble Wrap
Packing paper and bubble wrap are protective materials that will help your most fragile belongings stay safe during the transition and arrive at their destination in one piece.
Since they are so important, you should ensure you do not forget to get enough of them before packing.
How To Properly Pack Boxes
You cannot just throw all you see in front of you in the moving box and expect it to arrive at your new home undamaged.
When preparing your inventory and boxes for loading and moving, follow some rules to feel completely stress-free once your movers and packers load the boxes.
So, what rules are the most important for packing moving boxes?
1. Do Not Overstuff Your Boxes
According to Dallas’s most professional movers, overstuffing your boxes is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
First of all, if you overstuff the boxes, they will be too heavy, and you will have more chances to drop them accidentally.
Also, if you overstuff them with some cumbersome items, you might not even be able to lift them at all!
Not to mention that too many items in the boxes might cause them to smash each other or damage each other during the truck ride.
2. Always Fill In The Gaps In Your Boxes
Another fantastic piece of advice from our Dallas movers is always to try to fill in the gaps in your boxes.
This will drastically lower the chances of your belongings damaging each other during the moving process.
For example, you can use packing paper – just crumple it up and put it between your precious possessions.
If you lack some packing paper, you can use any piece of cloth or clothing (ok, maybe not winter jackets or coats) you have in your home, including even towels.
They will do the job just fine!
3. Every Box Size Has Its Purpose
As we mentioned previously, you should take boxes in various sizes since you will need them all.
- Small boxes are used to pack small and cumbersome items like books. After all, imagine packing books in a large box—you would not be able to lift them!
- When packing bulky but not as heavy items, such as pillows, blankets, etc., you should use large boxes since they have been shown to be the best option in the experience of our best and most professional Dallas movers.
- If you are packing dishes or glassware and want to be extra careful, boxes with dividers are a great choice.
How to Label and Organize Your Boxes
Although it might sound a bit boring, label the boxes you have packed, and you have already done half of your unpacking!
Our motivated and professional Dallas movers are offering some entertaining tips and tricks for labeling.
1. Use Colors
Using colors will be a great way to spice things up a bit and make them more fun.
If the box’s content belongs in the bedroom, you can, for example, write it in blue; if it belongs in the living room, you can write it in red, etc.
You can also include your kids in this process; we are sure they will love it.
2. Use Numbers
Numbers are the second great option when labeling your boxes.
The technique is similar to the ones with colors – if something belongs in the kitchen, you can write the number 4 on these boxes, and if it belongs in the living room, you can write the number 3, etc.
This will prepare you to unpack efficiently, quickly, and stress-free.
How to Pack Fragile & Valuable Items
Your fragile belongings are definitely the ones you should be paying the most attention to when packing.
According to our most reliable Dallas moving services, the most fragile items are actually the ones that get damaged most commonly during the move.
This includes:
- Dishes
- Glassware
- Porcelain
- Vases
- Anything of value that needs extra protection
So, how do you pack these possessions without actually damaging them?
The most crucial step if you truly want to pack your fragile belongings properly is protecting them with packing paper or plastic bubble wrap.
The most crucial part is that you will need to wrap every single item in packing paper to ensure it will not get broken or damaged during the move.
For example, if you are packing your plates, try to wrap every single plate in packing paper, create bundles of 3, 4, or 5 wrapped plates, and then wrap the whole bundle with packing paper again.
This will most definitely prevent your precious belongings from breaking, and you will feel satisfied, calm, and happy once the time for unpacking arrives and you start unpacking piece by piece from your boxes.
Packing Room by Room
One of the best options for packing up your home before your move is to have a room-by-room plan. This means you will pack each room before moving on to the next one. Start with your least used rooms, and save your kitchen for last. Make sure to leave essential items unpacked, as you will most likely need them as the move approaches. Here is an example of an order in which you could pack up your belongings:
- Storage Areas: Begin with spaces like the basement, attic, garage, or any other storage areas.
- Guest Rooms: Since guest rooms are not used daily, they’re great candidates to pack up early in the process.
- Home Office: If you have a home office that isn’t used daily, consider packing it up next.
- Living Room: Start packing decor, books, and non-essential items.
- Dining Room: Pack up decorative items, china, and occasional use items next. Bedrooms: Begin with non-essential clothing and leave out the necessities you’ll use up until the moving day.
- Bathrooms: Start with guest bathrooms or secondary bathrooms, and keep daily essentials accessible in the main bathroom until the end.
- Kitchen: Start with less frequently used items like special-occasion dishes, vases, and small appliances.
- Essentials Box: Pack a box or suitcase with essentials you’ll need immediately upon arrival at your new home.
Packing Timeline
If you need help with organizing and streamlining your packing process, check out our detailed packing timeline table:
Timeframe | Tasks |
4 Weeks Out | Sort and declutter all rooms. Gather packing supplies. Start with storage areas like basements, attics, and garages. |
3 Weeks Out | Pack all non-essential items and seasonal clothing. Begin packing decorative items and books. |
2 Weeks Out | Disassemble large furniture and pack electronics. Pack up all art and wall hangings. |
1.5 Weeks Out | Start packing kitchen items that are seldom used. Prepare an inventory of packed boxes. |
1 Week Out | Pack up most of the kitchen, leaving only daily essentials. Begin packing bathroom items and leaving necessities for the last day. |
Final Days | Pack bedrooms, leaving out only the essentials for the last night. Prepare an essentials box for the first day in the new home. |
Moving Day | Pack the bedding, remaining bathroom items, and any other last-minute essentials. Ensure the essentials box is easily accessible. |
Legend Movers Are At Your Service
If the entire process of packing seems too stressful for you, or you may not have the time to complete it before your move – hire the best packers in Dallas to take care of it for you.
Legend Movers have the expertise and experience to pack up your belongings in the blink of an eye, so call us today for a free, non-obligatory quote.
Let’s get packing!