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Packing your clothes makes up a significant part of a household move. With some preparation and a little upfront work, you can make moving into your new home and unpacking easier for yourself and your family..

Here are packing tips to help minimize wrinkles, unnecessary laundering, and damaged clothing when you move.

1. Invest in Packing Containers

Tossing clothing in a large garbage bag is a sure way to end up with very wrinkled clothing.  To ensure your clothing arrives clean, wrinkle-free, and undamaged, consider the appropriate use of purpose-made containers. The best moving packages for clothing include:

• Wardrobe boxes
• Suitcases
• Vacuum Bags
• Structurally sound cardboard boxes

Wardrobe boxes are the best bet to minimize wrinkles. For blouses, dresses, dress shirts, and other wrinkle-prone items, a properly packed wardrobe box will deliver your items wrinkle-free. 

By contrast, suitcases (or even backpacks or duffel bags) are great for socks, undergarments, and shoes; basically, any smaller items that won’t get wrinkled and are not easily damaged. 

For bulky items that don’t easily wrinkle, vacuum bags are a good option. Consider this route for heavy-knit sweaters, puffy jackets, or the like.

If your movers are okay with this, you can use a dresser (sealing the drawers) to transport clothing that folds nicely.  Again, check with your moving company to confirm that you can pack things in your dressers.

2. Clean your Clothes as You Pack Them

Clothing that has been in a closet or storage for a prolonged period will pick up odors. Laundering these items will ensure they arrive fresh and won’t introduce any odors to your new home.

3. Pack Boxes Appropriately

While it is tempting to try to stuff as much into a box as you can, you should avoid doing so. Overstuffing a box can lead to damage to the items. From scuffing to tearing, rough treatment can have unintended consequences.

4. Use Hangers When Possible

Delicate clothing items do better when hanging in wardrobe boxes mentioned above. These boxes contain a crossbar that allows you to hang items like dresses, jackets, and other things that can be difficult to launder and easily wrinkled. If you do not have hangers for all your delicate items, it will be worth purchasing them to use the appropriate boxes.

5. Use Protective Plastic If Items Go Into Storage

Storing items between moving out and in can expose your clothing to humidity and moister. This can be ruinous to your clothing. Mold and mildew will take hold. For sensitive items, wrap the boxes in protective plastic to prevent moister from reaching your clothing. Better yet, use a reputable mover with climate-controlled storage facilities as well.

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We are here to help you with your move. From moving just the big items to a full-service move, Community Movers is standing by. Contact us today to schedule your residential move.

For most people moving day is a stressful and daunting experience. However, making adequate preparations for the move will help. For instance, hiring professional movers lowers stress levels because they handle the heavy lifting and logistics for you.

Here are ways to support your professional movers in handling your household move.

Disconnect and Prep Appliances

Moving your appliances can be a major hassle if you don’t prepare a few days before your move. First, ensure all your appliances, like your refrigerator, washer, dryer, and dishwasher, are empty and dry. Unplug your refrigerator at least 24 hours before moving to allow it time to defrost. Then ensure each is unplugged and secured. Professional movers won’t perform these tasks beforehand, so make arrangements to prepare major appliances before moving day. If you choose to tackle the project on your own, be sure to consult the instructions. 

Be Ready Before Movers Arrive

If you’re doing it yourself, you should finish packing your things well before the movers’ arrival. Then, when they arrive, they will have an easier time if you have prepared your belongings to be loaded onto the truck. 

If you have a full-service move and your moving company is packing for you the morning of your relocation, be up and prepared for them before they arrive. For instance, eat a nutritious breakfast, strip the beds, and have your essentials box packed, labeled, and ready. The more prepared you are, the faster they can start packing.

Pack Jewelry, Valuables, and Prescriptions With You

You should pack and move certain valuables yourself, such as jewelry, antiques, and other items with sentimental value that you can’t replace. . 

First, take inventory of your valuables, then determine a packing strategy. In addition to your jewelry, pack paper records like birth certificates, passports, and bank statements in a special box that will stay with you throughout the move.

Label Boxes

Properly label the cartons with the contents and the destination room at your new home indicated on each side of the box to make reading and scanning boxes quicker as they work. Boxes need to be able to be loaded and unloaded without movers making any assumptions about where they should go at your new house. 

Provide Space For the Truck

Make space for the truck in front of your old and new homes when planning your move. Parking may be difficult where you’re moving, so you may need a permit before you move. Parking availability should be on your moving day to-do list to address these issues.

Clear Pathways in and Around Your Home

Ensure there is no clutter or other potential tripping hazards in the hallways of your home, and provide enough width for a dolly or hand truck. Also, clear a path from the house to the moving truck for the movers, ensuring sidewalks and driveway are clear.

Protect Kids and Animals

Since children and pets can get underfoot, make arrangements for their care before moving day. Either plan for them to go to a sitter’s house for safe keeping until the end of moving day, or set up a room in your home as their “safe place.” Plan for a designated family member to be in charge of them at your home and alert the movers not to enter that room while they are working.

Professional Moving Help

These tips can help you and your movers make your relocation a success. Contact us for a free quote.

After the last child has moved out, most parents consciously downsize their living space. Quite a few people looking to buy a house are in the market for something more compact.

Unfortunately, you’ve probably accumulated decades’ worth of stuff that has no place in your new minimalist existence. So here are some tips for decluttering and downsizing before your move.

Reduce and Declutter With Less Anxiety

The stress of moving is enough without facing the emotional challenge of parting with treasured possessions. Avoid frustration by getting the ball rolling right away.

Before making a big move, you can ease into downsizing your lifestyle by living with less.

Trying to clean up clutter at the last minute is not a good idea. Either you’ll throw something out that is important, or you won’t eliminate anything.

Time is of the essence when trying to dispose of or repurpose unwanted possessions. Finding a buyer for the things you are selling may take some time. 

Even if you intend to donate much of your stuff, sorting, organizing, and arranging will take time to eliminate it all.

You should not put off downsizing your home any longer than you absolutely have to. Clutter is not only unpleasant to look at but can also be harmful to your well-being.

Sift Through and Sort It Out

The most significant aspect of downsizing is getting rid of many belongings. This can be anything from clothes to electronics to furniture. Of course, having less stuff means you have less to worry about. But how do you decide what to keep and what to discard?  

To simplify the process, divide your belongings into three categories:

• Items you must have, like toiletries, clothing, shoes, etc.
• Things you want to have, special things important to you like your big-screen TV, photo albums, etc.
• Stuff you don’t need and can easily discard immediately. These might include things you no longer use, broken things, or duplicates. 

You should make a complete list of all your things and put them into these groups. Start with what you know, and if it gets too challenging, leave the rest for later.

You’ll have to carefully consider what furniture you bring when you relocate to a much smaller home. Selling any furniture or extra TVs that won’t fit in your new house makes sense.

One effective way to quickly eliminate unwanted items is to hold a garage sale.

There are plenty of smaller things you should eliminate as well. Storage areas like kitchen counters and cupboards will be more limited in a smaller home. Purge your home of unused small appliances by carefully considering your need for each one.

How long has it been since you made homemade ice cream or bread? Get rid of these items if you last used them over six months ago.

Now reflect on the clothes in your closet or storage. If you haven’t worn them in a year, you probably aren’t going to. Donating clothing is a great way to help a good cause.

Consider Storage

Some items you can’t part with may not fit in your new home. Large, traditional heirloom furniture may not fit in a small, modern condo and may be difficult to donate or sell.

These large sentimental items can be stored so you have time to find a buyer who values them. Additionally, there’s a possibility that a future family member will find room for them in a new residence.

Added Moving Tips

Retirement, money issues, or health conditions are the most typical reasons for downsizing. Regardless of your motivations for downsizing, a professional moving company makes the transition much simpler.

Let us help make your move easier. Contact us today.