Plentiful Packing Pointers from our Posse of Proficient Packers

The Clutter Fairy helps a lot of clients prepare and pack for moving, so we decided to make packing the topic of the August 2018 meeting of the Houston Clutter Coaching Meetup Group. We discussed packing for a move, for long-term storage offsite, for storage in your home, to send something in the mail or by courier service, or packing things for any of a dozen other reasons. Below are a few key packing pointers we covered.

• Sizes and types of boxes:
  • Consistent box sizes make loading, unloading, and stacking much easier.
  • Use as many book size boxes (the smallest size) as possible.
  • Save bigger boxes for lightweight and larger items.
  • Breakables should be in the smallest boxes possible with lots of padding.
  • Hanging clothes should go in wardrobe boxes.
  • Select boxes with consideration for who will be unpacking the boxes.
  • Remove or cover old labels on any reused boxes.
• Packing technique:
  • The more solidly boxes are filled and padded, the more stable they will be.
  • Seal the bottoms of boxes by closing flaps normally, then taping to cover the length of the seam, and then again perpendicular to it.
• Label boxes carefully:
  • Use discretion in labeling valuable and easily stolen items.
  • Label each box on top and on at least one or two sides.
  • Write labels that are large and easy to read from a few feet away.
  • For things that you use every day, mark boxes “unpack first.”
• Move furniture with contents in place, when feasible:
  • Keep the clothes in a chest of drawers and stretch-wrap the drawers shut.
  • Secure small items that might get shuffled or fall out of drawers in zip-lock bags inside the drawers.
  • Secure the contents of filing cabinets with paper or bubble wrap to completely fill the drawer space to avoid scrambling your files in transit.
  • Stretch-wrap couches and chairs to protect fabrics and loose cushions and pillows.
  • Remove the pins and shelves from bookshelves so that nothing gets lost along the way.
• Packing specialty items:
  • Stretch-wrap a bunch of tall, skinny things—brooms, mops, Swiffers, and so on.
  • Wrap plates in sheets of newsprint, then stand them on edge on top of cushioning to keep the weight of the stack from crushing the bottom items.
  • Wrap bottles of open products (detergent, window cleaner, and so on) separately in several layers of newsprint and put them in a box standing up.
  • Transport the cleaning chemicals in a non-cardboard box in your car. (Movers don’t want to handle them, and you don’t want potential leaks anywhere near your other belongings.)
  • Buy specialty boxes for flatscreen TVs and framed artwork.
• More moving resources:
  • For fresh boxes in large quantities, head for a moving box store or home center.
  • Buy cheaper used boxes in good condition from UsedCardboardBoxes.com.
  • Post on Facebook or Nextdoor to ask for used boxes.