Packing and purging go in concert--while you're purging, you will want to be packing, too. If you're overseeing your move yourself, you're responsible for getting all the packing equipment you need. Your neighborhood big-box store, self-storage company or the mover you have hired are all excellent resources for your equipment. If you buy from your mover, ask if you can return any unopened or unused boxes, tape, bubble wrap, or paper.
Here's a outline to get you started:
Small boxes for books, heavy items, toys, appliances, fragile items
Medium boxes for the kitchen, accessories, lampshades, linens, shoes and boots
Large boxes for lamps, window treatments, pillows--items that are bulky but lightweight
Packing tape and tape guns
Newsprint, bubble wrap, packing peanuts or your shredded paper
Markers and labels
Small tools--screwdrivers, hammer, box cutter, scissors
Camera or smartphone
For a more comprehensive list of tools to make your move easier, click here.
Getting Started
Last used, last boxed is the rule for the packing process—generally, the coffeepot and microwave are the last things to go in boxes. Since you're packing while you purge, start with the things that are easy to get out of the way in chests and cabinets; you can knock out a couple of those in an hour. When you've purged enough for a donate or trash trip, do not exit the house until your packed boxes are taped and labelled. You can use specific color-coded labels (blue for the kitchen, green for the master, etc.) or use masking tape with a heavy black marker; just be sure you label each side of the box and note if it's breakable. A couple of seconds spent listing the contents are very important later when you cannot locate your shoes in all the boxes marked "master closet".
Organization
Purging helps you get organized, and so does tidying up the closets, attic, and garage at the beginning of the process. You'll want to designate a storage spot for all your packed boxes, and the garage is the best spot as it's going to be near to the moving truck. Of course, the garage should be organized for this to work, so tackle the garage project early on—set aside at least a couple days for the garage purge. Once you have got the garage under control, sort your boxes so that the movers can get to them easily on moving day; they will load the truck so that the weight is adequately distributed and so that the first things that need to come off are the last put on.
If you're the sort of person who hangs on to boxes, you may now congratulate yourself. Electronics are fragile and if you have the original wrap, you can re-use that. If not, put all cords connected to the device in a box--power cords, modems, power strips, instructional CDS--and label it all. Take photos of the cords before you pack them so that you can refer to the photos when you are hooking everything back up.
Fragile!
It's astonishing how many things you use regularly are super fragile. Dishware, glasses, light bulbs, lamps--all need a little special handling when you're packing them. Wrap dishes and glasses in newsprint, and place the plates in the box on end like records. A layer of bubble wrap protects them more, and stuff the empty spaces with some sort of shredded paper or packing peanuts. Don't overload the boxes of fragile items, and don't use large boxes for delicate things. Boxes from the liquor store work wonderfully for fragile things; they come in odd sizes and may not have tops, so with a box cutter and tape you can customize boxes.
Do not just toss your lamps into boxes, remove the shade and harp and remove the bulb. The bases can be put in a large box with the harp taped to the base, the shades can nest in a different box, and the bulbs need to be packed separately (an ornament box is great for this) and marked fragile.
Next time, we will delve into packing dos and don'ts.
