Tips on Packing Up for Moving House

Moving house is no joke. Unless planned carefully, it can turn into a harrowing experience. It might mean damage to or the loss of valuable items in transit, needless clash of tempers, or messy living until items for day-to-day use have been located or replaced; or worse, suffering the inconvenience of no water or no electricity for an indefinite period.

Prepare a checklist so that no detail, however small, is overlooked. You could begin with the applications for water and electricity which take some time to process.

Following are other moving day tips to minimize the usual hassle on such a day:

When packing, start with those which are not needed immediately such as your special china or silver reserved for special occasions and fragile décor pieces or books.

Make sure that your furniture is well protected from scratches as it is loaded on the truck. Layers of newspapers help.

Remove mirrors, breakable tops such as glass or marble, casters and handles, making sure that these are properly labeled and packed well in papers or boxes.

Utility items such as basic kitchen ware or dining ware should be placed in one box and loaded last in the van.

Barrels or large pails make safe containers for breakable items such as glassware, ceramics, etc.

Pack personal things for immediate use such as toothbrushes, hair brushes, shaving kits, etc. in an overnight bag which will be hand-carried instead of being included among the bigger boxes in the truck.

Keep precious items such as jewelry and important documents in a container which you should carry yourself, and not to be left carelessly around which can be easily picked up by anybody.

Label boxes and containers properly to minimize hassles of locating them later on in your new home. Keep a triplicate list of items packed including the box in which they are in. This way, you can still have another list in case the original gets misplaced.

Carry with you a screwdriver, hammers, pliers, thumbtacks, a ball or string, masking tape, and a marker ready for use.

Simplify meals on your moving day by having sandwiches or other ready-to-eat food and lots of beverages or drinking water.