Packing for a move and loading up a moving truck can be a stressful environment where tensions can mount. It always seems to be too hot or too cold, raining or snowing, and a multitude of other factors can make getting your home packed in a truck quite the ordeal. What can take the frustration over the edge is seeing a full truck with half of your belongings still not it in. Ideally your stuff will fit almost perfectly in the size of the truck you have chosen. If the truck is too large, you risk your items shifting and being damaged. If the truck is too small, you face multiple trips to move or having to rent a second truck, increasing the cost of the move. Following these tips can maximize space through packing smart and loading the truck in a way that makes the most of your square footage and keeps your items safe.
Downsize
Before moving day gets close and the packing begins, downsizing can be one of your best tools to save space and money. Sort through your belongings and decide what you no longer use, need, or want and plan to either sell or donate any unnecessary items. If you will be moving in with someone else such as roommate or significant other, find out what they will be bringing into your new space. You may find yourself with duplicate furniture or appliances. If you have friends or family nearby, they may be willing to hold onto any items for you that you don’t need to take with you, but cannot bear to lose.
Disassemble Furniture
Keeping your large furniture intact not only makes it heavier but also takes up much more space in the box of your moving truck. Remember how impressed you were with how your entire bed set fit in those boxes when the furniture store delivered them? That’s how small these items can become when disassembled. Just remember to put all hardware in a plastic bag and tape it to the furniture to avoid a nightmare scenario when reassembling in your new home.
Use Containers as Boxes
Many of your belongings can double as storage containers to transport other belongings. Suitcases, Tupperware, plastic storage bins, hollow ottomans, decorative baskets, and even wastebaskets can be used to stow your stuff. A good idea is to place smaller items from the same room inside the larger items being used for storage. Emptying out your dresser drawers of inexpensive clothing and placing them in plastic bags can give you sturdy storage for smaller, more fragile items like electronics or glassware. Just remember to leave a few items of clothing in each drawer to protect items that may be easily damaged and tape the drawers shut after loading them into the truck.
Use Clothes as Filler
Instead of using packing peanuts or newspaper to protect your items, use some of the clothing you removed in the earlier tip as cushioning. Items such as pajamas, workout clothes, socks, sweatshirts, or older threads can be stuffed into moving boxes in between packed items to prevent them from shifting during transit. It will also save you a lot of money on costly packing materials.
Bring All of Your Large Items to the Truck Before Loading Them
This little tip can help in organizing your truck by better allowing you to visualize the space available and how best to play “Furniture Tetris” in order to maximize space. You’ll want to keep heavier items on the bottom and loaded into the truck first. Longer Items should be placed along the sides of the box and strapped into the brackets found in most moving trucks. Just remember to use boxes and non-fragile items to fill all gaps. This is done not only to save space, but to keep everything tight and stationary during the trip. Additionally, you should pack to the ceiling for this same purpose.
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Brian Levesque offers his common-sense advice for approaching the practicalities of home ownership. In this article, he shares with his readers the tips and tricks that professional movers like Movin’ On Movers use every day.
