How to Get Your Boxes Packed Like a True Tetris Professional

Mostly everyone will move at least once in their lifetime, and, according to statistics, more people opt to move on their own rather than employ a moving company. Forty-five percent of people prefer to move entirely on their own, while thirty-three percent hire a moving truck, and only twenty-two percent hire professional movers for the job.

So everyone would want to know how to make moving easier and know there’s even a ton of things to do before you start moving. If you have strangely shaped knick-knacks, getting them all packed into boxes can seem like quite the challenge. With a little help, you can become a Tetris professional.

How to Get All Your Boxes Packed and Organized

The average mover is between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four, and three-quarters of the items that they’re moving fall under the category of household goods. So the typical mover is a younger person with a lot of household objects. and getting all that stuff from one place to another is easier said than done.

Part Ways

Moving from one place to another is a great way to take an assessment of the items you truly need. A good rule of thumb is to see if you’ve used the object in question in the last year. If you haven’t, it’s probably not essential to your life.

Perhaps you’re holding on to an item you haven’t used in the past year because it holds sentimental value. You can’t get rid of it, but you don’t want it cluttering up your new home. That’s a time to consider getting a storage unit.

If you have friends helping you move, offer them first dibs on any of the things you don’t plan to take with you as another incentive to help you.

Label, Label, Label

Oh, did we say label? Your labeling process is perhaps the number one important thing in organizing your move.

Be as specific as possible when it comes to the contents of each box. Saying that something contains glassware is good, but going further and saying kitchen glassware- cups and plates – is even more specific and will help you in the long run if you take the time to add the details in the start.

Give each box a number. This way, you can see if any of the boxes got lost in the move, and everything is accounted for.

Give each box a priority from high, to medium, to low. High priority items are the essentials that you need to unpack right away, and low priority you can leave until the last part of the move. Consider packing the high priority items in a plastic bin, so you can see exactly what you need without having to unpack anything.

When labeling, make sure the label is visible on every side of the box. All sides of the box aren’t usually going to be visible, so make sure the label can be seen from any point of view.

Assign each box a room. You can color code this process, but make sure you have a system to let you know which boxes correspond to which room. For example, green could mean the boxes belong in the kitchen, and blue could be for bedrooms.

To color code your boxes, you can use electrical tape. You can also consider pre-made moving labels.

Don’t Leave Space

Having a well-balanced box is important not only to make sure that the contents aren’t imbalanced inside and tip over, but helps keep objects inside safe when going from place to place.

If there’s a box that’s not entirely full, fill it up with clothes or towels to make sure it sits well with the other boxes. If you don’t have any clothes or towels to spare, get packing paper to fill the empty spaces.

Gather Boxes

Finding boxes is an important part of your move, and you’re likely going to want to buy a few to make sure you have enough to move with.

However, boxes are expensive. Start gathering them right when you know you want to move. Get the word out to friends and family that you’re on the hunt for boxes, and they can give you any that they might have from recent purchases.

You can also give your local liquor store a visit. If they recycle their used boxes, you can ask them if you can have a few for your move. If they don’t recycle them, it’s possible they’ll leave them outside in the back for you to grab without having to ask.

Make sure when you take a used box that its structure is intact. If you put your valuable items in a used box, there’s a chance that it will rip and damage your items. Reserve these used boxes for objects like towels and clothing so that if the boxes do give, there won’t be any damage.

Getting a Mover

The number one reason that people don’t hire a moving service is because they’re concerned about the price.

Sometimes, you need a specialty touch to make sure everything stays safe during a move – plasma TVs need special crates for shipping, large furniture is too heavy to lift, you have a piano – the list goes on.

Alero Moving and Storage is more affordable than you would expect, and they have specialty moving services to cover any unique needs you may have. If you want the job done right, it’s worth consulting a professional.

Moving On

Getting everything packed and moved is an undeniably stressful process, and it’s important that you don’t get too stressed in the process. Moving to another place is a thing to celebrate – before you move, make sure you take the steps to ensure it’s as stress-free as possible.

You can make a moving packing list, make sure you know what to ask movers, and have all your boxes packed as neatly as possible. When you’re prepared, you’ll be able to handle the stress like a professional mover.