Have a plan. Walk through your entire apartment and think about what you have to pack, what’s going to require boxing or padding, etc. Make notes as you go.
Buy or otherwise gather plenty of boxes. While most major retailers bale-up boxes for recycling programs, many can still be persuaded to help you pull a few good ones aside for moving. Make sure your boxes are clean, and avoid boxes that have been used for cold or perishable food. It might be tempting to choose large boxes that will hold lots of your belongings, but choose medium-sized boxes that will be easy to lift when full. Wardrobe boxes are the best bet for clothing, and you can place shoes and other accessories in the bottoms, as well. Unfortunately, you won’t find these behind Wal-Mart, so consider purchasing a few, either online or at your local U-Haul store.
You’ll need clear packing tape and consider investing in a tape dispenser. Google “box sealing tape dispenser” to see the kind we’re talking about here. If you have enough room to work with, assemble and stack your boxes before you start packing so you won’t have to wrestle with that as you go.
Newspaper makes the best padding for most items. Start stocking up weeks in advance and ask your friends and neighbors for help. Paper or styrofoam plates are great insulators between fine dishware. You can even make use of the paper in your shred basket to fill box corners and keep small things from bumping around. Especially fragile and/or valuable items should be enclosed in a few layers of bubble wrap and taped. Fragile items with arms or extensions that might break may be best wrapped, packed, and transported individually rather than trucked or shipped. If you’re doing a DIY move, make a trip to the local thrift store to stock up on old bedding and towels which can serve as fantastic padding for furniture and lamps.
Label as you go. Write on each box either before you fill it or immediately when you seal it to avoid forgetting what’s inside. Use a fat, black marker to mark each box with its contents, the room it will be delivered to on the receiving end, the owner of the items inside, or all of those things. Add “top” or “this end up” indicators as appropriate. When you’re done packing, you might also want to count and or number your boxes (or just mark them “# of #”) so you can be sure that all boxes have made it safely to the other side.
Discard as you go. Don’t pack anything you don’t intend to keep on the other end. This is a great opportunity to make a stack for charitable donation, trash, and items you can give away to the friends who are helping you move. Moves are fantastic opportunities to simplify your life.
Make use of existing containers. Do you really need to pack the items in those drawers, or can you take them out, move the dresser, and return the drawers to the dresser once it’s on the truck? If you’re worried about the drawers sliding out in transit, wrap the whole dresser in a couple of layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap once it’s on the truck. You’ll save truck space and boxes at the same time. Use suitcases and your laundry basket to tote all the necessities you might need on your first night in the new place before the truck gets unloaded … clothing, toiletries, towels, sleeping bags, snacks, etc. Move full storage bins as-is, and fill any empty storage bins with movables … they make particularly great containers for small, fragile things. Plastic pitchers and containers are great for kitchen gadgets. Think “small things inside of big things.”
Keep gadgets and cords together. Use ziploc bags, bread ties, and tape to keep things together with the small things to which they belong. Pack items in logical groupings, whether the common thread is the room they belong in, their owner, or that they’re used for similar things. Some people find it helpful to take a quick phone photo of a box with its label showing before it’s taped and sealed … this is particularly helpful if you’re visually minded.
And finally, your last tip is time! Allow about 4-5 hours to pack each room. Take a little time to do it right the first time, and you’ll enjoy a much more trouble-free move in the end!
