I personally hate packing my stuff even if I have to go out of town for just a couple of days, so I can understand how you are feeling in case you are planning to pack and move all your household goods of your own without hiring a professional Packers and Movers service provider company. Whether you are planning to shift your home to the next building after two streets or you planning to move domestically from one metro to another within India, packing is one of the most difficult tasks to undertake. You should only pack and move of your own without hiring a mover when you are sure that you can manage it all and you are willing to work hard in following weeks till you relocate.
Home shifting is not that hard either, one of my friend have done it several time and he never hire a mover now because he has learned the trick by packing and moving over the years. This post is inspired from his experience and I am sure his experience will help you learn the trick of the trade.
So are you ready to get started and to get it right? Let’s start then without wasting a minute.
1. Prepare for Packing
This may be the first time move for you and so I would like to iterate that this is the most important step. Start preparing yourself for the packing and without delaying a single day, you should start the process right away. To begin with, start gathering cartons and other packing boxes. Most likely you have not kept original boxes of your fridge, washing machine, television or personal computer or PC. But that’s not an issue. If you don’t have those boxes, you can always approach your local groceries store and ask them to give you a few boxes, they usually have. If you don’t find enough boxes, then there is no alternative but to buy some. Apart from cartons of different size, you should also buy thicker packing or wrapping sheets, packing papers, packing tapes, ropes, padding materials, bubble wraps good quality cartons, old newspaper papers and marker for labeling. These are some of the most essential packing materials that you will be using, so prepare an estimate and procure these materials before you start packing.
2. Time to Start Packing
Once you have managed to procure good quality packing materials, you are good to start packing. But before you start packing, it would be great to create some space so that you can pack all of your goods properly. Before putting goods into the box, you should clean and wrap each of the individual items properly using good quality packing paper or wrapping sheets. Once wrapping is done, you can put it inside the box carefully. Depending on what you are packing, you may like to pack multiple items in one box and in that case, you can create multiple layers. So place items at ground layer after cushioning the base then put wrapping pare on top of it and put items again. That’s how you can stock more items. Proper cushioning is really important here. You should also ensure that you are not putting lots of goods and items in one box; else the packing box or carton that you are using may get damaged or break. So keep that perfect balance and you will be fine.
You should be very careful while packing glassware or any other fragile item. Wrap them properly using multiple layers of wrapping sheets or bubble wraps and put crushed or scrambled news papers to fill the empty space and avoid any collision.
3. Pack Similar Items Together
As a general rule of packing, it would be wise to pack similar items in one box and if possible do it room wise. Room wise packing is good because you will be able to unpack your goods smoothly without any hassle and you would know which box is to be kept in which room. Once you finish packing a box, you can simply label the box. When labeling, write everything properly on the box and if there is any fragile item that require special attention then please mention that on the box/label to ensure that anybody lifting or handling the ox could understand what’s inside and how to handle that.
4. Packing Essential Items
When should you pack your essential items like plates, cup, glass, toilet soap, bath towels, first aid box etc? These items has to be packed last because you will be using these items till last moment and you require these items once your goods are delivered and before you unpack anything. I mean you need water to drink, plates and foods to eat, soap to wash your hands and face. There are other items that you can consider as essential like a pot, pan, knife, scissor etc. Pack these essentials items at the last minute and label it clearly so that you can unpack just one box and have access to all necessary items instantly. You may also keep baby food, biscuits, chocolates, water bottle etc for emergency. First aid box should be packed last and unpacked first too, so think of it as well.
5. Packing for Individual Members
While you are on packing essentials, it would be a good idea to have one bag or suitcase dedicated to one member of the family. This is to ensure that every member has his/her own bag with all essential items in it for a day or two. This is similar to packing when you go on an official trip. You can have a couple of trousers, shirts, t-shirts, tooth brush, comb, bathroom towel, toilet soap etc. Advantage of having such bag or suitcase is you don’t have to rush and unpack everything on same day in your new home. Since all family members are carrying their own suitcase, they can manage for a day or two if needed. Also you can carry such bags with yourself, so your moving costs will go down and you will get the liberty to enjoy your goods even before full unpacking is done.
6. Pack Your Documents
Get a folder where you can keep all your essential papers related to your move like quotation or payment receipt of transporter or trucking company, receipt or certificate of transit insurance, receipts of payments to the labor, travel tickets and any other document that you may require during your move. Keeping everything in one folder is always a better idea or else you may pack it somewhere and forget it. So keep it handy. Not only this folder, make sure to pay special attention to all other important documents and pack them separately to carry yourself.
7. Start Sealing Boxes
Once you are done with packing, you can start sealing those boxes. Once your box is sealed, it would be nice to clean the floor and put all box together at one place and clean remaining area. Here at this stage, it would be nice to label room/area details on the box because it’s essential and proper labeling is only going to help you unpack your stuff effectively.
8. Packing Larger Furniture
You are done with basic packing and it’s time to pack furniture items like sofa, cupboards, dining table, dressing table etc. Look around and check if any of the furniture can be disassembled, if yes then get it done. Once you disassemble furniture, you will have smaller sizes to look after and obviously, packing and handling smaller component is way easier than a larger and heavier furniture set. If not, then there is no reason for you to worry. You can wrap furniture using thick wrapping sheet. Mirror of your dressing table or cupboard requires special attention so wrap them well.
9. Loading and Transporting
Since you have finished packing, it’s time to load and get it all transported. You may like to hire a Packers and Movers company now and ask them to survey your goods and get it transported or you can directly approach a transporting company or a trucking company to get it done. Packers’ and Movers Company can easily get your goods transported and delivered and that’s one of the best options. But if you still want to save more, you can directly hire a truck and get your stuff loaded and transported.
10. Get Transit Insurance
Insuring your goods before it departs is essential. No matter whether you are transporting using a directly hired truck or you have involved a mover to take care of transportation, just ensure to get your goods insured. No one knows what is waiting on the way and if anything goes wrong, insurance can help you big time.
Over to you
There is no task that can’t be performed with some planning, efforts and willingness to do that to perfection. Then perfection comes with experience. So if you have finally decided to move your household goods of your own then get ready and start preparing now. Start preparing list of goods that is to be packed and moved, collect packing boxes and carton that you can get for free, donate extra stuff and get to the job.
If you have packed and moved your home and have gone through all of this, we would like to learn from your experience and we encourage you to share your ideas and learning. Feel free to comment and share your views.
