The Quickest Way to Pack for a Move

Moving is fun. Packing is not. If you don’t have the means to hire a moving company to do the packing for you, you are faced with the daunting task of putting everything you own into little boxes. Would it be nice to be able to do it quickly?

You can! Here are some tips for quick packing for a move:

Organize by Type

Empty a closet or cabinet and place everything onto an open space like the dining room table. Group like items and pack them together, like baking goods or scarves and hats. Label the box clearly as to its room and contents. That way if you need to find something quickly after your move, you can go right to that box.

Organize by Room

Collect items that go into one room only and pack them together, like living room decorations or craft room art supplies. Don’t try to combine items from various rooms into one box. Label each box with its room location and contents.

Pack Non-Necessary Items First

Pack up household décor, seasonal items and other pieces you don’t need first and get them out of the way. Retain essential items and pack them at the last minute into boxes marked “Open First” and mark the boxes for their appropriate room. Place those boxes LAST onto the truck together so that they will be the first items off the truck once you arrive at your new home. Place them in a prominent and easy-to access place so they won’t get buried by all the boxes to come afterwards.

Sort into Three Piles

When packing items for each room, have extra boxes marked for “Donate” and “Toss.” While sorting, be liberal about keeping only those items that have meaning or value, and get rid of the rest. If you haven’t worn it or used it in the past year, you probably don’t need to keep it. You’ll be glad to have much less to unpack at the end of your move, and can relish in all the extra space!

Engage Friends

Ask your friends to come over for a packing party. It’s much more fun when more hands are in the mix. Assign tasks to each person so they have a job to do, and supply them with the boxes, tape, packing materials and markers they will need. It will be one last chance to get together with them before you move away, and it will give your friends the opportunity to “shop” through your “Donate” and “Toss” boxes. What fun! Gift items to your friends for helping out, and be sure to provide refreshments.

Use a Laundry Basket

For those items you need or want to access right away, there’s no need to pack them. Load them into large laundry baskets for easy transfer and access once you arrive. This can include toiletries and toilet paper, cleaning supplies, coffee and coffeemaker, snacks, etc. The beauty of the laundry baskets is that 1) they have handles, and 2) they won’t get mixed in with the other boxes.

Call 123JUNK

We can’t help you with the move, but we can take away your Donate and Toss items. You won’t have to worry about sorting through them. That’s our job. Our trained professional crews go through each pickup and divide out the items that can be delivered to our charitable partners to be repurposed back into the community. We then take a picture of those items and provide you with a receipt for your tax deduction. Other items that can’t be salvaged are divided into recyclables (like old electronics, metals and papers), and trash. Each of those piles is delivered either to the recycling station or the area landfill.

123JUNK wants to be the resource for families and business owners in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland for all types of junk removal, donations, appliance and furniture removal, and yard waste cleanup. Our crews arrive in clean trucks, professionally dressed from head to toe, and practiced in the art of customer service. We pride ourselves on it.

When you’re moving, let 123JUNK make your move quicker and easier. Contact us today to set your pickup appointment.