HOW TO REDUCE THE TIME YOU SPEND PACKING AND UNPACKING
How to reduce the time you spend packing and unpacking
Packing and unpacking can lead you to feel as though you need a vacation afterwards. If you pack efficiently, you will have the added benefit of being able to unpack efficiently! Here are some tips on how to get the process done quicker and smarter!
1. Not everything needs to go in a box
Do you have a smaller cabinet or plastic storage cart? If the items inside aren’t breakable, you can tape up the unit tightly and carry it out like that! No packing or unpacking will be needed with those items!
For your clothes that are hung up, you can take 8-10 of the hangers off of the rack, wrap a few elastic bands around the hook part of the hangers and put a garbage bag with a drawstring around the clothes and tighten. These clothes will be all ready to hang up in your new home!
2. Pay attention to your electronics
Take a picture of all cord placements on electronic devices. We all know the feeling of having a tangle of 12 cords in front of us, with no idea how they coordinate with our TV, Blueray player, etc. Allow yourself to easily reconfigure your electronics in your new home by taking the picture, and organizing your cords in gallon Ziploc bags, labelled by what device they plug into.
3. Colour code your boxes
Use a different colour tape for the boxes destined for each room in your new home. Be sure to also write down what each colour means! If your current home has similar rooms to your new one, this with make both the packing, and unpacking process faster! If not, the packing process may take a little extra effort, but it will still significantly shorten your moving in process.
4. Use a packing supplies basket
Put all of your tape, markers, elastic bands, and any other small packing supplies into a plastic laundry basket. You can easily carry this around to all of the rooms that you are packing up to keep you organized.
5. Be aware of your small, precious items
Heirloom and valuable jewellery should be kept in a safe place during your move. If they get packed ‘randomly’, you may spend quite a few anxious minutes looking for them as you unpack. Try to keep all of your small valuables together and with you at all times if possible. If you are driving to your new home, consider keeping these things with you in the car instead of a moving truck. Ensure that any jewellery boxes you may have are secured shut and place any additional pieces in an organizer. An easy hack is to put individual necklaces and bracelets into different spaces in an egg carton to keep them from tangling. Be sure to tape up the egg carton well and place it somewhere where it won’t get crushed.
Other important small items to keep close to you as you move include your passport, main electronics (laptop and cell phone), wallet, birth certificate, and anything else that is of significant monetary or sentimental value.
For extra security, consider transporting valuable items in a safe that you can place in your car to transport.
6. Not everything has to come with you
Use your time packing to decide which of your things can be donated or thrown away; this way, you will pack and unpack less items!
Packing and unpacking will not be the most enjoyable part of the moving process, but following these tips could help you get it done quicker so that you can start enjoying your new home sooner!