What To Pack Last - Or To Let The Household Movers Get

Books, videos and DVD's are a good place to start, leaving your essentials out until you are about to move. Packing your bedrooms, toys, and clothes should take place over the four weeks preceding your move, but you may want to consider packing as much as you can and keeping out only essentials. Home offices should keep only the things they need to complete and fulfill orders over the duration of the move - and pack anything that you don't use as often.

Packing your dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils is probably best kept for last, alongside any of your home office materials you use regularly - over the morning of your move if you can - as is anything like shampoo, toiletries and work uniforms and equipment you use for your work. These things should be placed in a spot that you know you will have easy access to upon arrival at your new home. Planned packing might take over four weeks, but its worth it.

Packing Order - Do It Like Household Movers Should!

Optimal packing order is based entirely on preference. Some people like to pack their living room last - some like to pack rooms in two lots - one round to remove the non essentials, and one round to complete packing, others still like to pack where they can, when they can.

Deciding on what's unimportant and can be packed first is a good place to start. After de-cluttering thoroughly, packing any books, and out of season clothes, you can start deciding on a packing schedule. Your packing schedule should take into account any redecorating or repairs you want to undertake - and should also allow for anything you need to use.

These essentials should be packed over the last day, so don't leave out too much - or you'll find it very difficult to finish packing in time. Wardrobes, your garage, and shed can be packed as one of your first tasks - if you don't use your garage and its secure, you could then store any boxes there, or in cupboards, closets, pantries or an unused room or basement.

More Packing Tips For DIY Household Movers

By far and away, the most awkward items to move are computer monitors and TV are the hardest to move – unless you've kept their boxes, you'll find it very difficult to either fit them into a box that you have acquired, or find that you need the boxes for other things. These can be wrapped in sheets or dust covers and placed, with padding around them, in the van once the boxes are in. DIY household movers always look for ways to improvise and at the same time to imitate the way the professional household movers work. Most professional moving companies bind layers to stop them from shifting or falling, so you can secure your monitors, and computers in the same way.

Fragile items, such as ornaments and dishes can go in polystyrene bead lined boxes, or be packed in bubble wrap, but it's important to remember that this will cut down on the volume of the items you can fit into the box, and it's still no guarantee that they will survive the move.

Careful packing does minimize the risk of things being broken, but one of the only ways to actually ensure that you have no breakages while moving is to take them with you, or, if hiring a firm, allowing them to pack.

Newspaper is a great buffer item, but remember, the ink may rub off when you're in transit, giving you another chore at the other end. You can get white “newsprint” paper from most box suppliers, which is considered to be best for packing and wrapping fragiles.

Packing Fragile Items Like Professional Household Movers Do It

Glassware and other fragiles are some of the hardest items to pack. From ornaments to dishes, antiques, photos and lights, you'll need to consider what you're packing, and how best to transport them.

Large photos, framed items, paintings and other wall based items are easiest wrapped in bubble-wrap and then placed carefully in a safe place – they'll need to be monitored closely when moving, as anything falling against them could cause serious damage, tear or break them beyond repair. One way to 'multi-purpose' in your packing is to use your towels and washclothes as cushioning agents in place of bubble wrap. This will save you time and space. It may not be the way professional household movers do things but when you're a do-it-yourselfer you find ways to improvise.