9 Packing Tips for a Successful Move

Whether you’re moving across the country, or across the state, picking up and heading out is tough. For starters, you’re leaving behind friends, neighbors and memories. And a move isn't just emotionally taxing, but also physically and mentally demanding.

One of the worst parts of moving? Packing. Which room will you pack first? What materials and boxes will you need to keep everything protected? And how will you fit it all in the moving truck without damaging furniture or other valuable items?

Packing is a headache to say the least, even if you’ve read up on all the latest moving hacks. Thankfully, with a little planning, moving doesn’t have to take you to your wit’s end. 

Preparing for your move can make all the difference when it comes to moving day. Check out these moving packing tips to make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Which room should you pack first when moving?

When preparing for moving day, a good rule of thumb is to pack up the least-used rooms first. It doesn’t make sense to pack up rooms you use more often. For example, packing up your everyday clothes and bedroom first wouldn’t be the best idea. After all, you need a place to sleep and clothes to wear. 

With that in mind, here’s a general recommendation for the order you should pack rooms:

1. Attic, garage, and shed
2. Closets
3. Spare rooms
4. Living room and family room
5. Bathrooms
6. Kitchen
7. Bedrooms
8. Loose ends and essential items

1. Packing your attic, garage, and shed

Some of the best moving advice is to begin packing items you have in storage and don’t use on a daily basis. Your attic may contain holiday decorations, an emergency food supply, or keepsakes. You won’t miss it if it’s packed first, so you might as well tackle it right away.

If you have a shed, it’s most likely full of items you only use on occasion. While it may be smart to keep paint, drills, and hammers handy, other items like lawnmowers, golf clubs, and power tools could easily be packed early.

Have a garage? The vehicles will be the last to go. That said, you probably have quite a few other odds and ends that could be donated, sold, or packed away. Extra sporting equipment, kayaks, bikes, scooters, and more could reasonably be packed early on.

2. Packing your closets

You’ve probably got plenty of closets. Coat closets, a linen closet, bedroom closets, a closet for extra toiletries, and maybe a pantry. Once you dive into each closet, you’ll likely find there are plenty of items you don’t need readily available. 

Like if it’s summer, you won’t need your winter clothes or heavy coat. Go ahead and pack those away. Box up any extra noodles, spare bags of flour, cans, and unopened boxes of cereal in your pantry as well. 

3. Packing your spare rooms

If you have a guest bedroom, why not get a head start on it? Beds can be difficult to move, so the more you get done ahead of time, the less frustrating moving day will be. Box up any loose items, undo the bed frame, clear out nightstands, and get the mattress and box spring ready to go. First room down!

4. Packing the living room and family room

Books, games, and movies, oh my! It’s not likely you’ll be reading an entire bookshelf worth of books right before moving. So save yourself some time by getting them all boxed up. 

Got a lot of board games? Pack them up. And your movie collection will be just fine in a box for a few weeks. Wall-hangings, paintings, and decorations are non-essentials that you can wrap up and pack gently too. This will save you lots of time on moving day.

5. Packing the bathrooms

Grab all those extra toiletries, decorations, and loose items. Throw out old shampoo bottles, and safely dispose of any expired medications. Do some leg work, and you’ll be ready to grab your toothbrush on moving day and head out.

6. Packing the kitchen

Open those cupboards and empty them of anything you won’t be using. Food will be the last to go, but pack up any china, extra silverware, and fancy serving dishes. You’ll probably find a lot of stuff you don’t use. Try to plan ahead and eat food you’ve stored up so you don’t have to transport as much. The fridge will go last, but if you can, try to defrost the freezer a day before you move out. 

7. Packing the bedrooms

Since sleeping is a crucial part of your everyday routine, you won’t want to disassemble your beds until the day of your move. That being said, after your last night of sleep in your old home, you want to be ready to make a smooth transition to your new place. Take apart the bed frames, clean out dressers, wrap any lamps, and make sure everything’s all ready to go. If you box most everything up, moving the final items on moving day should be a breeze. 

8. Getting any other loose ends

You can plan all you want, but your move still won’t be perfectly organized. Inevitably, even after following these tips, you’ll have some items you forgot to pack. The key is to start packing early so you don’t feel rushed with those last-minute objects that need to get into boxes. Like what about the backyard? Do you have a dog house or a swing set you need to include? What about a BBQ grill? While you want to focus on the rooms in your house, the yard shouldn’t be forgotten. 

9. Other things to keep in mind on moving day

On moving day you want to be focused on just that—moving—and not on packing. Start early so you’ll have everything boxed and ready to load. Consider labeling boxes and even color-coding them. This will make unpacking so much easier. Some people place a colored sticker on the wall of the room where the box will go, so grouping boxes in your new home is easy breezy. 

If possible, gather all of your boxes into organized areas. In general, getting the big stuff in the moving truck first is best. Start with appliances, furniture, beds, and the piano. After that’s in, you can fill in the empty spaces with boxes.

Every home is different, and some people have more belongings than others. Know yourself. Know how many things you’ll need to pack, and plan ahead. The more time you give yourself to pack, the smoother the move will go. Less stress on moving day is a big win so take it slow, follow these tips, and enjoy a smoother move.

Don’t forget the security system

Do you have a security system you need to move? If you have a Vivint system, the process is easy, but you’ll want to call at least two weeks before you’re planning on leaving. We’ll help you customize a system for your new home, talk about how to move components of your current system, and then remove and reinstall whatever’s necessary. 

If you’re moving, click here to get started. And if you don’t have a Vivint system, but want to install one in your new home, give us a call today at 800.646.1469. Enjoy your packing and have a great move!