Common Mistakes People Make When Packing

There’s more to packing than just putting things inside moving boxes, and unless you are planning to hire packers and movers, you will have to learn how to pack your possessions like a pro. Packing is a process that requires careful planning and thought. Not to mention that packing is going to determine the course of your move regardless if you are planning to do it on your own or to hire packers and movers. Everything from the way you pack to when you start packing can determine how successful your move can be. With that said, let’s see what are the most common mistakes people make when packing and tricks on how to avoid them. 

• You don’t plan ahead

Packing requires not only time but nerves and energy as well. The more detailed plan is, the better packing you will have. If you are hiring residential movers, you won’t have to invest that much of yourself to this task, but if not, don’t just dive right in without having any real idea of how they are going to get every single belonging they own packed safely and efficiently. Make a decision ahead of time, whether you are going to hire packers and movers, or you are going to start planning ahead so you don’t waste time, energy, and make packing even more difficult and complex than it needs to be. 

How to prevent this? You probably know that you are going to move a few months before the actual process, so you should make a plan of action for packing as well. You can do it as well as professional packers and movers if you are well organized. No need to write everything down, but that is always the advantage. If you rely on your memory when it comes to planning a move is not the best idea, because once you start you will see how many details you have to think of. Now you might be wondering how do you even plan packing? The goal is to think of the time you will need to pack up, to determine the order that you intend to pack things, to decide where to buy boxes, and to order them in time. Once you see how many things you have to plan and do, you might even change your mind and hire packers and movers after all. Another reason why it is important to start planning in time, so you have time to change your mind. When you finally do get down to business, you’ll not only be well prepared, you’ll also be way more effective in your efforts.

• Packing at the last moment

If you ask your professional packers and movers when to start packing, they will say as soon as you know that you are moving. And we cannot argue that. The last thing that you want is to have your local movers at your home, and you are not packed up. Depending on the size of your move, it is preferable to start packing two months before moving day. When it comes to moving, you never know what might happen, there may be a good reason why you can’t start packing early enough – you may need to move out on short notice, you may be too busy completing other important tasks before the move, etc. – or you may simply underestimate the time it will take you to sort out and pack your belongings for moving. If this happens, the least stressful way to handle this is to call your packers and movers and hire them. And no, it is not enough to type best movers near me, but do dig deeper to find someone who can do it safely in the last minute. Last-minute packing may result in a number of big mistakes that will turn your moving into a disaster, and this doesn’t relate to packing on your own, but to packing with professional packers and movers as well. Not only you might not have time to pack up everything, but packing might be lacking in quality, and you might end up with a lot of broken and damaged items. 

How to prevent this? Packing at the last moment is one of the costliest packing mistakes you can make – you will lose the money from the eventual sale of your unneeded possessions, and may need to replace your items if they get damaged during the relocation (since they’re hastily packed and don’t have adequate protection). To prevent this you can simply hire packers and movers to do that for you, because they can do it in a day or two, depending on the size of your home. Don’t assume that packing your entire household can be done in a couple of days before the move, we can say that won’t happen and your local movers will be unpleasantly surprised. Always start with the least used rooms. One thing that is often underestimated is the time needed to pack the storage areas of your home. Don’t skip any day to pack a couple of boxes. This will help you think of packing as not that complex process. And if you are not ready or sure how to pack up your dishes, you can always hire packers and movers to help you with this segment. 

• You don’t declutter

Can you think of a better life opportunity to get rid of every unwanted item than moving? If you are doing this task on your own, instead of hiring packers and movers, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to declutter. If you start packing in time, you will be able to organize your belongings in a systematic and logical manner. When planning a packing on your own, you can go through every single item you have and determine whether you would like to see it in your new home or not. On the other hand, it will be a nice walk down memory lane to remind yourself of all the great moments of your life and your family. 

What to do with unwanted items? When it comes to unwanted and unneeded items, you have a few options where to take them. So, the first one is to organize a garage sale or sell online those of your no longer needed items. This is going to be interesting for sure, and you can include the whole family in this step. Don’t expect to get any huge amounts of money for the garage sale, but you will be able to cover at least some expenses. Maybe you can even cover some expenses to hire packers and movers. The other option you have is to let your friends and family take what they might be needed or want, or take the items to Goodwill. If something cannot be used anyhow, you can just say goodbye and take them to the trash. However, you want fresh and new energy in your home. On the other hand, if you are hiring packers and movers to help you with the move, try to go through your belongings before they come to help you with your packing and moving.

• Mistakes during the packing process

Now, let’s talk about mistakes made during the process itself. We collected some tips from packers and movers who are professionals, and therefore we are here to offer you some good pieces of advice for packing! 

• Box Size

One of the common mistakes homeowners make is using random-sized boxes for random items. While it’s a good idea to recycle old liquor boxes or fruit boxes, it does make it difficult to achieve a more uniform pack job in the truck. Not all boxes are the same for the items, and your local movers are well aware of that 

How to prevent this? You should save the hassle of sorting things out, use designated moving boxes that come in three main sizes: small, medium, and large. In case you are not sure how many boxes do you need, there are many moving calculators online that can be handy. This makes stacking the boxes much easier and you won’t have a hard time sorting things out come unpacking time.

• Overpacking Boxes

Another mistake is stashing heavy items in a single box. Not only this will make the box difficult to carry for your professional packers and movers, but it might be dangerous for the safety of your belongings. How many times have you seen people carrying a really heavy box and all of a sudden the items start falling from the bottom? And if this happens due to over packing boxes, you can’t blame your local movers for the mistake. 

How to prevent this? Pack heavy items in the smaller box, so it fits almost alone and afterwards, fill out the blanks with paper so there is no empty space. This way you will ensure your packers and movers can handle your items carefully.  The best thing to do is to distribute heavy items in several moving boxes and make sure the box weighs no more than 40 pounds.

• Not Packing Correctly

Now, this is something that is a common mistake made by people who are not professional packers and movers. So, let’s go step by step. Fragile items such as picture frames, porcelain, fine china, and platters should be protected as much as possible, so make sure to wrap them up with bubble wrap and insert thin cardboard in between. This helps cushion the items during carrying by local movers and transportation to minimise the risk of breaking. Also, don’t pack food or liquids with furniture pads, because something might get stained. When it comes to packing dishes, you should use as much packing paper, kitchen towels, etc. in order to separate the dishes. The trick gathered from professional packers and movers is to use a dish pack for the dishes, if you are ready to spend a bit more money in order to keep your items safe. 

• Leaving Empty Space In Boxes

While we don’t recommend overpacking your boxes, you also don’t want any empty space inside the box. Empty spaces means your items will shift back and forth during transport which can end up damaging fragile items. If you can’t fill in between the spaces with additional items, use packing paper instead. Packing paper offers a layer of cushioning to protect your belongings from moving and shifting while in transition. This way, when your packers and movers are handling the boxes, you can rest assured that your items are safe and sound.  

• Valuable Items

This is very important to note, especially if you are using packers and movers for the full moving service is to pack your valuables separately. Everything that is irreplaceable, such as family jewelry, documents, personal values should be packed separately and moved by yourself. No matter how trusted your packers and movers are, this way you will feel safe and sound during the whole move. Why would you risk it when you can move a few boxes on your own without the struggle. 

• Poor Box Labeling

Adding labels to your boxes is not only going to help you identify the content and unpack easier, but it will help you packers and movers handle the boxes properly. When labeling moving boxes, always use a white sticker and a black ink marker. Ideally, the size of the label should be at least 2 inches in height and should contain a list of the items inside the box. Always place the label on the side of the box so you’ll know what’s inside even if the boxes are stacked on top of each other. Don’t forget instructions for your local movers, such as ‘this side up’ or ‘fragile’. 

• Using Plastic Bags

Some people use plastic bags when they run out of moving boxes. This is a terrible idea since plastic bags don’t offer any kind of protection for your items. If you’ve run out of boxes, you can head to a local supermarket and ask for old liquor boxes or food boxes. Stores usually give them away for free so make sure to take advantage of that and avoid using plastic bags at all costs. Also, you will make things more complex to your packers and movers, and maximize the margin for the mistake. 

• Hiring packers and movers

If all of this seems to be too complicated and that takes a lot of energy, you might want to hire professional packers and movers. While this is a great idea if you ask us, you should be careful and try to find someone who is licensed and insured in order to have your items protected. It is not enough to type best movers near me, but that is a good start for sure. Call a few local movers and learn more about the services they are offering and how that can be helpful for you. 

If you are in search of professional local movers that can help out, reach out to Upland Movers. Getting a quote from us is free, and we can offer you the best packers and movers in town! We are looking forward to hearing from you!