3 Items to Pack First Before Your Move | Moving and Packing Blog

Last Updated on September 24, 2020 by Kari-Ann Ryan

When you have to pack your entire life in a box, you might feel a little overwhelmed about where to start. Do you pack by room? Do you focus on selling or donating unwanted items? Do you start with larger items and work your way down by size?

While all of these methods could work, you may discover a few disadvantages to the techniques. For example, if you were to pack everything room by room, you’ll likely need one or two items from your bathroom or kitchen again before moving day. If you were to focus on selling the odds and ends, some items may never attract a buyer, and you may run out of time waiting for someone to pick up your old furniture.

If you don’t know where to begin, try boxing the following items first. When you start with these items, you can quickly clear away clutter in your home and make room for the heavier, more serious packing jobs. Better still, you won’t have to worry about unpacking and repacking multiple times before moving day.

1. Decorations and Artwork

Decorations and artwork transform an empty house into a beautiful home. Your beautiful replica of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, your mother’s antique vase, and your wall decal stickers all catch the eye and lend your home personality and color. However, you don’t need them to function on a day-to-day basis, so feel free to dust them off and box them up.
Other art and decorations to pack first could include:

Photo albums
Scrapbooks
Decorative mirrors
Wreaths and dried flowers
Table centerpieces
Candlesticks and candles
Collectibles Souvenirs

If you have any glazed pottery or sculptures in your home, add these to your list of things to pack first as well.

2. Off-Season Gear and Clothing

Some seasonal items are absolute must-haves to ensure your family’s safety and comfort. During the winter, you wouldn’t trade your waterproof snow boots for anything. And during the summer, you wouldn’t be caught dead without your favorite sunglasses and a hefty supply of sunscreen.

Yet when the seasons change, these items often end up in a closet for several months before you give them a second thought. If you aren’t using the following anytime soon (depending on the weather), don’t wait to box them up and get your move going:

Heavy coats, sweaters, and pullovers
Snow boots, gloves, hats, and scarves
Swimming trunks and swimsuits
Summer sandals, sunhats, and sundresses
Skis, snowboards, and sleds
Pool noodles and inflatable pool toys

Keep in mind that weather can change quickly during the weeks leading to your move. If you worry about colder (or hotter) weather, leave out a set or two of heavier (or lighter) clothing per family member and pack the rest. Here are also some tips on what to wear on moving day.

3. Specialized Tools and Kitchenware

When you have plenty of time to pursue your hobbies, you may acquire a few specialized tools to finish fun and exciting projects. For example, you might invest in a serger to create a cleaner, more professional seam on stretchy fabrics. Or you may buy a wheat grinder so you can make beautiful artisan bread whenever you wish.

But though you use these tools from time to time, you likely won’t have much need for them as you pack and prepare your move. Feel free to box up the following specialized tools:

Scrapbooking scissors, paper, and glue
Paper trimmers, mod podge, and cutting and scoring mats
Quilt frames, cloth, thread, and sewing materials
Butter churner and fermenting crock
Fondue pot and kitchen torch
Fine china, cake plates, and condiment dishes
Watermelon keg tapper and slicer

Do you plan to use a few of these items? You can keep them out if you wish. The first few items to pack should only be the ones you don’t need or use regularly. Save popular kitchen tools for last.

Build Momentum as You Go

Once you’ve packed the above items, you should have a large portion of your belongings ready for moving day. With the above gear out of the way, you’ll have more room to pack even more of your stuff, and you can continue to build momentum as you go.

Contact Our Local Movers

However, if you still need help packing, don’t hesitate to call on a professional moving team. The right experts can give you tips and techniques for packing and securing anything and everything you have in your home.

Our movers at Mid-West Moving & Storage are trained, bonded and insured for your peace of mind. We have years of experience working in the moving industry, so you can trust our professionals to pack your belongings to minimize any chance of them breaking during the move.

We can also move your items efficiently both local and long distance, even coordinating each part of the move so you can focus on settling in once you arrive.