Step by step packing checklist that helps you to reduce work, time and stress of your move. Organise and plan ahead to be ready for your big move day.
When moving house, you will want to take your cherished belongings with you, so you can easily recreate the comfort, coziness, and warmth of your old home in your new place.
To be able to bring your household items and personal belongings to your new home, however, you need to pack them for moving first – and to pack them safely and efficiently enough that they survive the relocation intact and you don’t go broke from the moving costs (the more items you relocate, the more expensive your move will be, of course).
However laborious, time-consuming, and risky packing may be though, you can easily achieve the above feat with the help of our room-by-room packing guide – read on to find out exactly what items to pack in each room (so that you don’t take along anything unnecessary but don’t leave behind anything essential either) and how to pack those items in a safe, quick, and efficient manner.
First things first – to ensure the success of your packing endeavour, you need to follow some proven rules that will help you avoid rookie packing mistakes and make the most of your room-by-room packing strategy:
These things (big and small alike) will help you create an ambiance you love and turn your new place into your “sweet home”.
Now that you’re familiar with the most fundamental packing rules, it’s time to proceed with our comprehensive room by room packing list that will give you the specifics of packing every different area of your home:
The garage, basement, attic, tool shed, and other storage areas of your home should be the first to pack for a move because they are the toughest rooms to organise and get ready for relocating. You will need all your energy and resolution in order to successfully pack these typically overstuffed rooms, so you need to deal with them first – while you’re not yet fatigued from the arduous packing process. Keep in mind that storage areas not only take a very long time to pack, but are also extremely difficult to prepare for moving, as they are filled with oddly-shaped, heavy, and dangerous items.
Hazardous Materials
Garages and tool sheds often contain items that are forbidden for transportation because of their hazardous nature – oils, paints, cleaners, pesticides, fertilizers, etc. You need to find a way to move such non-allowable items yourself, use them up, or properly dispose of them prior to your move.
Gas-Powered Equipment
Power Tools
Hand Tools
Garden Tools
Lawn and Deck Furniture
The kitchen is the next biggest challenge you’re going to face when packing your household for moving. It is full of bulky appliances, fragile items, oddly-shaped objects and many other smaller and larger articles. Before you can start packing the kitchen, you need to organise all these things and group them in several categories:
Dishes
Cups and Bowls
Glasses
Pots and Pans
Cutleries and Silverwares
Cookbooks
Pack cookbooks as any other books – put them in small boxes, lying flat or standing upright with their open parts facing the box sides. Wrap cookbooks of higher monetary or sentimental value in several layers of soft packing paper for better protection
Small Kitchen Appliances
Large Kitchen Appliances
Tip: Make sure you use up your food supplies before the move – relocating them is not worth it unless you’re moving just across town. It may be a good idea to bring along your spices though – they are usually quite expensive, difficult to find, and weigh next to nothing, so they won’t increase the moving costs (just make sure they don’t spill during the relocation). You will most certainly want to relocate your wine collection too, as well as sealed bottles of specialty oils and fine vinegar that cost a lot.
Packing a dining room requires a lot of time and care as it is full of delicate and expensive items – artwork, china, crystal, luxurious furniture, etc.
China and Glasswares
Use the above tips for packing kitchen dishes, bowls, and glasses when preparing china sets, crystal glasses, and other similar items from your dining room for moving. Keep in mind that they are very delicate and extremely fragile (not to mention – quite expensive), so you need to use high quality packing materials and to be extra careful when getting them ready for moving.
Lamps and Chandeliers
Paintings and Photographs
Tip: Vases, statues, and other pieces of art are best packed in custom crates. If that is not an option, use small sturdy moving boxes and provide plenty of cushioning for better protection.
Dining Room Furnitures
The living room is usually the largest room in a house, so it’s only logical that it will take plenty of time and effort to pack. That’s why it comes next in our packing room-by-room checklist.
TV
Stereo Equipment
Speakers
Tip: When packing electronics, make sure you take a photo of the way cords are wired up before disconnecting them. You may also want to label each cable individually for easier re-connection after the move.
Discs and Tapes
Cassette tapes and compact discs should be placed in their cases and placed on edge in small moving boxes (do not forget to line the bottom of the box with a thick layer of crumpled paper). Lay a protective cover (bubble wrap, foam sheets, or crushed paper) on top and seal the box shut. Mark as FRAGILE.
Books
Living Room Furnitures
Draperies and Curtains
It’s best to pack drapes and curtains in large cartons that will protect them from dirt and damage during transit. Alternatively, you can use large plastic bags or plastic wrap.
Rugs
Rugs should be rolled, secured with plastic ties, and covered with plastic wrap for extra safety.
Whether your home office is a separate small room or a part of the living room, it is an important part of your room by room packing checklist. You need to pack it with great care as it most certainly contains plenty of important documents and expensive electronics.
Computer
Tip: Follow the rules for packing electronics when preparing printers, scanners, wireless routers and other electronics devices you may have in your home office for moving (do not forget to remove toners and ink cartridges).
Office Furniture
Documents
Sort out your paper documents (burn or shred old and irrelevant ones to protect yourself from identity theft) and place them in separate binder pockets or plastic sleeves, then put them all in a large moving binder. Keep your important documents with you at all times.
Kids need routine and consistency in order to feel safe and calm, so to minimize the stress on your little ones during the hectic moving period, it’s best to leave their room intact for as long as possible. Yet, you need to start preparing it for moving well ahead of time, as there will be a large amount of toys and games to take care of in addition to the other items in the kids’ room.
Toys and Games
Books
Make sure you only pack for moving books that are appropriate for your child’s age and that your kid loves. Pack them as your other books (see above)
Clothes and shoes
Children’s Room Furnitures
The beds and mattresses, dressers and nightstands from your kids’ room should be packed in the same way as your own bedroom room furniture (see below).
Desks, desk chairs, bookshelves, cabinets, rugs and curtains, mirrors and decorations, etc. should be packed as detailed in the living room and home office sections above.
Despite its small size, the bathroom is one of the trickiest rooms to pack in a home:
When you’ve done all of the above, you can get down to packing your bathroom items for moving:
Cosmetics
Liquid products (shampoos, conditioners, gels, lotions, perfumes, etc.)
Towel and Shower Curtains
Make sure your bath towels and shower curtains are completely dry before you pack them for moving. Fold them and store them in large plastic bags or pack them in large cartons. You can use some of your older towels and shower curtains as padding inside the moving boxes.
The bedroom should be the last room in your schedule when packing room by room. Yet, you can pre-pack some of the items beforehand and leave only the bed and a change of clothes for the morning of moving day.
Bed and Mattresses
Dressers and Wardrobes
Empty the furniture and remove any drawers, shelves, and other detachable elements. Secure doors so that they don’t swing open during transit. (If your wardrobe doors have mirrors or glass panels, you need to remove them, put large cardboard pieces over the glass, and wrap the entire doors in bubble wrap.)
If your wardrobe is not too large, it can be moved in one piece (just make sure you protect it with furniture pads). In case your wardrobe is very wide or very tall (such as some double wardrobes and most triple wardrobes), you will have to take it apart and protect individual parts as appropriate.
Vanity Tables
Nightstands are packed as any other small cabinets.
For other bedroom furnishings –rugs and curtains, lamps, mirrors and clocks, artwork and decorations, etc. – see the living room section above.
Clothes
Shoes
Whether it’s packing, transporting or proper labeling of your belongings you can trust us for all the process. We are a professional commercial London moval company who has experience in getting this work done with ease and you can trust us anytime.