|
Checklist:
Boxes, sturdy and small for heavy items
Boxes, sturdy medium sized for most items
Boxes, sturdy and large for clothes and sheets
Boxes with dividers (from the liquor store)
Packing gun and tape
Bubble wrap
Newsprint without ink
Styrofoam peanuts
Old blankets and pillow
Start today to gather boxes and other materials. As you mention to each person that you will be making a move, ask them to collect boxes for you. Don't worry about having too many. You can always get rid of them when the time comes, but it is very rare to have too many! It is getting harder than ever to find boxes these days, so be on the lookout everywhere you go.
Liquor boxes with their dividers are especially good for breakables.
You will also need packing materials, so ask everyone you know to save their used bubble wrap and old towels and blankets for you.
Egg cartons are handy for keeping breakable ornaments and knickknacks in.
Laundry hampers and baskets, grocery baskets, plastic pails, garbage cans can all be put to use.
Make sure every box is as light as you can possibly make it. Combine books and doilies. Maybe the doilies will have to be moved to another room in the new house, but it isn't any fun lifting heavy boxes all day either, even for big strong men!
Be creative and try not to leave anything loose. It is really frustrating and time consuming trying to carry armfuls of awkward items.
Unload the dresser drawers and replace them empty. Tape them closed if you can without damaging the finish. Otherwise, try tying them closed with soft yarn or long strips of rags.
Get a clipboard and create a Master List. First assign a letter to each room. As each box is packed, list the contents on the master list and give the box a number.
For example the silver tea service could be packed in the first box and should go in the dining room. On your master list, call the Dining Room "D" and write down the main items that are going in the first box.
Label every box in big bold black letters on the top and on all 4 sides with the room it belongs in and the box number. So, Box D1 would say Dining Room, D1, Tea Set on the top and D1 or Dining Room #1 on each side.
Clearly label each box that contains everyday use items and should be opened right away.
Each carload going to the new place should have no more than one fragile responsibility per person in the car (plant, lamp, etc.)
Put together a tool kit for the unpacking process.
Pack small parts of items that have to be taken apart to move in small plastic bags and tape them to the item, or keep them in a central box.
Instead of stacking dishes individually wrapped in newspaper - one good bump could crack each one - pack them on their edges and stuff bubble pack between each one.
|
|
