If you tend to keep your bedroom clean, packing it for the move shouldn’t be too much trouble. If you’re one of those people who has a very “lived in” bedroom, it may take you a little longer! Preparing for a move can be a lot of work, but it’s also a great time to go through everything in your bedroom and have a good purge. Also, your move will be a lot easier if you start by packing the least used bedroom, such as the spare bedroom or guest room, and work from there. Below are some more tips to help you speed up your bedroom packing and help to ensure your move goes as smoothly as possible.
- Purge, purge, purge! Do you have clothes that you haven’t worn for years? Books stacked under your bed that you secretly know you’ll never get around to reading? While it may seem easiest to throw everything in a box and deal with it when you’re unpacking, this is not the case. If you hire local movers to help you move, you will save money if you throw away unwanted items prior to the move, rather than paying for those items to be moved. Clothes and books can be donated or given to friends, and you’ll be surprised by how good it feels to de-clutter your life. If you have expensive items of clothing like dresses or coats, you can even sell them to make some extra money – either online or to second-hand clothing stores. You can also do this with unwanted books, though unless they are particularly old or rare you may not receive a lot of money for them.
- Pack off-season clothes first – If you’re moving during the summertime, you can probably go ahead and pack all your heavy coats and jackets right away. When packing your clothes, it’s a good idea to wash everything first – especially jackets or dresses that may not have been washed in a while. Dry clean items where necessary. This will ensure that all your clothes smell fresh on arrival and are ready to be unpacked. Just make sure you organize the washing with plenty of time to spare before you move, as your clothes need to be thoroughly dry before you pack them. You can probably pack most of your clothes in suitcases, duffel bags or regular moving boxes, but you may want to invest in some wardrobe boxes if you have items of clothing that you would prefer to pack on hangers, such as dresses or suits that you don’t want to fold. For anything that wrinkles easily, a wardrobe hanger is a great idea. On the other hand, for clothes that don’t wrinkle, or that aren’t as important, vacuum bags are an excellent way to save space when you’re preparing for a move. You’ll be amazed by how much space you can save when you suck all the air out of a bag of clothes!
- Leave moving heavy furniture to the professionals – Don’t risk injuring yourself by lifting heavy furniture – leave items like your mattress, bed frame and dresser to the professionals. While one option is to leave your clothing inside your dresser, this will make it significantly harder to move, and if you hire movers to move furniture for you it’s best to first remove all your items from inside the dresser. It is a good idea to tape the drawers shut securely to ensure they won’t be damaged during the move. You may also want to wrap your dresser in shrink wrap or a moving sheet to protect against scratches.
- Lamps – Many bedrooms have one or more lamps. Depending on the type of lamp, and the lamp shade, these can require some extra care when it comes to packing. Generally, you will want to remove the lightbulb and the lampshade and pack these separately. You may also want to wrap the power cord around the base of the lamp shade, or secure it with tape or a rubber band. Once the cord is secured, wrap the lamp fixture in bubble wrap and tape it to secure. Wrap lamp shades in tissue paper or bubble wrap, and place in an appropriately sized box. Lightbulbs are very delicate and will need to be carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in a small box clearly marked “fragile”. Even with the upmost care, it is possible that bulbs won’t survive the move, and sometimes may be easier to discard used lightbulbs and purchase new ones for your new home.
