Packing Tips and Hacks

Collect free boxes from restaurants, grocery, liquor, office supply, & bookstores. You can also order slightly-used, affordable box kits from usedcardboardboxes.com.

Pack an essentials/survival kit with items you will need in the first 24 hours of living in your new home: clothes, sheets, towels, toiletries, phone, laptop, medications, paper plate/cups, plastic utensils, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.

Gather legal and financial documents into one easily accessible and safe place. Documents may include: Birth certificates, passports, wedding license, immunization and school records, vehicle title/registration/license, wills, deeds, insurance documents, medical records, home improvement records, etc.

Leave clothes on hangers. While still hanging in closet, group bunches of clothes inside a trash bag for easier unpacking.

Label boxes as you pack them with content and room location. Label sides as well as tops so you can read them when stacked.

Place extra padding in the bottom of the box and on top of your items in the box. Plastic grocery bags work great for extra cushioning!

Use colored packing tape to color code each box according to room. Use RED packing tape to mark boxes that need to be unpacked first.

As you disassemble furniture, place all hardware and screws into plastic bags. Label each bag and tape to furniture or designate another box for all furniture hardware.

Do not over pack boxes making them too heavy to carry.

Place plastic wrap over utensil organizer, bins, and drawers you don't want to empty.

Pack heavy items in small boxes.

Fill pots and pans with spices and other kitchen items. 

Use socks, T-shirts, towels, and linens for packing breakables.

Tape electrical cords underneath electrical appliances.

Use laundry baskets, suitcases, buckets, and trash bins as boxes.

Stack plates vertically to prevent them from breaking. Place a styrofoam plate in between plates for extra protection.

Cut triangles into sides of boxes about 1/3 down to create handles for ease in carrying.

Place knives inside of an old oven mitt to prevent injuries.

Wrap all breakables in bubble wrap, newspaper, towels, linens, socks.

Take a picture of the back of electronics such as TVs before unplugging everything. This will help jog the memory for where wires go when setting electronics up in the new home.

Pack a little every day. Start with items you don't use often.

Mark boxes with breakables as FRAGILE!