In the United States, the average person will move at least 11 times throughout his or her life, and moving can come as one of the biggest challenges. From personal items and clothing to furniture and appliances, most people have many loads to pack and transport during a relocation.
Because most moving companies charge by the hour or by shipment weight, it is best to lighten your load as much as possible. The truth is you can compact, condense and conserve space if you pack in smart ways. This guide lists a few space-saving tips you can use to cut down on the number of loads you need to contend with during your residential move.
- Leave Clothes Inside Drawers
Instead of emptying the drawers of your dressers, armoire or chests, leave your clothing inside. A lot of people empty drawers to reduce the weight of the furniture, however, the drawers can be carried independently from the furniture piece itself. Therefore, leaving the clothes inside the drawers will save you from having to box them separately.
- Wrap Breakables in Linens and Towels
The towels and linens from your linen closet take up quite a bit of space, possibly even requiring you to pack several additional boxes. Instead, use your towels and linens to protect the breakables that you will be packing. For example, you could:
- Wrap glasses in cloth napkins
- Use pillowcases to protect breakable wall décor
- Enclose trinkets in towels or washcloths
- Line boxes of breakables with sheets or blankets
- Place kitchen towels between plates in a box
As an added bonus, by using things from your linen closet to protect breakables, you reduce the amount of trash you have after you unpack.
- Use Luggage for Packing
For the typical three-bedroom move, Angie’s List says you need at least 80 to 100 boxes, which take up a lot of space on the moving truck. However, you can use household items, such as luggage, to pack many of your belongings. If you have a closet full of luggage that has to be moved anyway, then use it for packing things like:
- Clothes that don’t fit in dressers
- Shoes from the closet
- Pillows, quilts and bedding
- Curtains, curtain rods and window dressings
- Clothes hangers
It is also a good idea to have each person in the household use a piece of luggage to pack the necessities they will need on the first night at your new place — just in case you don’t have time to unpack boxes.
- Disassemble What You Can
Bed frames, tables, wall shelves and other items can take up a lot of room in your moving truck because they are large and too awkwardly shaped to stack. Before you load everything into the truck, make sure you break down what you can into smaller parts. For example, a coffee table could be disassembled and placed in a box, so it is protected and consumes less space.
- Utilize Small Boxes
Most people look for large-sized boxes because they hold the most stuff. However, you should get smaller boxes as well. As the truck is being loaded, those smaller boxes can be used to fill in the gaps. For example, you could place smaller boxes inside your refrigerator, between stacked chairs, or between larger items.
Paying for a moving truck can become costly with multiple loads. Use these space-saving moving tips to cut down on the number of loads you’ll need the truck for. If you would like more tips on how to condense your belongings to keep your moving cost low, contact us at Island Movers.
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