Storing your belongings might not prove as easy as you think. You must take certain steps to ensure your belongings are safely packed. Before moving your belongings into storage, consider these tips that will make the packing process easier and more efficient.
• Before putting everything in boxes, sort into categories. Your most important category should be priceless items, including jewelry, family heirlooms, photo albums, collections and so on. Never let the movers pack these items for you. You don’t want your most precious belongings damaged or lost. You can never replace your priceless items and memories. If possible, transport these items yourself. Pack them carefully and place them in carry-on baggage if you can.
• It can take a while to pack everything yourself, but you will save a lot of money and ensure everything is carefully packed. Larger, heavy items, such as furniture, appliances and mattresses, you should get help with. But you can take care of packing clothes, books, dishes, and smaller stuff.
• One mistake people make when packing is to put things into large boxes. While it might seem better to have only 10 boxes instead of 20, it’s actually less efficient. Your boxes should be light enough to carry during the moving process. A good test is to try to lift a box. If you have difficulty, it’s too heavy. Also, remember never to use your back when lifting, as this can cause back problems. Instead, use your knees to lift the weight.
• Use different box sizes to store your belongings. You can put clothes, for example, in wardrobe boxes with a metal bar for hanging them. Take care to fold clothes to save time on ironing later. Also, you might consider separating your jeans, T-shirts and shoes from your formal and dressy clothes. Though clothes tend to be lighter than other items, don’t over-pack suitcases and boxes.
• If it’s too much work to move your plants, as they can prove quite awkward and heavy, give them away to neighbors who will appreciate them.
• Wrap dishes and other fragile items in paper or bubble wrap. You can also place towels and sheets between fragile items to protect them from damage. Even if you can replace your dishes, you want to avoid spending the extra money. Secure these boxes with storage tape before transporting.
• Stay organized. Make some space in your house where you put all the packed boxes and label them as you go. When the movers come, let them know which of the boxes contain fragile or valuable things. Be sure to clearly mark these boxes “Fragile” on all sides. Movers might think some boxes require repacking. With their experience, they may be right. Take the time to work with them to decide which boxes should be repacked and which ones should be left as-is prior to moving your belongings into Flightline Storage mini-storage in Anderson / Redding, CA.
• Movers usually pack all the large items and move all the appliances in your house into the moving truck first. So be sure to disconnect all your appliances before the movers arrive. It’s a good idea also to back up all the data on your computer before moving it from one place to another. This way, even if your computer becomes damaged during the move, you still have access to your valuable data.
For more information about how to pack your belonging prior to moving them into Flightline Storage please give us a call.