What to Pack First When Moving

Are you planning to soon move to a new house for work, education, or other new opportunities? While moving can be fun and exciting, many people look forward to moving day with anxiety.

A source of anxiety for many people is packing. They ask, “what should I pack first when moving?” Where or what rooms should you start packing?

We want to lessen the stress and anxiety you feel while you prepare for your big move. Below is a comprehensive and quick guide to help you organize your packing. We also included tips for packing to ensure a smooth and hassle-free move.

Pre-Packing Preparations

The secret to stress-free and quick packing is preparation. Before packing, make sure you have the big moving tasks settled and out of the way. This includes choosing a mover, setting the schedule, and completing the paperwork. Also, make sure that you have all the moving boxes, cushioning materials, and other packing supplies ready.

Next, walk into every room and take inventory of everything you’re going to move. We mean every single thing inside your house. This inventory won’t only alert you to missing items. You can also use it to calculate damages if the movers lose a truckload of your properties.

Sort all your items as you’re taking inventory. Separate the things you’re leaving, selling, and giving away from the items to pack. You can focus only on packing after you finish sorting everything into these categories.

Figuring out What Room to Pack First When Moving

Every household is different, but the room packing order often stays the same. You can choose one of two approaches when deciding which room to pack first:

• Start with the least-used rooms.
• Start with the toughest rooms.

Most people choose the first choice. Packing the least used rooms first makes keeping those rooms clean easy. The least used rooms also often house the least used items. You can get them out of the way and ready early. You pack the bedroom and other often-used rooms last when you follow this principle.

The second approach is easier for others because packing the most challenging rooms requires a lot of energy. You would likely still have a lot of energy at the start of your packing journey. You don’t have to force yourself to tackle challenging packing work by the end. This saves the easiest rooms to pack for last when your energy is low.

Best Room Packing Order

The best room to pack first is your storage rooms, then progress to the rooms that see the least traffic until you reach the most important rooms in the house. So, the rough room packing order is as follows:

1. Garage and shed
2. Basement and attic
3. Closets
4. Spare rooms and home offices
5. Kitchen
6. Living room
7. Bedrooms (kids’ rooms first)
8. Bathroom

Deciding What to Pack First When Moving a House

Most houses have more rooms and items that need packing. You can get started by packing the things you don’t use often. In short, pack the items in storage, whether in your garage, storage unit, or walk-in closet. Sometimes, it is easier to pack and label them because they’re already in boxes.

Next, pack China and rarely used dishes and kitchen appliances. You aren’t likely to cook for or host a fancy dinner party before moving day. Don’t forget to wrap them before placing them in labeled moving boxes.

Next, move to the decorations in the house, including framed wall hangings, artwork, trophies, and other items. You don’t want to leave these behind if you pack at the last minute, so pack them early. Move to rarely used items and clothes next, like Christmas decor and cold-weather clothes if you’re moving during summer. Don’t forget the linens, extra towels, books, and knickknacks.

Pack Important Items Next

At this point, you’re left with the most-used and important items. Next, pack your shoes and jewelry. Leave out the shoes you wear most often. The rest can wait in moving boxes until it’s time to unpack them again.

Put away all the board games and toys next. Like the shoes, you should leave out the toys your child plays with most often. Start packing the living room and kitchen appliances next, like the TV.

Finally, place your bathroom and bedroom essentials in moving boxes on moving day. Leave a change of clothes, documents, IDs, and other important items in a backpack that you’ll personally travel with.

What to Pack First When Moving an Apartment

Packing an apartment is a little different from packing a house. Since the space is usually smaller, you can pack an apartment much faster than a house.

Yet, it’s no excuse to pack at the last minute. Use the same moving checklist on what to pack first we mentioned above. You can also follow the list of items to pack by order below:

1. Items in storage.
2. Least-used items or seasonal items and clothes.
3. Dishes and rarely used living room and kitchen appliances.
4. Closets.
5. Home decorations, books, and knickknacks.
6. Towels, linens, and shoes not in use.
7. Jewelry.
8. Children’s games and toys.
9. Living room appliances and electronics.
10. Bathroom and bedroom items.

Tips to Streamline Your Packing and Unpacking Experience

Never pack without considering how you’ll unpack your items later. How well or organized your packing system is can also affect how easily you unpack at the new house.

One way to make packing and unpacking rooms easier is to pack them in color-coded boxes. You don’t need to buy custom boxes. Instead, you can mark them with a colored sticker, tape, or paper.

When packing heavy items in boxes, try to place the weight in the middle and bottom area of the box. Doing this prevents the box from sliding around in the mover’s truck and falling to its side.

Pack your plates vertically to reduce the chances of damaging them while on the move. Also, never leave space for the plates to move around in the box when you pack them.

Finally, call a professional moving company whenever you feel overwhelmed by the amount of packing you need to do. Trained and skilled expert movers provide packing and unpacking services on top of their moving services.

Use the Mod24 moving app to find the right moving company that suits your budget, distance, and packing preferences today.