Packing for a Move
Moving tips and expert advice to help you prepare, pack, manage moving day and settle into your new space as efficiently as possible.
Moving tips and expert advice to help you prepare, pack, manage moving day and settle into your new space as efficiently as possible.
Moving tips and expert advice to help you prepare, pack, manage moving day and settle into your new space as efficiently as possible.
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Getting Started
Moving to a new space is an exciting time, full of possibility. But it can also be stressful and overwhelming. To help take some pressure off and make things easier, this moving guide divides the process into four main steps:
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Moving Supplies
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Packing Advice
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Moving Day Hacks
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Settling In
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1. Moving Supplies. Making sure you have the right supplies is the first step. Start with our moving calculator, so you know what you need to get started.
2. Packing Advice. Check out our tips for packing up all your important belongings and keeping them safe from damage.
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3. Moving Day Hacks. Streamline the big day with some creative hacks to help keep things organized.
4. Settling In. Learn how to quickly get settled into your new place.
Moving Supplies
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The Scotch™ Brand Moving Supply Calculator makes it easy to figure out how many boxes, rolls of packaging tape and other moving supplies you may need.
1. Open the calculator, and answer three quick questions about your current home and your living style.
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2. Click on the icons at the bottom that match your situation, for example if you have pets, a garage or a storage unit.
3. Click Submit, and you’ll immediately see a list of recommended supplies.
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Packing Advice
Packing things up properly may be the most important part of a move. Not only does it keep your belongings protected, it also impacts how smoothly things go on moving day and makes it easier to unpack quickly in your new home.
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How to Pack Moving Boxes
Follow these basic steps to help keep your items safe and insulated during your move.
1. Start prepping early. Assemble Scotch™ Moving Boxes and place them around your home to help remind you to pack a little bit every day. To assemble boxes, use Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape to seal the seam on the bottom, then place another piece of tape perpendicular to the seam for extra support.
2. It’s best to fill boxes completely to keep them from collapsing. But, don’t overstuff either, or you won’t be able to stack them. Pack heavy items like books in smaller boxes to avoid back strain.
3. Make sure valuables are securely wrapped with Scotch™ Cushion Wrap. This is safer than using old newspapers, because the newspaper ink can leave an imprint on your delicate items. Also, if you can feel the item through the wrap, it still needs more protection.
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4. Wrap dishes with Scotch™ Cushion Wrap, and always stand them on edge vertically like vinyl records.
5. If you’re planning to store boxes in a basement, attic or garage for a long time, use Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape. This tape’s adhesive is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, and it won’t deteriorate over time, so it’s great for spaces where temps change with the seasons.
6. Fill a Scotch™ Moving Box with some essential items you’ll need right away after the move, like cups for your morning coffee, toilet paper and soap for the bathroom, tools and cleaning supplies. Make this the last box you place into the moving truck, so it'll be the first you unpack.
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How to Label Moving Boxes
With clear labels and a little strategy, you can make it clear to your movers what goes where. Labeling boxes also helps you know what to unpack first.
1. Use Scotch® Expressions Tape to add some organization and color to your move. Assign each family member or each room in your new home a different color or design, and label each box accordingly.
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2. Up the ante on your moving strategy with these simple and attractive DIY labels from Tidy Mom. These color-coded labels are free to download and include lots of space for writing what items are inside the box.
3. Label each side of boxes, so no matter which direction they turn you'll know what's inside.
4. Also, be sure to label fragile boxes with an arrow indicating which way should face up.
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Moving Day Hacks
No matter how much you prepare, when the big day arrives, it tends to feel a little chaotic. We teamed up with Joe Devost of You Move Me to provide some moving day hacks and insider tips that can make your moving day more orderly.
If you’re doing the move yourself, Joe says the most important tip is preparation. Make sure you pack ahead of time, wear comfortable clothing, stay hydrated, get the right sized truck and have a plan for where to park it.
Furniture, electronics and other odd items are often not packed until moving day. A few clever hacks can make moving those pieces a little easier:
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1. For furniture and other large items that require disassembly, collect the small parts — screws, nails, washers, caps, etc. — and put them in plastic bags. Use Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape to label the bags, and then tape each bag to the furniture it belongs to with Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape.
2. For your TV, other electronics and appliances, use Scotch® Expressions Tape to keep cords properly rolled up. You can also label the tape, so you’ll know which room they belong in and which appliance they are paired with.
3. For furniture and other large items that require disassembly, collect the small parts—screws, nails, washers, caps, etc.—and secure them in a strip of Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape. That way they’ll stay together, and you can label which piece of furniture they belong to or even just tape them to the item itself.
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4. Use stretch wrap to bind long items like skis and poles, brooms, mops, umbrellas and lamp stands together so they are easier to carry.
5. With lamps, television sets, art and other large objects, you may have to get a little creative. To safely move a full-sized harp, Joe once had to stretch wrap it, put cushion wrap completely around it, and custom crate it by cutting the sides out of four wardrobe boxes and taping them together to create a box that would protect the instrument.
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You Move Me
Joe Devost is Move Operations Field Manager for You Move Me, a company that aims to make the experience of moving as painless as possible for its customers. That means everything from providing a comprehensive checklist that starts four weeks before moving day to delivering a cup of your favorite coffee the morning of, because your coffee pot (if you’ve followed the checklist) is already packed up. For more information and to get more pro tips, check out YouMoveMe.com.
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Settling In
When it comes to moving in and getting settled quickly and efficiently, we have a great list of tips from our partners at Unpackd. Unpackd is a moving-in service that will unpack your boxes, style your new home with things you already own and make it look fabulous. When you work with Unpackd, you can go to lunch and let someone else do the unpacking. Use the following tips to make your move more efficient and get your unpacking done without a hitch.
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Create a Color Key
On moving day, you don’t have to be the traffic controller. Create a color key with a simple sheet of paper and Scotch® Expressions Masking Tape or Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape, and movers will know exactly where everything should go. Choose a unique tape color or pattern for each room and label boxes accordingly. Then adhere a swatch of each room’s tape next to the corresponding room name on your sheet of paper. Post this color key in an area where everyone will see it using Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape.
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Unpack Your 24-Hour Box
Before the big day, fill a Scotch™ Moving and Storage Box with items you will need in the first 24 hours after you move — things like toilet paper, hand soap and Scotch™ Titanium Utility Knife for opening boxes.
Also, don’t forget a coffee maker, coffee beans, shower curtain and bed sheets to make your first night and morning more peaceful. And, color code this 24-hour treasure with Scotch® Expressions Masking Tape, so you can easily find it in your new digs.
More Ways to Make Moving Easier
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1. Keep your kids busy on moving day or while you’re unpacking by having them draw a picture of their new room, house or street. Use Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape to hang up these creations and help your kids feel right at home.
2. Protect walls in high-traffic areas during move-in and move-out by wrapping box corners with Scotch™ Cushion Wrap and Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape.
3. Stabilize artwork and make it easier to carry by wrapping three or four pieces together with Scotch™ Cushion Wrap, some flattened boxes and Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape. Cover hardware with extra tape to prevent scratches.
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4. Prevent soft upholstered furniture from getting dented during the move. Wrap flattened moving boxes around the backs of chairs and sofas, and keep the boxes securely in place with Scotch™ Stretch Wrap.
5. For upholstered furniture you can’t easily wrap, put Scotch™ Cushion Wrap around the arms and legs and secure it with Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape. This will make sure they they don’t become soiled in transit.
6. For a tight seal on your moving boxes, don’t just tape the bottom and top flaps. Instead, tape all sides that have an opening with Scotch® Tough Grip Moving Tape to make sure the seal won’t break during the move.
You might be interested in
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Learn how to personalize your shipments, and get ideas for how to create your own packaging.
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Tips for organizing and decorating your home with Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape.
