How To Pack And Move Like a Professional Organizer
When it comes to moving into a new home or packing and unpacking for home renovations, organization is essential.
As a professional organizer, I have helped many families pack, unpack, and declutter before AND after moving. Moving is stressful - but change can also be exciting! The best way to handle stress is to create a plan for moving and to stay organized.
You may ask yourself - What are the key factors to staying organized and decreasing stress around moving? As a pro organizer, our main tips are decluttering before you pack, labeling everything, and knowing when to ask for help.
Declutter First
Packing is the perfect time to declutter and pare down. Boxing up unwanted items AND moving them is such a pain and a huge time waster! Instead, declutter and get rid of trash or donations as you pack! This helps the physical portion of moving and unpacking go much quicker. Imagine how great your new space will look and feel with only the things you love or absolutely need.
When decluttering before a move, it’s important to consider: will this item cost more than it’s worth in the time + energy to pack, store, move, and unpack? If the answer is NO, throw it away or donate it to someone who can use it and love it right now.
Pro-tip for decluttering - set a 15-minute timer and fill up a black bag of trash and donations and label it with a white paint marker. Do this daily for a few weeks before moving and you will see a huge difference - without becoming overwhelmed!
Label Everything
Nothing helps more than making sure everything is properly categorized and labeled for moving!
Start with room stickers and use a permanent marker to get as detailed as possible. For example, a room sticker can read: kitchen, and additional text can read: everyday white plates and bowls. Do you have a lot of boxes? Try labeling each box with a number out of the total boxes - for example: 1/10, 2/10, 3/10, etc. for all 10 boxes of your kitchen. This helps you to avoid losing boxes or wondering if you have them all!
Do you have items going to family members, the trash, or donation? LABEL THEM! You can use blue tape and permanent markers for this, or paint markers on black trash bags!
Trust me: it’s impossible to over label. Nothing is worse than a bag of linens meant for grandma ending up in the trash.
Want to know exactly what products I order to prepare for a moving job?
Ask For Help
Moving can be a big job, and I always recommend hiring out help if possible. It will save your sanity and make moving a MUCH less stressful event! Hiring people to help you move can come in many different forms. I recommend help with packing boxes and moving furniture at minimum!
Make sure to work with someone you trust. Movers are handling your and your family’s most precious items, and it’s essential they arrive safely at their new destination.
As a professional organizer, I help with packing/unpacking, labeling, decluttering, and day-of-moving coordination. I partner with local movers for heavy lifting and packing of fragile or bulky items. If you prefer more of a DIY moving system, you can always hire us to help declutter and pack your things before you move them or place them in a moving pod.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means I get a small commission if you purchase through the link. However, I make it a point to only share tools and resources I truly love and use.
