Whether you’re excited to be moving to a new house or sad to leave your home, packing is a hassle. If you’re moving down the road, interstate, the packing process will essentially be the same.  If you are keen to save money and organise your move yourself with DIY packing; just know that there is a trade off -  it will be very time-consuming.
Here are some great tips for packing up your house for a self-service move.
 Start early
Start early! You will thank yourself for starting early. Months in advance if possible, but at least six weeks. There are several seasonal things you won’t need; decorations or specific clothes can be packed away first.
Taking unwanted items to local charities or selling items on eBay should be done as early as possible. Make a move easier by getting rid of as much as possible. Don’t take old things to your new place if they are going to sit in storage.
Leave all the essential day-to-day items till the last minute. Leave them at the top of boxes in case that needs to be quickly and easily accessed.
Prepare your new home
If you’re planning on making changes to your new home, painting or building, try do this before you move boxes and furniture. Clean your new home before you move as well, don’t shuffle furniture and boxes to clean an area, to then move the items back. If your new place is a rental, try and take photos prior to the moving day.
Organisation!
Make moving to a new house as simple as possible, label everything. Each box should be allocated to a room, with its contents specific to that room. Label the boxes this way so they can be dropped in each room when they are first arrived. This makes the process quicker and easier.
Numbering boxes is a great way to ensure no box is lost or left behind, it’s very quick and easy. Realising you have a missing box a week after moving is not ideal. Spend some money on coloured packing tape or label makers. Allocated colours to rooms or label with fragile or heavy.
Moving furniture & electronics
Furniture will be the heaviest thing you'll be moving to a new house, if you can take furniture apart it will make moving bigger items easier. Before you start unplugging electronics like the television or sound system, take photos of how the chords are set up. You can save a lot of time when you know where each cord goes. Keep track of cords and cables by labelling them in specific plastic bags or by taping paper labels to them.
Use what you have
Lots of moving boxes can be expensive. If it's a self-move, then why not use any suitcases, duffle bags, large containers or baskets that you already have? Â This means you save money and can move multiple items at once. Using your own items also makes for an eco-friendlier move.
If you really want to save time, secure sliding drawers with the items still inside and move them full. It creates a heavier lift but reduces time spent packing and unpacking. Larger, heavy duty trash bags can also save time and money.
Protect fragile items
To protect fragile items that you don’t want breaking, use your towels, linens or clothing to protect the items once that have been packed inside boxes. Again, items are getting multiple uses, saving time and money.
Bubble wrap is expensive and doesn’t last forever. One solution is buying newspaper as well. Use the bubble wrap on extra fragile items like heirlooms or antiques, and newspaper for plates and ceramics. Also consider getting freight and courier specialist to professionally pack and send your very important, valuable or fragile items. PACK & SEND offer an unrivalled service. When packing your plates, remember that stacking them side by side, like a dishwasher is better than on top of each other.
Extra Tips and Tricks
If you are moving gels or liquids from one home to another, cover the openings with plastic wrap before putting the lids back on. This stops spills or leaks when moving, even if lids come loose. Place cotton balls inside your powder cosmetic container to keep the powder intact. Heavy items should go at the bottom of boxes and lighter items at the top. Don’t pack heavy items like books in big boxes, this creates a box that is too heavy to lift. Choose items like pillows for the big boxes.
Final Words of Caution
Lets be clear....the packing advice in this blog is for budget concious self-moves. This is the "Macgyver" version of packing tips.  Doing the best with what you have, to save maximum dollars. This packing advice is only suitable for direct moves from your old home straight to your new one, with all due care taken every step of the way by you and your moving crew.
If you want to find out how to get the "rolls royce" treatment for your packing and moving services, then great! you're already in the right place. Â PACK & SENDÂ specialise in professional packing and premium removalist services for everything that absolutely positively need to get there in pristine condition. Â We can help with entire moves or just the special stuff that means the most to you. Â Contact the team at your local PACK & SEND Service Centre today to discuss your needs and to receive even more tips and advice.
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