Packing 101 Checklist
13 Essential Steps to More Efficient Packing & Moving.
Proper packing will save you time and frustration.
- Start by packing out-of-season items and those things you use Infrequently.
- Empty dresser drawers of breakables, perishables and prohibited items.
- Isolate and protect dangerous items like knives or skewers that might puncture or damage other items (or movers).
- Keep all pairs and components together. Place small hardware items in plastic bags and tape them securely to the equipment.
- Wind electrical cords, fastening them so they do not dangle.
- Wrap fine china, crystal and delicate items individually in clean, unprinted paper; tissue paper, towels or even facial tissue.
- Place a two- or three-inch layer of crushed paper in the bottom of every carton for cushioning. As each layer is completed, fill in empty spaces firmly with crushed paper.
- As you fill smaller boxes with delicate items, consolidate them into a single large box, filling in spaces with crushed paper.
- Avoid overloading cartons, but strive for a firm pack that will prevent items from shifting. The cover should close easily without force, but should not bend inward.
- Seal cartons tightly with tape except for those containing items listed on Mayflower’s High-Value Inventory Form. These must be left open for the van operator’s inspection.
- As you finish with each carton, list the contents on the side of the and in a special notebook. You might want to number and/or code the cartons as well.
- On the label, assign each box to a room in your new home. Tape signs on the door of each room at your destination so movers can get the cartons into the proper rooms quickly.
- Place special instructions on cartons you want movers to unpack first at destination.
