October 2020 | Olympia Moving & Storage

Packing and moving are never easy, and when moving clothes and shoes, it takes special care to prevent damage. Clothing and shoes represent a large portion of our belongings, as it includes a range of items for the entire family. Our packing tips will get your clothes and shoes in order. Let’s take a look at some proper strategies on how to pack clothes and shoes for moving.

Required Materials:

Packing paper
Boxes of various sizes
Suitcases
Duffel Bags
Vacuum Seal bags
Shoe boxes
Markers
Sealing tape
Tissue Paper
Where to start

Categorize your closet

It’s necessary to have a plan in place to get your items of clothing and shoes ready for packing.

Sort items of clothing in categories. For example:

immediate needs
long-term needs
short-term needs
seasonal

Check the condition of the clothes for any tears, fraying, stains, or other damage.
Launder everything and dry thoroughly before packing away.
Making clothing piles can help get everything in order:

Keep
Donate
Toss
Repair or repurpose
Piles for each season
Piles for each family member

After making each category, pack off-season or storage items of clothing first. These are items you and your family will not likely wear soon. Store off-season items by vacuum sealing in bags to reduce bulk and save storage space. Make sure you pack with breathable material that helps let air in to reduce moisture and mold. Label each box to identify what will go into storage to unpack as needed.

Pack clothing you won’t be wearing soon, such as formal attire, in a waterproof suit or jacket bag to protect them from moths, mold, dust, dirt, and moisture.

Finally, pack the clothes you’ll need immediately as you settle into your new place. Packing these clothes separately will help you find clothing for each family member to use while unpacking and setting up your new home.

Set aside a complete set of clothing items for each member of the family:

Pants
Tops
Shoes
Pajamas
Socks
underwear

Packing delicate clothing items

Delicates can tear and suffer other damage during moving. Pack them in separate boxes to help reduce friction during transit. Use sheets of silk paper to wrap delicate clothing items to help protect them from heat, moisture, or damage.

Methods of Packing Clothes

The goal of any packing method is to prevent friction, save space, and ensure your items arrive in good condition. Each technique will ensure you pack each item appropriately to help minimize the risks.

Bundle packing

Start with a bulky item like a winter jacket or coat at the bottom. Next, place a smaller item of clothing atop the coat or jacket. Make the third layer with a smaller item of clothing. When full, wrap the coat or jacket’s ends around the smaller things to form a bundle.

Repeat for other items, and continue to place complete bundles in the packing boxes.

Rolling Method

Fold and roll items like tee shirts, socks, light items and pack them side by side to help save space. You can also fold items within other clothing to save even more space. Rolling clothing also helps reduce wrinkles after unpacking.

Flat Packing

Laying items flat inside packing boxes will also help save space.

Wardrobe Boxes

Wardrobe boxes are an excellent way to store your clothing upright and avoid any wrinkles during moving. They are ideal for packing shirts, jackets, pants, coats, and dresses. They make packing, unpacking, and re-hanging clothing a seamless exercise when you arrive at your new location.

Place heavy items like blankets or pillows to the bottom of the box. Ensure there’s enough space to hang your clothes comfortably without any wrinkling.
Wrap and store shoes to the base of the hanger boxes to help save storage space.

Sealing and labeling clothes boxes

Ensure you have the right size box to help avoid overloading moving containers. 4.5 cubic foot boxes are the best size for most clothes.
Assemble boxes carefully. Seal the bottom and edges to help prevent any spills while lifting.
Form protective layers on the bottom and sides of boxes to help protect clothing from moving rigors.
Always cover the top layer of clothing in each box with packing paper before closing the lid.
Cover and seal each box with packing tape.
Label each box to help locate clothing categories quickly when unpacking

Packing shoes

Shoes can suffer from scruff marks easily, and especially when moving. Pack them in shoe boxes, shoe bags, suitcases, or at the bottom of regular packing boxes. First, wrap each shoe in packing paper and place them at the base of your moving boxes.

If you’re using a suitcase, place small items like socks to help cushion the shoes in the suitcase. It also helps minimize any squashing or scratches on the shoes. Stuff shoes with items like foam, rolled up socks, newsprint, and other items to help keep their shape when moving.

Shoeboxes: Seal the sides of the shoebox with tape or enclose it with a rubber band or string to help protect the box’s base.

Packing A Suitcase For A Long Distance Move

It is a good idea to pack a suitcase on a long-distance move. Depending on how your travel schedule works out, you may not receive your move inventory until a few days after you personally arrive at your new location. Packing a suitcase with enough clothing to make it through the few days while you are waiting for your inventory to arrive will be very important.

Now your clothes & shoes are ready to go!

Protecting valuable clothing and shoes when moving is essential to ensure they arrive without wrinkles or scratches. Each packing method in our useful guide will help equip you with everything you need to pack them properly. If you are looking for Olympia to do the packing and unpacking for you click here for a free estimate.

Almost everything we do today is tech-driven. Computers and electronics play a significant role in our lives, whether at home or at the office. Electronic devices represent some of our most expensive and treasured items, and we should take special care to protect them, especially when moving. There are some best practices when it comes to how to pack a computer and electronic for moving.

These devices include laptops, Pcs, tablets, printers, cartridges, TVs, DVDs, CDs, VCRs, keyboards, remote controls, Blu-rays, speakers, video games, and consoles. Packing electronics and computers for moving can be seamless. Here are some crucial tips to guide you to avoid any damage or loss when you pack a computer and electronics for moving.

Packing Tools You Will Need

Packing boxes
Wrapping Paper
Packing Tape
Cardboard
Scissors
Markers
Colored Stickers
Plastic Storage Bags
Cushions or blankets

Where to Start

Keeping a range of cables, accessories, and other electronic parts together can be a challenge. Start by grouping items according to size and how you plan to pack them.

Unplug all cables. Remove any batteries from all equipment to reduce any chances of overheating during travel. Keep these items one location to assemble them later without hassle. It is important to keep in mind that lithium batteries are not allowed on your move because they are fire hazardous.

Disconnect any Blu-ray, DVDs, or CDs from your electronic devices. Use packing tape to keep any portals or print heads shut while moving. Make a list of the equipment and accessories so you can keep track of them during set up at the destination.

Printers

Remove toner cartridges from printers and wrap them in plastic to minimize dust or liquid damage. Stack them from heavy to light, and keep the wires, cables, and other accessories together.

Wrap each item in wrapping paper. You can place the cables atop or to the side of the equipment as you wrap.

Packing Computer Monitors

Place rolls of packing paper to the bottom of the moving box. Wrap the monitor in wrapping paper or bubble wrap. Place the equipment in a side-standing position inside. Fill in any empty spaces to help protect sensitive parts when moving.

Computers

Office and home computers store highly sensitive information. Keep your data safe by backing it up to your cloud or rigid drive systems before the move.

Secure your passwords in the unlikely event your equipment becomes lost or stolen when moving. If you’re able, remove the card of your Pcs motherboard to help keep it safe. If possible, it is recommended to move your laptop or computer yourself in your own vehicle due to the high value of both the device and its contents.

Clean your PC to ensure it is free of dust particles that can shift and clog your system during moving.

Disconnect any cables, dongles, and other accessories from your system before placing it in the moving box. Roll each wire and secure it with a band or twist tie. Place the cables in a storage bag for safe-keeping. You can also tape each cable to the device in the same package.

Wrap the PC in packing paper and place everything together in the box.

Additional Electronics Moving Tips

Avoid using Styrofoam packing chips around your computer. Some experts suggest the chips may allow static to form that can damage your equipment.

Do not use newsprint to wrap your monitor screens. The print may cause scratches that may be hard to remove. It is better to use non-static padding or non-printed packing paper.

After packing each box, place a cushion, folded blanket, or balled-up packing paper atop the equipment to provide another buffer layer when in-transit. Close the lids, seal, and label the box, including any handling instructions. This is key when you pack a computer and electronics.

Moving Flat Screen TVs

It’s best to re-pack flat-screen TVs in the original box, if possible. The styrophon modeling will secure the TV in the box so it doesn’t move or slide. It will also protect from some impact it will take while moving.

Your second alternative is to purchase a TV box from your mover. These boxes are specially designed for TVs and will provide similar protection to your TV as the original box.

Labeling

Labeling will help locate your items when you begin to unpack at your new worksite or home.

Label each box after sealing it to ensure you can quickly identify the items and where you plan to set them up.

It’s a good idea to color-code each item and all accompanying parts or accessories to organize them and minimize loss or displacement.

Place color-coded markers or stickers on each piece of equipment and its other parts and group them. Use stickers to mark the tips of cables to help you remember which device they will fit.

Attach color-coded marks on the sockets for each device and cables to help re-attach them easily.

Setting Up At Your New Place

Re-connecting electronics and computer equipment can be tricky. Always refer to your manuals to ensure you understand how to set up at your new location.

Unpack one packing box at a time, beginning with the more oversized items like your PC or television.

Remove the cables and accessories for each item. Set the equipment in place, and connect the cables to the power supply. Refer to the color marker or stickers to guide you when re-assembling parts.

Afterwards, run the system to ensure it’s working correctly. After you’re satisfied, move on to the next packing box. Repeat the setup steps until you complete the process.

Finishing Touches

Many people rely heavily on technology to drive their day-to-day activities at home and work. Therefore, computer and electronic equipment constitute a considerable investment that requires protection when moving from one location to the next.

Securing your valuable equipment is easy if you plan to organize the assembling, packing, and re-assembling of each item. These activities will help keep parts and accessories together and ensure your entire relocation process goes off without a hitch. These methods can be extremely affective when you have to pack a computer and electronics. If you are looking to have professionals pack your computer and electronics, click here for a free quote today.

Month: October 2020

How To Pack Clothes For Moving