Movehacks: How to Unpack and Organize Before, During and After You Open a Box

You’ve circled your moving date on the calendar, and now it’s time to pack. But wrangling everything from your toaster to your toothbrush can be daunting. How do you pack up your home while making the most of every box and keeping fragile items in one piece?

This guide walks you through the best packing shortcuts, from putting together an action plan to room-by-room moving hacks. These workarounds help you pack your kitchen, bedroom, and living room efficiently. You’ll stack and wrap like a pro, use every inch of space, and cut down on expenses. And because you organized your belongings before they went into the moving truck, it’ll be much easier to unpack and set up at your destination.

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Hacks for Making Packing a Breeze

Before you start packing, you need a plan so you’re not tossing things randomly into boxes. Not only does this not make the best use of the space inside the boxes, but packing haphazardly runs the risk of damaging your stuff. Use these moving hacks to pack purposefully and keep items accessible.

• Number each box and track the contents in a spreadsheet or an app like Sortly. You can create QR codes for each box and link them to a digital inventory so you can scan boxes and immediately know what’s inside.
• Assign each room a color and wrap colored duct tape around boxes for that room. You can see where boxes belong from afar and unload them quickly into the right space.
• Keep the bolts, screws, and Allen keys in resealable plastic bags when taking apart a piece of furniture. Tape the bag to the furniture so the hardware and tools are at your fingertips when you reassemble, and you’re not wondering what piece a loose screw goes to.
• Take full advantage of empty space by putting items inside other items. Put measuring cups and can openers inside a slow cooker (cushioned with dish towels), or place stuffed toys inside a laundry hamper.
• Contain messes by lining boxes with plastic bags when packing liquids. This keeps spills from items like shampoo and lotions from seeping through.
• Use suitcases for small but dense items like books and appliances rather than clothing, so you can wheel heavy items instead of lifting them.
• Pack your vacuum cleaner, broom, and cleaning supplies in a wardrobe box. These boxes are tall, so they can easily fit appliances and tools with long handles. Place the box last on the truck so you can clean areas in your new home before putting heavy furniture down.

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Hacks for a Low-Stress Moving Day

While efficient packing is important, the big day-of can also get pretty chaotic without a plan. Stay calm, cool, and organized on moving day with these sanity-saving hacks:

• Create a comfort box as a reward after a tiring day. Fill it with snacks, wine, comfy clothes, and your favorite bubble bath for a relaxing unwind.
• Freeze bottles of water. Tuck them in a cooler with your moving day snacks so they’re thawed and chilled when you need to hydrate.
• Set phone alarms to remind you of things on your to-do list, like emptying the freezer or locking doors and windows.
• Pack overnight bags as if you’re going on a trip. Include your toothbrush, pajamas, a change of clothes, medication, contacts/glasses, and your hair dryer so you’re ready for both bedtime and the next morning. Also, keep in mind your kids need their favorite stuffy, bedtime books, and night-light to ease the transition to their new surroundings.
• Place items you’ll need right away — such as tools, bedding, and towels — at the rear of the truck so you don’t have to wait for them to be unloaded.
• Use clear containers for essential items so you can spot them among the cardboard boxes.
• Take a video walk-through of your home before leaving, documenting the condition of the walls, floors, and closets. Look for forgotten items, such as chargers, as you go.
• Keep a laundry basket handy for the last-minute, miscellaneous items you’re taking with you but not packing.

Hacks for Decluttering Your Stuff

The less you have to move, the easier and cheaper it is. That’s why decluttering is such an important step. Lighten your load with these decluttering hacks and move only what you need.

• Gather like items and evaluate them all at once. It’s easier to declutter when you see you have a dozen of the same USB cable or 20 coffee mugs.
• Keep a bag for recycling, donations, and trash in every room. You’re less likely to take unneeded items if there’s somewhere else to put them while packing.
• Shred papers and documents you no longer need, like school essays and utility bills. Not only do you free up space, but now you have plenty of packing paper to help cushion items.
• Use up things in your freezer or donate unopened pantry items so you don’t have to move them. One good way to do this is to host a “moving” dinner party for your friends and neighbors.
• Take photos of trophies, children’s artwork, souvenirs, programs, and other memorabilia. This can make it easier to let go of something that’s sentimental but takes up a lot of space.

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Hacks for Saving Money While Moving

Packing supplies, movers, and other miscellaneous relocation costs can add up. And if you want to keep your belongings protected and easy to haul, there’s no avoiding buying some moving supplies.

 

“Before you start packing, you need a plan so you’re not tossing things randomly into boxes. Not only does this not make the best use of the space inside the boxes, but packing haphazardly runs the risk of damaging your stuff.”

 

But, you can keep your moving expenses in check with these smart workarounds.

• Cut up old sheets for wrapping items, and save on the cost of packing paper.
• Pick up blankets from the thrift store to pad furniture instead of buying moving blankets.
• Check local Buy Nothing groups, as people often give away boxes and bubble wrap after they’ve moved.
• Fill large, reusable shopping bags with non-fragile items, as they’re easier to carry than boxes. They don’t stack as well, but they’re significantly less expensive. Borrow bags from friends if needed, as people often have them sitting around.
• Plan dinner ahead of time so you don’t order expensive takeout on moving day. Freeze a casserole and transport it in a cooler in your car. You can pop it in the oven at your new place while you’re setting up essentials.
• Take apart furniture before the movers arrive to get things done more quickly.

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Hacks for Moving Your Kitchen

Your kitchen has an array of different items that can be breakable, expensive, or both. Here are shortcuts for packing up fragile or awkwardly shaped items in your kitchen.

• Use socks to wrap and cushion glassware. Slide the sock over the bottom of a glass, pulling the edges of the sock up and tucking the material into the hollow.
• Wrap knives in dish towels and secure them with rubber bands, or place them inside thick oven mitts.
• Place flat items, such as trivets, cutting boards, cookie sheets, pizza stones, and cooling racks, vertically in a box.
• Use paper plates or coffee filters to separate dinner plates to prevent scratching. Stack plates vertically in a small box, with generous cushioning in empty spaces so the plates don’t shift.
• Pack cutlery trays in their entirety, wrapping them in a towel or stretch wrap to keep items in place.
• Lay durable kitchen utensils such as spatulas and wooden spoons on packing paper and roll them up together, placing them flat in a box.
• Distribute weight so boxes are easier to carry and the risk of collapse is lessened. Rather than filling a box with only heavy pans, replace some of them with plastic containers and whisks.

Hacks for Moving Your Living Room

Your living room has a lot of items you use often, and oftentimes expensive electronics like TVs, gaming consoles, and entertainment centers. Use these living room packing hacks to bundle up everything from devices to decor.

• Tape remotes to the back of TVs, game consoles, and air conditioners. Or tape them inside the drawer of an entertainment unit or coffee table.
• Wrap decorative items in pillowcases to prevent chipping and scratches.
• Remove light bulbs from lamps and box them in a plastic storage container with plenty of crumpled paper.
• Use painter’s tape to keep the glass in framed art in place in case of a crack. Place two strips of tape diagonally on the glass to make an “X.”
• Place wrapped picture frames in large shopping totes to keep them right side up.
• Take photos of how your electronics are wired before unplugging them. It helps to put different colored tape on each cord to identify it.

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Hacks for Moving Your Bedroom

You spend the most time in your bedroom, so this may be one of the last rooms you pack up. Here are hacks for packing up bedroom essentials quickly and efficiently.

• Repurpose a lidded ice cube tray to hold the rings and necklaces from a jewelry stand. You can also secure the lid with tape.
• Place socks inside shoes and pool noodles inside tall boots to help footwear hold its shape during a move. Then slip plastic shower caps over the soles to contain the dirt.
• Fill soft-sided duffel bags and backpacks with clothing and squeeze them into gaps in your moving truck.
• Place lightweight items such as pillows in dresser drawers, then seal the drawers shut with stretch wrap. Because these items don’t weigh all that much, they won’t affect the weight of the dresser, vanity, or other furniture pieces you store them in.
• Keep clothes on hangers and stack them into groups. Slip a trash bag over the clothes from the bottom up. Tie the drawstring firmly around the top of the hangers so you can put them directly into the closet in your new home.
• Use old fitted sheets as mattress covers for short-distance moves. Place one sheet on each side of the mattress to keep out dirt. Even better — put a clean sheet on first so all you have to do at bedtime is pull off the protective ones.
• Label boxes in order of priority for opening. The box containing your bedside lamp, alarm clock, and phone charger should be unpacked before out-of-season clothing items.

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Moving Hacks Recap: You’ve Got This!

Moving doesn’t have to be a source of mayhem — our creative packing hacks help you get things done faster and more efficiently. Before you know it, you’ll be down to your last box and basking in the pleasure of bare closets and shelves.