What to pack first when moving

Moving to a new place is usually seen as a new beginning, a chance for a fresh start, a new page in the book of life.
However symbolic the moving process may be, though, in fact, it is just a sequence of actions that result in the relocation of your belongings from one place to another.

So, while the emotional and mental preparation for your house move is, undoubtedly, crucial for the successful outcome of your relocation adventure, the actual preparation of your items for shipment is just as important.

You need to inventory your possessions, sort them out, declutter your home, get rid of any unwanted items, carefully pack the things you’re going to take with you, provide appropriate insurance for your valuables, and so on.

All these preparatory steps are essential for organizing a smooth and trouble-free relocation, of course, but it is the packing process that should be your greatest concern. Why?

Packing for a move is, without a doubt, the most time-consuming, laborious, and consequential moving task you’ll have to deal with.

To ensure your packing success and the safety of your cherished possessions, you need to create a packing list, get hold of appropriate packing materials, observe the golden rules of packing, and steer clear of any costly packing mistakes.

But first things first – before you can get down to work, you need to know where to start packing for a move.

So, what to pack first when moving? It’s only logical that the first things to pack will be the things you need the least.

Also, what room to pack first? Again, logic says that you should initiate the packing process from the rooms you use less frequently. Read on to learn what to pack first when moving house.

All items in storage areas

The very first things you will need to pack up are all the things that you have stored away safely and hidden out of sight in garages, basements, attics, closets, and spare rooms.

It is highly unlikely that you will need any of those half-forgotten items in the time left until Moving day, so you are recommended to start organizing them and packing them up as early as possible.

Keep in mind that going through the storage areas in your home and sorting out all the miscellaneous things kept there will take a lot of time and effort. So, roll up your sleeves and “attack” the storage areas at the earliest opportunity.

Your first task is to assess your stored belongings and decide their fate. Sort them into three separate piles:

• TO BE DISCARDED. All the items that are too outdated or too worn out to be used ever again, as well as any damaged pieces you still keep for some reason or another.
• TO BE SOLD, DONATED, or GIVEN AWAY. All the knick-knacks, decorations, old furniture, specialty equipment, craft supplies, tools, and so on that are still in good condition but you don’t like anymore or won’t be able to use in your new surroundings, be it because of the climate, available space, peculiarities of your new lifestyle, etc.
• TO BE PACKED. Anything that has considerable practical, aesthetic, or sentimental value and you don’t want to part with.

Needless to say, you have to dispose of the first pile immediately and take care of the second one as soon as possible – otherwise, you may reconsider your decision and start pulling items out of that pile.

Organize a moving sale or sell online any valuable possessions of yours that you’re not taking with you (artwork, sports gear, specialized tools, etc.), donate practical items of little market value (old clothes, toys, furniture pieces, etc.), and give away to friends and family whatever they may like or need.

All the rarely used items from the third pile – the very things you intend to take to your new home – should be packed and prepared for moving as early as possible.

Make sure you:

• create a detailed inventory of the items you are packing and document their current condition;
• provide your items with excellent protection against moisture, dust, bugs, etc. Keep in mind that the first things you pack for moving may stay in the boxes for quite a long time;
• label the boxes properly as you won’t remember which items went where;
• stack all the packed boxes in a separate area where they won’t get in your way;
• prepare the large tools and equipment you’re going to take with you (lawnmowers, snow blowers, bikes, etc.). Any remaining fuel should be drained out of the tanks, sharp edges and cutting parts should be safely wrapped, and so on.

Bear in mind that moving companies are not allowed to relocate certain typical garage items such as motor oils, antifreeze, paint and paint thinners, charcoal, propane tanks, fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, car batteries, as well as any flammable, explosive or corrosive items for safety reasons.

Therefore, you should not waste your time packing those hazardous items. Unless you can move the non-allowables yourself – usually the case when you’re moving only a short distance away, you’ll have to get rid of them before the relocation by using them up, giving them away, or disposing of them in an eco-friendly way.

See also: How to declutter your home before moving

Non-essential items

The term non-essentials refers to everything you can live without for a few weeks – things in drawers, closets, cabinets, etc. that you won’t miss if they stay packed away in boxes for some time.

Such items include but are not limited to:

• decorations and artwork – holiday decorations, framed pictures, figurines, vases, souvenirs, and all other kinds of decorative objects that make your place charming and cozy but have no practical purpose whatsoever. Keep in mind that such items should be packed with utmost care as they are quite delicate and fragile. Besides, some of them are not only beautiful and sentimental, but also very expensive (pieces of art, for example), so you will most definitely want to keep them intact;
• collectibles – you will certainly not have the time to look through old photo albums or to admire your train models in the weeks leading to moving day, so any collectible items should find their way into the moving boxes long before the relocation;
• extras – any extra towels, linens, bedding, office supplies, etc. should be among the first things to get into the moving boxes as they are not used anyway;
• books – you won’t be reading much in the busy weeks prior to your move, so you can pack your books away as early as 3-4 weeks in advance. Make sure you put them in small sturdy boxes that won’t break under the weight of their contents and keep them in a clean and dry place;
• DVDs, CDs, video games, hobby materials – you may keep a few of those to provide some entertainment during the strenuous weeks of moving preparations but it’s a good idea to pack most of your leisure time items long before the relocation chaos has taken reign over your home;
• off-season clothes, shoes, and accessories – pack up everything you are not going to use for over a month, including seasonal items such as beach umbrellas or ski goggles;
• specialized kitchenware – fine china, cake plates, condiment dishes, crystal glasses, ice-cream cups, pie pans, cookie cutters, barbecue tongs, etc., as well as small appliances, extra dishes, dishtowels, food storage containers, and other similar items that you use rarely or only on special occasions, should be packed well in advance.
• games and toys – packing for a move is anything but a game. Nevertheless, when it comes to various board games and children’s toys such as construction sets (LEGO), jigsaw puzzles, toy vehicle models, and plush toys, then you should be able to pack those safely in advance. Be sure to leave your children’s favorite toys and games so that they can play with them until they reach the new home.
• jewelry – you’re not likely to need most of your jewelry pieces – rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc., until the move-out day so it’s pretty safe to pack them safely way in advance. This way, you won’t have to worry about them anymore as long as you keep a watchful eye on the box that contains them.
• toiletries – pack up safely the toiletries you know you won’t need until after you reach the new home.

Once you’ve dealt with all the infrequently needed items described above, you should proceed with non-perishable pantry items, office supplies, sewing supplies, and various other knick-knacks you can easily survive without for a week or two.

What room to pack first when moving

If you’re not sure which rooms you should pack first, then it’s a good idea to be mindful of two major principles when packing a house for moving.

• Packing principle 1. You should always pack the least frequently used rooms first. The idea here is to be able to keep living in the rooms you use every single day without having to make your way through huge piles of packing boxes and random packing materials on the floor.
• Packing principle 2. You should always begin packing from the toughest premises to sort and pack. Why? You’ll be able to tackle those difficult-to-pack rooms when you still have enough energy and motivation to pack up all the items found in them. This way, as Moving day approaches and your energy is almost depleted, you’ll be left with the areas that are more straightforward to pack.

Following these two packing principles, you’re going to find out that, in most cases, the least occupied rooms in a house are the storage areas such as the basement, attic, garage, spare rooms, and closets should be the first rooms to pack when moving.

So, which room should you pack first when moving?

• Garage. In addition to your car, your garage is likely to contain all kinds of things such as car-related stuff (spare parts, accessories, car tools, etc.), hand tools, power tools, garden tools, bicycles, and so on. Keep in mind that garages often have items that are forbidden to pack and move for safety reasons.
• Basement and attic. In most cases, these two premises are used primarily for storage areas so you’re likely to find all sorts of things in there – some of which you may have forgotten completely. Be ruthless when deciding which items to move and which ones to leave behind. After all, each extra thing you move with you to the new place will require more time to pack, more money to transport, and more space in the new place.
• Closet. The closet is likely to be full to the brim with stuff you may not need to pack and transport to the new home. Besides the usual sets of clothes and pairs of shoes stored in your walk-in closet, you’ll probably find anything there – from sports equipment to your collection of post stamps.
• Spare room. If you have a guest room that you’re not really using, then it may have turned slowly into a storage area with time. On the other hand, your spare room may contain just a handful of stuff so generally speaking, you should be able to tackle that room quickly enough.
• Kitchen. Packing up your kitchen items will most likely take much more time than you think. The sorting task alone can take many hours to complete considering all the things hidden in various cupboards, cabinets, drawers, and so on. To make things even more challenging, the kitchen will contain many extra breakable items such as plates, glasses, and so on.
• Living room. The toughest things to sort out and pack in the living room will be all the furniture pieces found in it. Whenever possible, choose to take as few furniture items with you as possible to save valuable time and money in the process. Also, most of the electronic equipment will be in the living room as well.
• Children’s room. Leave packing the kids’ room to a later stage but don’t wait too long either. If your children are old enough, they should help you out with sorting and packing up their own things.
• Bedroom. Your bedroom should be one of the very last rooms you pack for moving since you’ll want to be able to use it until the last possible moment. Nevertheless, if there are any household items that you can pack up in advance – for example, some of the bedroom furniture or most of your clothes, you should definitely do it to make things easier for you later on.
• Bathroom. Needless to say, you should leave packing the bathroom for last simply because you’re going to use it every single day.

Packing up an entire home for moving is a tough, tough job. So, if you happen to be feeling overwhelmed by it and you’ve fallen behind your personal packing timeline, do yourself a favor a consider hiring professional packers and movers to help you out.