A good pack job is the difference between unpacking in a week and unpacking for three months. Here's how we do it for a living, condensed so you can run the same plays at home.
Take Photos Before You Touch Anything
Between your cable box, console, soundbar, Apple TV or Fire Stick, and however many HDMI cables, the back of a modern TV looks like the mixing board at a rock show. Before you unplug anything, take photos of the back of every piece of AV gear. Your future self will thank you at 10 pm on move-in night.
The same rule applies to anything with complicated wiring or positioning: home office setups, bike storage, kitchen gadget corners, your partner's sacred shelf of things.
Don't stop at your current place. Walk through the new home with your phone and photograph every room beforeany furniture goes in. You're documenting existing damage so you're not on the hook for it later, and you're making it easier to plan where things go.
Pack Like a Pro
Start early. Earlier than that. Packing always takes longer than you think, and the night-before hero run is how things break.
Skip the bubble wrap and foam peanuts for most of it. Bulky, expensive, and not actually better for most items. The pros use packing paper and brown paper. Crumpled packing paper is your best friend for dishes, glasses, and small breakables. Brown paper wraps around larger flat items: mirrors, lamps, framed art, electronics.
Your actual supply list:
- Packing paper (by the bundle, not the sheet) for small breakables
- Brown paper for large or flat fragile items
- Clear or tan tape with a dispenser, way faster than loose rolls
- A thick-tip, easy-to-read marker for labeling (the real MVP)
- Box dividers for stemware, glasses, mugs
- A box cutter(you'll use it more than you think)
Colored tape works if you want to color-code by room. Just make sure it actually sticks. We've watched plenty of "cute" tape fall off three days later.
How Do You Pack in the Right Order?
The Essentials Box
Pack one box with everything you need in the first 24 hours: toilet paper, paper plates, a few utensils, toothbrushes, phone chargers, the coffee maker, scissors, a roll of tape, and any medications. Use a clear plastic bin or a box with distinctive tape so you can spot it the second the truck doors open.
Heavy Stuff Goes in Small Boxes
Most people default to "big box for big stuff" and end up with unliftable bricks. Reverse it. Books, tools, canned goods go in small boxes. Pillows, duvet covers, lampshades, winter coats go in big boxes. Your back and your movers will both be grateful.
Keep Screws With Their Furniture
When you disassemble anything, put the hardware in a Ziploc, label the bag clearly ("bookshelf left side, 4 screws + 2 cam locks"), and tape the bag directly to the piece it belongs to. Never loose in a drawer, never in a shared "hardware bag" you'll be cursing at in two weeks.
Quick Packing Tips From Pro Movers
- Stuff socks inside your boots so they keep their shape in transit.
- Cut handles into boxeswith a box cutter if they don't have them. One small rectangle per side, about palm width.
- Don't mix rooms in a box.One box, one room. Even if there's space. Future-you doesn't want to unpack the bathroom from a kitchen box.
- Fill empty space with packing paper.Anywhere there's slack, things shift. Shifting things break.
Want a real estimate on a full pack day? Get a quick price, or give us a call and we'll walk through what your place needs.