Common Packing Mistakes You Don't Have To Make

As a part of our ongoing effort to serve our customers, we've put together a list of the most common moving mistakes to avoid. So you can achieve a successful relocation experience.

1. Not Having a Plan

One of the most common mistakes is not having a proper plan of action to organize and execute your upcoming move. Without planning, the experience may turn out to be chaotic and stressful. You will find yourself trying to accomplish everything at once.

That's why we've always recommended to start the process early – at least two months in advance. Make a list of all the tasks that must get done for the move, including: booking the movers, getting the packing supplies, packing up the house, organizing important documents, transferring your children’s schools, etc.

2. Make Moving Arrangements For Later

As soon as you know that you are moving for sure, start contacting moving companies to get quotes and check on availability. Depending on the season, movers could have a busy schedule.

If you chose a self-move or DIY, contact the truck rental company of your choice to make the appropriate arrangements. A good tip is to get the moving truck one or two days in advance, so you can start loading your belongings into the truck and avoid doing the entire move in just one day. Many truck rental companies allow you to book the trucks through their websites.

3. Avoid Sorting Your Items

It's tempting not to go through the lengthy process of sorting out your items, however, decluttering is always a smart decision! You won't want to pay for extra packing material and for the transportation of items that you don't need or you're not using. For that reason, before you start packing, go through your belongings and determine what you want to keep, what you want to donate and what is no longer in good shape to discard it.

4. To Procrastinate Packing

Packing at the last moment is a mistake that you definitely have to avoid – if you don't want to stress out and panic.

No matter how big is your house or apartment, the task of packing a house takes longer than you might think – and that includes gathering all the supplies that you need to accomplish the job.

So, do not procrastinate and start packing after you take the decision of moving.

5. Not Labeling the Moving Boxes

Don’t assume that you will be able to identify each box just by looking at them. Always label your boxes! With an efficient labeling system your movers will know: where the boxes go, which boxes contain fragile items, and which boxes you or them have to unpack first.

Proper labeling takes the guesswork out of unpacking, and it allows you to locate your belongings easily.

6. Leaving Empty Spaces in Moving Boxes

Skimping on padding the packed boxes, and filling the empty spaces, is a common mistake that you need to avoid (if you want to preserve your belongings).

That's why always make sure to add enough packing paper, or other cushioning materials inside your moving boxes. This measure prevents your fragile items to come into contact with one another, and get chipped or broken as a result.

Use crumpled packing paper, newspapers, sheets of bubble wrap, or even pieces of clothing like bath and kitchen towels. They work great!

We hope you've found this guide helpful, and if you need further assistance, don't hesitate to contact us.

In Got2Move we offer competitive prices and we're always ready to provide you a high-quality San Francisco packing services.