The Essential Packing Timeline for Moving

If you have a move approaching you may be asking yourself: when is it too early to start packing? And when is it too late? Time management is crucial to your move, especially when it comes to packing up your entire house. If you want to avoid stress and get everything done on time, here are some tips to help you turn your packing into phases.

7 to 8 Weeks Before Your Move: Declutter
Depending on the size of your home, you’ll either want to start seven or eight weeks before your move. During this first phase of packing, you’ll be focusing on pre-packing. This phase includes the following:

Sort through your belongings. Set aside anything you plan on donating or throwing away. Focus on decluttering your home.
Create an inventory once you have finished decluttering. You can organize your inventory by room, which will help make packing and unpacking easier.

5 to 6 Weeks Before Your Move: Gather Supplies
Once you’ve gotten rid of everything you won’t be taking with you, you’ll have a better idea of the amount of moving supplies you will be needing. During this phase of moving you should do the following:

Get new boxes or used boxes that are sturdy enough to be reused. You can also buy other types of containers to pack your belongings in.
Purchase other materials needed for packing your boxes, such as packing tape, tape dispensers, markers for labeling boxes, packing paper or bubble wrap, and moving blankets for furniture.

3 to 4 Weeks Before Your Move: Start Packing
During this phase, you should begin packing some of your belongings. You don’t want to be packing things that you use every day. Instead, you should be packing the following:

Pack all of your seasonal items, such as holiday decorations and off-season clothing.
You can also start packing any items that you don’t use very often. This can include fine china, tools, and other items you keep in storage.

Make sure to organize your boxes based on the inventory list you created and label them accordingly.

2 Weeks Before Your Move: Pack What You Can Do Without
At this stage of packing, you should begin packing everything else that you can afford to go without for the next two weeks. Start packing the following items:

Most of your kitchenware. You can keep out a couple of bowls, plates, sets of silverware, and maybe a pot or two to get by for the next couple of weeks.
Pack any linens, toys, books, magazines, games and video games, DVDs, CDs, office supplies, home décor, jewelry, and fragile items.
You’ll also want to pack any clothes and shoes that you won’t be wearing over the next two weeks. Again, remember to organize and label your boxes.

1 Week Before Your Move: Pack Everything Else
When you have one week left before moving day, you should start packing everything that isn’t packed yet. Pack the following items:

The rest of your kitchen items and any food that can be packed.
Bathroom items, except for a small bag of toiletries that you’ll be needing every day.
The rest of your clothes and shoes, except for a couple of outfits and a pair of pajamas.
Any other items that you haven’t packed yet, including important documents and valuables.

Moving Day: Gather Your Remaining Items
Once moving day arrives, you should have everything packed except for the few things that you use every day. You won’t want to pack these items in a box. Instead, pack them in a bag or suitcase so that you have access to them during your move and when you arrive at your new home.

Residential Moving in Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico
Whether you’re moving into a new house or apartment, moving can be an exciting and stressful time. Let our experts at Slater Transfer & Storage take some of the stress out of your move for you. We can help you move local or long distance. No matter where you’re moving, trust our moving experts to get you there. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a residential move with us.