METCALF MOVING BLOG
Pack by Room or Pack by Type? A Look at the Best Way to Pack Your Moving Boxes
Moving wouldn’t be so tricky if you didn’t have to pack everything you own into boxes. However, packing alone takes most people at least several days and sometimes weeks to complete, and deciding the best way to organize it can be a struggle. Of course, there are always general rules to follow, such as packing fragile items together. But you could pack items according to the room they should go in once you get to your new place, or you could pack each box with similar items.
Determining which packing method is best for you can be a matter of preference, but there are a few pointers to consider when deciding.
Will the layout of the new house be mostly the same?
Consider how the layout of your new home compares to the one you currently live in when deciding how to pack. If there are substantial differences, it may not be feasible to pack according to room. For example, switching from a standard two-bedroom apartment to a studio apartment will have a different number of rooms. Likewise, the layout can look much different if you downsize from a large home to a smaller apartment. Therefore, it can be ideal for packing by item type instead of according to the room the items should go in.
How do you prefer to unpack a box?
Think about how you plan to unpack and your preferences. For example, some people like to work room by room when unpacking. Therefore, they will start in one room and only move elsewhere once they have that room completed, even if that means the boxes for that room are not empty. Other people prefer to focus on eliminating boxes as quickly as possible. Therefore, they prefer a box full of similar items that they can empty and move to another box.
How long do you have to pack and unpack?
Packing up a room can be faster than packing a box with similar items. For example, if you have three bathrooms, getting everything into the box from each bathroom simultaneously can be quicker than packing similar things from all three rooms. If packing by item type, you must move from room to room to collect similar items from each space. If you don’t have much time to work, it can be logical to pack everything in one room and move on to the next room.
How much do you have to pack?
The average house can hold hundreds of thousands of items, and much of the bulk can be duplicates. But, if you are just starting out or live a more minimalist lifestyle, you may have little to pack. If you are part of the latter group, packing by room may make more sense. For example, if you have a limited amount of wall decor to pack throughout the house, possibly not even enough to fill a box. Therefore, packing by room would make more sense.
Get Help with Your Move No Matter Your Packing Preference
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