18 Tips to Make Packing and Moving Valuables Hassle-Free

Relocating is often a bittersweet experience, even if you’re moving in just a few blocks away.

If it’s a long-distance move, you could be looking at a few tear-jerking moments saying goodbyes to familiar places and faces while also looking forward to your life in the new destination.

We’re here to make packing up your life and relocating a smooth and stress-free experience.

Whether it’s packing up your essentials, protecting your valuables, or hiring professional movers, we’ve got expert tips to help you out.

18 Expert Tips for Packing and Protecting Your Valuables

1. Make a Checklist

First off, make a moving checklist covering every stage of the relocation process, from packing to moving to unpacking. This list will ensure you don’t miss out on an important task by detailing what needs to be done and when it’s the right time to do it.

A good moving checklist will have you list down all the tasks from at least a couple of months prior to the move (purging your wardrobe, setting a moving budget) down to the moving day (verifying and taking inventory).

Once you’ve created this list, print it out and start checking off items one by one.

2. Cull Items You Don’t Need

Use your cross-country move as the opportunity to purge your home and wardrobe of underused or unused clothing. Cull outfits and shoes you haven’t worn for a long time and toys your kids have outgrown.

It’s your chance to get rid of possessions that no longer add any value to your life. Once you’re through with the purge, donate or hold a garage sale for gently used items, and dispose of overused items responsibly.

This exercise will not only help you declutter but also save you time and money on packing and moving things you don’t need.

3. Make an Inventory of Your Valuables

A lot can go wrong during the move if you’re unprepared. While it’s not possible to make a list of everything you own, making an inventory of your valuables is a must-do activity before the moving day.

This will give you time to carefully document and photograph the irreplaceable heirlooms, artwork, and any other item of high monetary value. Maintaining a record of your valuables can be of huge help while making insurance claims should an item get damaged or lost.

4. Order Packing Supplies in Advance

Don’t wait for the moving day to scramble for packing supplies! Order box cutters, lots of packing tape, cotton kitchen towels, paper towels, trash bags, and permanent markers well ahead of move-out day.

To pack larger items like furniture, you’ll need moving dollies, padding, soft foam, bubble wrap, and rope. You can borrow or purchase these unless you’re hiring professional movers who’ll most likely arrive with their own moving equipment and packing supplies.

5. Right-Sized Boxes Matter

There’s a reason professional movers prefer packing flat-screen TVs and large appliances in their original boxes. These are specially made boxes to accommodate the precise dimensions of the object with molded padding to keep it safe during transit.

If you’ve tossed away the original boxes, don’t worry. These are bulky and tricky to store. You can always get expandable heavy-duty TV boxes along with specialty packing kits from U-Haul.

6. Pack One Room at a Time

Pack in a way that makes unpacking easy. The last thing you’d want is to find your kitchen utensils mixed up with clothes or garage tools.

Pick any room, your bedroom, or the kitchen, and pack everything in it before moving on to the next one. Each room would need a different packing strategy and supplies.

For example, your bedroom would need big roomy boxes or vacuum-sealed bags to store organic bed sheets, pillows, and comforters. Meanwhile, packing up your kitchen would involve bubble wrapping fragile glass items with great care.

7. Label Everything

We can’t stress this enough: Label every box as you seal and pack it! Grab a permanent marker and number the boxes, mentioning the contents and where they should go in your new place.

Make sure you communicate to the movers how to decode your labels so they know where to place the boxes at the destination. You’ll be surprised to see how much easier labeled boxes make the entire unpacking process.

8. Get Help for Packing Big, Valuable Items

If you own a collection of expensive art or big valuables like pianos and chandeliers, it’s best to reach out to experts who know how to pack and transport them safely.

For example, wrapping oil paintings directly in regular paper is a big no-no because it can stick to the surface and cause abrasions or color transfer. Instead, you should opt for acid-free tissue paper and glassine paper, which work better to protect the painting’s surface.

Heavy wooden antiques will need expert dismantling, dollies to move them around, and custom crates to pack them in - all of which are tricky to handle alone.

9. Pack Fragile and Kitchen Items Carefully

If you’ve moved houses before, you’d agree that packing the kitchen is the trickiest and the most tedious. It involves handling and wrapping delicate china, glass items, and ceramic cups and bowls.

If you get down to bubble wrapping it one piece at a time, it’ll take you days to wind up the kitchen. Use the following hacks to get through it faster:

• Put packing paper or bubble wrap around each dish and then wrap them again together by stacking them vertically in lots of four or five.

• Stack and pack cups and bowls in lots of three or four. Place paper in between before wrapping them in bundles.

• A box with cardboard dividers can be very useful for keeping your glasses and stemware safe during the move. Start by individually wrapping glasses, stems, and handles with crumpled paper or bubble wrap.

• Line the cardboard box with packing paper and place the glasses and stemware upright. Fill the gaps with more packing paper to prevent them from clinking together.

• If you have similar-sized glassware, stack them in the box before stuffing the empty space with crumpled paper. If you plan to double-box, consider using corner protectors.

• Take care not to overfill the boxes. Nor should you leave any empty spaces. Gently shake the box; if you hear the contents shifting inside, you need more filler.

• Once you’ve sealed the box, label it ‘fragile’ and ‘this side up’ to let the movers know what they’re dealing with.

10. Use Blankets to Cushion Big Items

No matter how sturdy or heirloom quality your furniture is, when it comes to a long-distance move, anything can happen.

This is why most professional movers rely on thick, bulky blankets as cushioning to keep your furniture protected and scratch-free in a moving truck.

No plans to hire a moving company? Just use any thick, old blankets to layer up your wooden pieces or any other item that needs extra padding. Use foam corner protectors to cushion artwork, mirrors, TVs, or wooden pieces - anything with pointy corners.

11. Pack Sheets, Blankets, and Comforters in Dust-Free Bags

Use vacuum-sealed storage bags or cloth bags to pack your pillows, blankets, and comforters. Put your suitcases, laundry hampers, and canvas totes to work by stashing your blankets, throws, and pillows in them.

Our blanket storage bags are sturdy and generously sized to keep the bulkiest of your blankets dust-free and protected during the move.

These sustainably manufactured storage bags will not only help you pack and protect your valuables but also transform your new home into a zero-waste space.

Related Article: How to store blankets: 15 best ideas

12. Take Smaller Valuables and Family Heirlooms With You

Any small-sized pieces with high monetary and sentimental value should be wrapped individually, ideally by you. Use soft tissue paper or felt pouches to store your jewelry and irreplaceable heirlooms.

Consider taking these items with you instead of putting them in the moving truck. In addition to your smaller valuables, your everyday essentials, including a toothbrush, change of clothes, medications, and important documents, should also go with you, even if it’s a short distance move.

13. Use Dust-Proof Bags to Pack Your Wardrobe

After you’ve purged your wardrobe, fold your clothes and place them in cardboard boxes, wheeled luggage, carry-on bags, extra large laundry bags, and any other storage bags you own. Remember to remove hangers before you pack them.

Opt for shoes storage bags to pack your precious shoes, handbags, and purses. Pack shoes with heels and buckles individually to prevent them from damaging each other.

14. Place Heavier Items at the Bottom

If you’re packing everything yourself, a good rule of thumb is to place the heaviest items at the bottom of the box or crate.

This helps create a solid base for the lighter items on top. Boxes where items aren’t stacked according to weight become unbalanced and challenging to lift and load.

15. Book Professional Movers Early

Unless you’re willing to spend the last few days before the move scouting for reliable, professional movers, book them early. By early, we mean several weeks or months in advance, especially if you’re relocating to another country.

This will also give you time to compare a few options and negotiate a price estimate that fits your moving budget. Waiting until the last minute to do so could come with a hefty price tag due to peak moving season or not being able to hire the pros for the date you want them.

16. Transport Smaller Items and Essentials in Your Car

Transporting smaller household items, using large canvas tote bags, in your car can reduce costs for short-distance moves or relocation within a city.

Before the moving day, schedule a few trips to ferry kitchen items, books, toys, and clothes.

This will allow professional movers to tackle only big, bulky items, saving you time and money.

17. Schedule Utilities at Your New Address

Don’t wait until you move into your new home to set up utilities! Schedule them as soon as you have the move-out date finalized. You might want to contact your landlord or real estate agent to get information on electricity, water, heat, trash collection, sewer, internet, and more.

Once you know which utility providers to contact, reach out to them to schedule installation dates. This way, you’ll have everything up and running before or soon after your arrival.

18. Unpack Timely and With Care

Set a realistic unpacking timeline by working out how many boxes you can unpack comfortably in a day or whether you want to go room by room. We recommend unpacking the valuables and fragile items first to inspect for damage.

Use a rug or any stable padded surface to check your possessions. Use a box cutter to open the boxes and envelope openers to cut and remove the packing paper. Gently unwrap each item and check for scratches, cracks, and chips.

Make a note of the damaged items (if any) and take photos to raise insurance claims.

Final Thoughts

Relocating can feel unpleasant and exciting at the same time. That’s why you’d want to do everything you can to minimize the stress on the actual moving day.

Once you know when and where you’re moving, start planning the entire relocation process, even if it’s months away.

So whether it’s purging clothes you won’t miss or seeking insurance for your meaningful possessions, it’s time to get them off your moving to-do checklist one by one.