How To Pack A Bedroom

How To Pack A Bedroom

If your bedroom reflects minimalism, packing it up for moving day should be relatively easy and quick. However, some bedrooms are a space in which we store the things we love and admire “collectibles” clothes, shoes, perfumes, colognes, jewelry, books, and art. The things that are important to us when moving to a new home. It is also not uncommon for bedrooms to double as offices or hobby spaces and craft rooms, and because the bedroom is where we spend roughly a third of our time, it can become a rather daunting task to pack it all up. Resist the urge to put it all off to the end, and instead be sure to get a head start on packing your bedrooms ahead of time. If you have more than one bedroom in the house, begin by organizing and emptying the ones least used. This could be the guest or spare rooms.

Prepping for Your Move

 

One of the great things about a move is the opportunity to start fresh, and that includes the process of decluttering and eliminating things you no longer need or want. It also makes settling into your new location a lot easier. This process works best if you break the bedroom down into zones, namely things to keep, things you would like to donate or sell (many folks hold yard sales in advance of their moving day. You will find that taking the time to declutter really helps to streamline the moving process and allow you to pack your bedroom that much easier.

Packing Materials

 

Before you start packing, double check you have plenty of packing supplies before you begin. You will need an assortment items like different sized moving boxes including:

• Small boxes (16 x 12 x 12) – for books and small heavier items.
• Medium boxes (18 x 18 x 16) – for packing clothing.
• Large boxes (18 x 18 x 24) – for packing larger items of clothing and bedding.
• Wardrobe boxes – for moving, storing, and shipping clothes on hangers. Can also be used to move items such as: sporting equipment, lamp bases, and much more.
• Unprinted news wrap
• Ziploc bags or plastic bags (variety of sizes) – these can be used to protect special clothing items and larger bags can be used for bedding and drapery.
• Sealing/ Packing Tape (moving tape)
• Packing paper
• Marker labels
• Bubble wrap
• Blankets (or furniture pads) – For Do it yourself moves. If hiring a moving company, these will be supplied.

Obviously the single most abundant bedroom packing item you will require will be moving boxes, of every size. And you will need a lot of them. Fortunately, they are fairly easy to come by. Most retail outlets receive deliveries almost daily, and boxes are broken down and tossed out by the dozens. You can dumpster dive, but you may prefer to simply ask the store manager if they can save their boxes for you. Most are very agreeable to this arrangement, and voila, you have all the moving boxes you will need items like books and jewelry to pots, pans, and kitchen item.

Essentials

 

Prepare some items of clothing and shoes that you will include in your essentials box. This box will either stay with you for the duration of the move, or be delivered along with everything else.

Clothing and Jewelry

 

• Before you begin packing, sort through what you want to keep, discard, sell or donate. A good place to start might be the closets and drawers. These areas tend to collect, and it is a good opportunity to minimize and see everything you have. Once you have decided what to get rid of, place them in separate bags or bins and remove them from the room.
• Begin packing the clothes you do not wear regularly. Clothing items that are normally hung in your closets can be transferred directly to wardrobe boxes, which should be included in your packing supplies. This saves time. One box will hold about two feet of compressed clothing on hangers.
• For all other clothes, use a combination of medium and large boxes. Smaller pieces of clothing, such as tops, pants and skirts can be placed into medium boxes. Bulkier items like woolens and jackets can be packed into large boxes.
• Shoes can be placed at the base of wardrobe boxes or packed in medium sized boxes. If you keep your shoes protected in their original shoe box, just place them directly into the packing box. If packing shoes as they are, you can wrap them in paper or use a piece of clothing for added protection. Using shoe trees can preserve their shape if loosely placed in boxes.
• Hats need to be packed carefully. If they are currently stored in specialty hatboxes, leave them in these other boxes and place in large enough packing boxes. If you place more than one hatbox in a packing box, make sure the heavier hat is at the bottom. The same if you are packing hats without hatboxes, heavier hats at the bottom. These hats should be stuffed and wrapped loosely with tissue paper and gently placed in lined boxes. No other items should be placed in these boxes and they should be marked “FRAGILE”.
• Jewelry should always remain with you throughout the moving process (even if in your personal jewelry box). Do not pack it with your household items. If you are a collector or have high value jewelry items, using a third-party service to transport these items may be something to consider. FedEx, among other companies has a jewelry shipping program, ensuring their safe arrival at your new home.

Bedroom Décor

 

• If you have a pile of books on your nightstand that you intend to read, or are in the process of reading, either pack them with all your other books in the house, or pack separately with additional bedroom items like photo frames, small pictures, and trinkets. Remember, books should be packed in small boxes.
• Glass mirrors will require special cartons. For heavier mirrors, custom crating is recommended. If you are hiring movers to transport your household items, they can provide this service.
• Large pieces of artwork should be packed separately using specialty moving boxes.

Linens and Draperies

  Your bedding and drapes are susceptible to moisture, mold, and insects. Items like these needs to be packed securely to minimize any exposure prior to unpacking.

• Fold clean bedding and pack into plastic bags. They can then be placed into packing boxes.
• Pack pillows in plastic bags, then place into packing boxes.
• If you have drapes or curtains, they should be cleaned prior to being packed. Place them in plastic bags for protection, then place in packing boxes. You can also pack your draperies in wardrobe boxes. Fold lengthwise and place them over a padded hanger and pin them in place.
• Mattresses can often be quite difficult to pack up properly. They are large, heavy, and extremely cumbersome, making them the unwanted highlight of your moving day. It is important to be sure it will not become ripped, stained, or otherwise damaged during the move.
• Mattress bags are the perfect method for making sure the mattress is protected from dust, dirt, as well as moisture. A mattress bag can come in sizes corresponding to your mattress size (king, queen, double, etc.). Once the mattress is carefully removed from the bed frame and sealed up, it should be safe until delivery at your new location.
• Your bed frame can be folded up and secured for travel.

Your Flat Screen TV

 

• The newest TV technology is pleasing to the eye, but unfortunately very susceptible to damage in the midst of a move. Flat screens are fragile items, easily cracked and can be more costly to repair than replace.
• As you pack your bedroom, make sure and detach all cords, not just for the TV itself, but also DVD players, gaming units, or other devices that may be attached. Place these cords in a separate bag and label them clearly. Doing so will allow you to rewire everything with a minimum of hassle.
• Remove the TV from the stand and wrap it securely in bubble wrap and packing paper to protect the screen from scratches or cracks.

Books and Periodicals

 

• First ask yourself if you really need all those books, then do not hesitate to get rid of anything you don’t see yourself ever reading again. Books are heavy, always pack books with care.
• Then start packing your books early. This can be a surprisingly difficult process and not something that should be left until the last moment.
• Organize the books you are taking by size, as this will prove invaluable when you actually start filling boxes.
• To facilitate proper bedroom packing, it is recommended that you utilize smaller boxes to pack books, since books get heavy rapidly as more are added in. Ideally the weight should be kept under 40 lbs.
• Pack hardcover books together and paperbacks together. Segregate periodicals as well. Doing so helps with organization on the other end. If you have books that are valuable, such as first editions or photo albums, these should be treated as fragile items. Place a piece of cardboard between them to keep the spines straight and protect the books with balled up paper, or bubble wrap.

Area Rugs

 

• The days preceding a move are the perfect time to have area rugs taken up and professionally cleaned. They will be returned to you already rolled up and prepared to go on the moving truck.
• These rugs should be the last things loaded and the first things unloaded, allowing them to go down so that furniture can be brought in and placed accordingly.

Bedroom Furniture

Once all the smaller items have been packed, it is time to focus on the larger furniture pieces. If you are hiring a moving company, they will take care of all the basic disassembling and moving of the furniture.

As you pack your bedroom furniture pieces, you want to take special care of the furniture. A reckless or hasty move can result in dings and scratches, marring the finish and leaving you frustrated. You will need furniture pads, bubble wrap, and packing paper to protect the various surfaces. All furniture items need to be securely blanketed and the wrapping secured with packing tape.

If you are moving yourself or are able to easily dismantle your bedroom furniture, make sure to keep all the screws, nuts, bolts, and any small tools together and label which item of furniture it belongs to. Whichever box you pack these into, make sure to write that they are in that box, either on the outside or on your box count inventory.

With everything so clean and organized, this just might be the first room to get unpacked!

Children’s Room

 

• As you pack your bedroom, do not forget that your children’s rooms will need to be packed up as well.
• It is important to allow your children to be involved in their room. Children can pick the toys and books they wish to bring with them, which means some fragile items may not have to be packed away.
• Use colorful stickers and decals to label those boxes destined for the new children’s room, as this allows for them to be quickly and easily identified when arriving at the end destination. Packing paper is also quite an enjoyable toy on its own!
• Make sure children’s items are among the first things to come off the moving truck at the new location. Having their books and toys available to them allows the children to be properly occupied and out of the way of what can be a busy and at time dangerous moving in process.
• Consider children’s’ items to be fragile items and take appropriate care during transport. You do not want a child’s first experience in their new home to be finding one of their favorite toy trucks or baby dolls broken.

Labeling

 

As you pack your bedroom, always remember to label everything while in the packing process. It is the single best method for making sure everything ends up in the proper room on the other end of the move. Anything fragile should be wrapped generously in packing paper and clearly marked "Fragile" on the box.