Most Common Packing Mistakes

Packing probably makes the most of your move. It’s arguably the most important step, so it’s totally understandable that some things might slip out of your mind during the packing process. However, some mistakes can and should be avoided in order to make your move less stressful.

When it comes to moving, nobody is perfect, especially if it’s your first time. It’s better to do everything at your own pace and pack everything in the exact way you see it the most appropriate. Today, we’ll focus your attention on some common packing mistakes that might make your move more difficult if you won’t avoid them.

Six packing mistakes you want to avoid

The first and probably the most common mistake is the lack of a plan. Planning plays a very important role in your packing success, and having not enough time to pack everything properly can cause to some things missing from your boxes. So, your best guess is to plan everything ahead. 

The best way to avoid this mistake is to write a proper plan in advance. This will be your blueprint for packing days ‒ feel free to write down every important note you have to remember about some of your belongings. Ultimately, when you have a plan, you won’t experience any kind of brain freeze during your packing process, and, of course, you’ll have very straightforward instructions that will save you a lot of time.

Speaking of time, the next mistake is kind of tied to the first one. Time is crucial when it comes to moving and especially packing, so not having enough time to pack everything will inevitably result in additional stress and more mistakes during the process. as we said, plan everything ahead and be realistic in your deadlines. Take into account your appointments and shopping for supplies ‒ these things also take your time.

One of the best packing tips for moving here is ‒ to give yourself more time than you need. No need to rush and set very strict deadlines. What you need is your own pace, so go at one. Take into consideration that packing a two-bedroom house will take up to four days to pack properly, and the bigger is your house, the more time you need ‒ this is kind of obvious. Be free to overestimate how much time you need for the packing process, and have no rush.

The third is more of a rookie mistake. When you don’t have enough packing supplies, you lose your precious time. Make sure you have enough boxes, tape, wrap material, and everything you might need for packing in general. Because if you accidentally find yourself running out of supplies at home, that means a trip to the store, that will ‒ again ‒ take your time.

Just like with two previous mistakes, overestimate the number of things you will need. If it’s your first time packing for a new home, use your chance to buy more tape, markers, and boxes. You’ll never know when they’ll be handy in use again, but at least you will have everything you need to focus on your move.

The fourth mistake is all about de-cluttering. The thing is if you pack some stuff that you will find replaceable or, well, unnecessary, you will do two mistakes at once: lose precious time, and make your packing process more difficult by stuffing a lot of belongings you won’t need anymore ‒ thus, taking up the space for things that actually matter.

So yeah, decluttering matters. To avoid the mistake of not getting rid of unwanted stuff, simply create a moving inventory list a few days prior to you start packing. This way, you’ll have enough time both to get your supplies prepared in more realistic amounts and to pack everything carefully without worrying about accidentally forgetting things. To make it easier for you, you can take a bit different approach: sort your belongings into three different piles:

• things you will actually need;
• things you will eventually recycle or donate;
• things you will throw away soon.

When you have this classification in mind, it’s way easier to pack your belongings and not take something you won’t eventually need with you.

Missing out on securing belongings properly is yet another mistake a lot of people do. You definitely want every item you pack into these boxes to make it to the arrival at your new home. To avoid any breakage during transportation, your best option is to ensure everything is secured well. 

In order to do that, do a few things:

1. Use a lot of wrap material, especially to pack fragile items. Glass, plastic, your makeup palettes, or anything that has a powdery texture has to be secured. Use packing paper, bubble wrap, or, as an alternative (that will also save up some space in your boxes), opt for dish towels or some of your clothes. Fill any gaps with these things and stuff breakables securely
2. Put fragile objects into separate boxes. Then, professional movers will help you to load these special boxes to the truck in the safest way possible so they won’t fall during the transportation.

And, finally, we get an unexpected mistake number six that might be not so obvious ‒ getting caught up in perfectionism.

While yes, doing everything properly is a sure way to success, packing is still an overwhelming process. Come in peace with the fact that nothing is perfect, and if you put something in the wrong box, it’s not a good reason to open this box and rummage through it a few hours before the truck arrives.

Don’t get too distracted with making everything look perfect as well. These boxes will go to your new garage for storage, so there’s no need to make sure the tape is perfectly aligned and the labels are written in perfect handwriting.

And anyway, you won’t avoid some mistakes. If not these six, some others might surface, and it’s totally fine. Nothing is perfect, especially with big events like relocation.

If you struggle packing everything, you can opt for professional packing services, as an alternative ‒ our movers will certainly help you pack everything in the most optimized and secure way.