Diligence rewards its pursuer.

I'll tell you what we would do if you hired us to pack you. You will have an idea of how a professional would move through your home the day before your move.

We usually have at least two people packing a home at one time. One person would probably start in the kitchen where a lot of items, particularly fragile ones, take a while to pack. The other person would go through each room and pack any decorative items and anything else that will fit in a box. Most objects in a home would fit in a box. Everything except furniture would be boxed up: the linens from beds, the home entertainment system, etc.--all the items that blend into a home but stand out to a perfect stranger. Look for these as you move through each room.

Some items do not fit easily in typical boxes: large table, or floor lamps, and some toys for kids. For these, do not worry. But we would look for smaller pieces that could be boxed (e.g., lampshades, smaller toys that are part of larger sets). We assume that everything will fit in a box until proven otherwise.

Furniture that has to be disassembled before being moved would be done on packing day. We would remove shelves from bookcases, disassemble beds and certain futons, etc. We would use and label resealable plastic bags for the various hardware. We would use a toolbox to store the hardware along with our own set of small tools that come in handy for disassembly and assembly.

Hanging clothes are usually not packed the day before the move. On the day of the move, rented wardrobes are brought in and those hanging items take very little time to transfer to a box. Any clothes in a chest of drawers in the bedroom(s) may stay, but you should remove any loose items such as change or small pieces of jewelry that may fall out during the move.

At the end of the packing day, your home would be filled with boxes, furniture, rolled-up rugs/carpets, and floor lamps. Any other large items that would not fit in a book box or a linen box (e.g., large ceramic urns) also would remain unpacked. Framed pictures might or might not be on the walls the day before your move. Any of your belongings that are especially fragile or not easily packed (e.g., framed pictures) could be moved either before or on moving day using your automobile.

On the day of your move, the movers come in first and take all boxes, then all furniture. The last items loaded on the truck are those aforementioned items that are not boxed for a local move.

We would keep in mind the typical flow of moves as we pack your home: boxes first, furniture second, and everything else last. It is the everything else that eats up time. Since we bill our services hourly, we try to eliminate the everything else on packing day.

If you want any specific tips or hints, email me.

Allison Malley
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