15 Packing & Moving Life Hacks

Ayla PR Representative with Moving Made Smooth, Inc.

#1 Use plastic wrap under bottle caps to prevent leakage of liquid items.
There aren't many things that would be as annoying as unpacking your toiletries only to discover that a bottle of hand lotion has leaked on everything! This life hack helps you avoid that kind of frustration and is done simply by removing the bottle cap, placing a small square of plastic wrap around the opening of the bottle, and replacing the cap.

#2 Use a white bar of soap or toothpaste to fill in nail holes.
This simple trick can help you to get that security deposit back! All you do is rub the bar soap into the hole until the hole is filled or press the toothpaste into the hole with a knife, spatula, etc. and allow it to dry. Ta-da! No more hole.

#3 Put Styrofoam plates between your ceramic ones to prevent them from breaking.
Putting Styrofoam plates between each ceramic will help prevent chipping or breaking by giving them a little extra cushioning. And remember to always stand dishes on edge inside boxes and pad the bottom of the box.

#4 Pickup wine or liquor boxes from grocery/convenience stores for packing up glass cups.
Liquor stores will often give these to you for free. They frequently have cardboard dividers in them so you can easily pack your fragile cups in there. If you have trouble finding these boxes or would rather order some we offer dish pack boxes. The boxes we offer can be found on our Packing Supplies page.
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#5 Use toilet paper/paper towel rolls to wrap and store cords for your electronics.
​I have mentioned this life hack before in my blog about packing electronics, but it is a useful trick and I thought it best to include it again here. Save up some of these rolls for about a week before you move. Remember to take a picture of how your electronics look plugged in and take it apart. Wrap up the cords and slide them into the rolls. You can label the rolls with information about where the cord came from and pack these into your moving boxes.

#6 Double box extremely fragile items like electronics.
If you have concerns about whether a fragile item will make the trip feel free to use this life hack. For screens and monitors, you may want to mask them in an 'X' to help prevent it from cracking. Then, wrap or pad the item with moving blankets, paper (or newsprint), or corrugated cardboard and put this into an appropriate sized box. Proceed to pad this box in one of the afore mentioned ways and put it into a slightly larger box. The boxes can be the original product box or you can purchase an appropriate box from us (we have television boxes).
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#7 Books are easiest to pack into wheeled suitcases.
​This life hack is extremely convenient. Often when packing books into a box, it is really easy to make the box to heavy. Not only is this a problem because the box is unwieldy, it may be too much weight for the box itself and can cause the box to break open. Using a wheeled suitcase to pack your books eliminates these issues as they are unlikely to break open if filled and can be wheeled to the truck instead of carried.

#8 Put 2 old fitted sheets on your mattress, one covering one side and the other over the other side.
If you're like me and didn't think to keep the packaging that your mattress came in, this life hack could be right up your alley. All it requires is two old fitted sheets and your mattress will have a decent amount of protection from stains and damage. As I said above, just put one on normally and flip the mattress over. Then put the other one on the other side, being sure to wrap it over the edges of the first. If you are looking to get extra protection for your mattress we offer mattress bags and boxes on our packing supplies page.

#9 If you need to pack a number of small items in a single box, line the box with a trash bag.
This life hack is a great preventative measure. If many small items are packed into a single box, it can make a box quite heavy. This measure prevents cleaning up if a box breaks open. The items in the box will be still contained within the bag, making clean up and repacking a breeze.

#10 If a dresser has only light-weight items, leave the items inside and wrap the drawers closed with plastic wrap or tape.
This life hack is a timesaver. Instead of folding, packing, and unpacking all of your clothing, leave anything light in the drawer and secure it closed with tape or plastic wrap. You can add extra padding like moving blankets, corrugated, etc. and have it loaded onto the truck.

#11 Mask off an 'X' on mirrors and glass picture frames to prevent them from breaking.
Masking off an 'X' on these fragile items can help to prevent shattering if there is any shifting of your belongings on the road. For extra protection we do offer mirror/picture boxes on our packing supplies page.

#12 Put screws in baggies and securely tape them to the furniture they came from.
Organization greatly reduces stress during a move. Putting in just a little more effort when you take your furniture apart by organizing your screws and making sure they are secured to the item that they came from can greatly reduce the time it takes for you or your mover to reassemble the furniture in your new place. When securing screws to the furniture do your best to attach them to a place where they won't get brushed off while the furniture is being moved.

#13 Use trash bags to pack clothing on hangers.
I have also mentioned this life hack before when discussing packing clothes and other personal belongings, but I thought I would include it here as well for your convenience. This packing method is best reserved for general, everyday clothing and is also a giant timesaver. All you do is puncture a moderate hole in the bottom of the bag, slip the clothing (still on hangers) through, grab the hangers through the hole, pull the bag down, and tie it off at the bottom. Any expensive or sentimental clothing you own may be better packed inside wardrobe boxes. We also offer wardrobe boxes on our packing supplies page.

#14 Remember to defrost any refrigerators or freezers and empty any gas or oil from lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc. at least 24 hrs. in advance of your move.
These are important things to remember as they can cost you on your moving day. If a fridge or freezer isn't properly defrosted ahead of time, the appliance can leak water all over inside your truck and damage your belongings. Oil and gas must also be drained from any tools or equipment you own. Any flammable liquids (propane, oil, gasoline, etc.) are dangerous to have loaded on a cargo truck because of the risk of static electricity ignition. With all of your items slightly shifting around on the truck it can build up a lot of static electricity. Also when renting a truck from any company you sign a waiver that states that you will not put any flammable liquids on their truck and it is a breach of contract for you or a mover to load it.
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#15 Apartment management frequently have floor plans available online so you can plan ahead where you want your furniture to go in your new place.
Often when researching apartments you can find floor plans on an apartment manager's website. When you decide on a particular apartment, just print out the floor plan. You can use a pencil to draw out where you would like each piece of furniture to go. Sometimes floor plans even give the dimensions of each room making it easier to decide if a particular furnishing will fit in a spot.