Although it might seem pretty easy and straightforward, transporting clothes when moving requires some care. Check out our tips to make your life easier when moving to a new home.
If you are the type of person who has a lot of clothes, and you are planning to move, read this.
In addition to weight, clothes are likely to get damaged during the moving process, so follow our guidelines strictly to ensure your peace of mind:
1. Separate what you don't need
First of all, this is a great opportunity to sort out those items that you no longer use - or never used - and donate it to charity. Not only you would be doing a good deed, but you would also be making some room for your new clothes and avoid carrying more boxes; after all, it’s unnecessary to pack the clothes that you will no longer wear.
Make sure the clothes you want to donate are not damaged or dirty, as they wouldn’t be much useful. If you are moving to a new place that has a very different climate to the one you currently live in, you can also leave behind the clothes that you will no longer need in the new conditions.
2. Book clothes for the next few days
Separate a suitcase, bag, or box and set aside the clothes you will need to wear during the first few days after moving, as it will probably be a while before everything is unpacked and organized in the new place.
Ideally, you should prepare a couple of outfits for each member of the house, along with some clean underwear and maybe three or four shirts to get you through the first week. If you have children at home, remember that they use a lot more clothing items than adults. Hopefully, you won’t have too many social events at the beginning, so you won’t need anything fancier than a pair of jeans and a jumper. Although you must take into consideration other important personal commitments, that is work and school/university.
3. Sort your clothes by season
The season of the year you move in highly influences the amount of storage that you will need. You could start by sorting out any unused clothes that you don’t need; although, it is worth checking the weather to avoid possible weather surprises in the days before the change. Remember to label each box to identify the owner and the items stored in each.
4. Use suitcases
One of the best options for packing clothes is to use bags instead of boxes. Leave the cardboard boxes for items such as books, objects and other items that do not need much special care. Depending on the fabric, especially if it is a delicate piece with embroidery, they should ideally be deposited in bags that have lining, so the clothes are more protected.
Of course, not everything will always fit in bags. In this case, leave the most delicate items to put in bags and pack the rest of the clothes in cardboard boxes.
Believe it or not, clothes are heavy. Okay, maybe they are not heavy per se, but if you stack them all together, the total weight can be as much as 200kg (if you think of all the clothes you have inside a double wardrobe). As you store the items in boxes, lift one of them to check the weight, and consider other options if it’s too heavy. Be especially careful if you are carrying the boxes yourself and do not have any transport assistance. We don’t want you to hurt your back!
Label each suitcase and box to identify all the items stored in there, using simple words such as: Maria's jackets, Jose's shorts, Joana's socks, and so on.
5. Separate clothes from shoes
We recommend not to pack clothes and shoes together. Even if the shoes are clean, the sole is unlikely to be 100% sanitized. In addition to dirtying your clothes, storing shoes with clothes can pull threads and spoil parts.
If you don't have any shoe boxes, put socks or newspapers inside each pair - to maintain the shape - and wrap them in newspapers or plastic bags. This will prevent friction from one shoe against another and will not scratch or ruin them. If you still keep your shoe boxes, stack them in a larger box to make their transportation easier.
Same as the shoes, we also recommend you to separate your accessories, such as jewelry and scarves. For these items, you should also consider using satin sachets or some delicate fabric to pack each piece. Some companies, like Pack Queen, sell boxes in different sizes and for different purposes, so you can use them according to your needs. This will come in handy if you need to store heavier shoes or clothing but you don’t have proper packaging.
Our last tip for you: wear comfortable clothes when moving homes. Preferably, something old and easy to wash, as the clothing might get dirty or damaged in the process. We suggest you keep the delicate items, such as jewelry, wrapped and carefully stored, to ensure maximum protection.
6. Close the boxes
It sounds silly, but closing the boxes is an important task. Make sure you check all the boxes before sealing them and use all the tape you need; the more the better.
During the moving process, some boxes might get open with all the movement they go through, so don’t worry about using more tape than necessary to ensure the safety of your belongings, especially clothes which rip easily and other delicate items. Lastly, to keep the boxes from getting in the way during the journey, you can stack them on top of each other to ensure minimal motion and less risks. Just remember to cover everything with bubble wrap and you are good to go!
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