Congratulations, you’ve gotten the keys to your newly renovated BTO flat! You are now a proud owner of your dream home(yay) and it is time to move into it. Moving house sounds all dreamy and fun until you realise the amount of stuff awaiting to be packed does not exactly “spark joy”, as Marie Kondo would have said.
Packing your whole house might seem daunting and stressful at first, but a meticulous plan would help. Whether you are a new house owner or a freshman student packing to move into your new halls, let Outside bring you 5 tips to make your life easier in moving to your dream space.
- Planning a timeline & preparing a moving checklist
Before you start packing, come up with a rough list of items to pack. You don’t want to be a “kanchiong spider” and start packing aimlessly the night before, only to lose your precious belongings halfway. Planning a packing timeline helps you to see which item should be packed first and keeps you in check. We recommend packing the least essential items first before moving on with the most essential items last. From the rough list of items, mark those items that need special packaging with a little star to give it that little extra care.
A printable moving checklist by Outside (a week-by-week timeline)
Once you have the list and the timeline, it is time to gather the packing essentials. Here are some of the packing materials you confirm will need! Have you gotten them ready?
- Cardboard boxes & Plastic boxes
- Foam peanuts
- Stretch wrap & Bubble wrap
- Packing paper/ Newspapers
- Old clothing/ blankets (for cushion)
- Labels
- Polypropylene/Vinyl adhesive tapes
Cardboard boxes and Stretch wraps (Source: Sarkina)
Foam peanuts (Source: Packaging Singapore)
A plan takes some time to execute, so it is crucial that you break down your packing into bite-sized steps and start packing at least one month before. Procrastinating and scrambling to pack a few days before would be the worst thing you could do. As much as you think “I don’t have that many things to pack anyway can pack next week la horh”, you might just be wrong. Trust us, all those unsuspicious little things lying around might just magically appear into a pile of unexplainable mess just the day before you move.
You might own more things than you think, so starting early is key. (Source: Make a Meme)
- Labelling and colour-coding your items
Once you have gotten your packing essentials, it is time to let the packing mess begin. But not to worry, a well-thought out packing plan will make moving and unpacking a breeze for you. Aiyo but my house so big where to start ah? For a more orderly packing process, packing room by room would be ideal, starting with the least essential items in the room first.
But hey, don’t just start tossing everything and sealing your box. Labelling is another equally important step. Imagine trying to flip all the boxes to find your pillowcase to sleep. Jialat you might just take a whole hour finding that needle in the haystack. So, we recommend you to label your boxes systematically.
Boxes without labels makes unpacking extra hard (Source: Pinterest)
Label your boxes clearly indicating the room, content, box number, fragility and the direction of the box (this side up sign!). You might want to colour code your boxes according to the rooms for easier identification. Having a rough inventory list inside each box would also help in keeping track of its contents for an easier search. Oh and remember to paste your labels on the side of your boxes and not on top of it!
A printable label to be pasted on the side of your boxes for clearer identification
- Keeping your belongings safe when moving
Moving a house is risky itself, but moving safely is even more tricky. When it comes to moving, it is better to be more kiasu in protecting your things, especially when you know that moving day can get as hectic as your wedding day.
The right box
Different box sizes (Source: Half Price Boxes USA)
When packing, getting the right size for your sturdy box is key. Keep your heavier items, like books and kitchen gadgets in smaller boxes and lighter ones like stuff toys and clothes in bigger boxes. Even within the box, pack your heavier items at the bottom and lighter ones at the top to avoid getting your items crushed. Overall, the general rule would be to keep your boxes no heavier than 30kg. Just because you can squeeze all your 50 books in one box doesn’t mean you should be putting them altogether.
Fitting everything into a box might seem purr-sible, but distribute your weight wisely to avoid overloading when packing! (Source: Imgflip)
Fragile items
Yes, they are the items you wanna tell your movers to be extra careful with. But packing them with the right cushions is vital too. Cushion your fragile plates with plenty of newspaper or packing paper in between, while arranging them vertically in your small or medium boxes. (Extra: bubble wrap individually for better cushion!) As for your glasses and cups, wrapping them might be a little tricky, but it can definitely help you save you from the cracks on your treasured wine glass. Lastly, fill up any empty spaces in the box with extra newspapers or polystyrene foam peanuts. And yes of course, your old clothes and blankets work equally well too if you are saving that dollar on the packing paper or the Mother Earth.
Bubblewrap your fragile plates individually for extra cushion (Source: Amazon Japan)
Arrange your plates vertically after wrapping them (Source: A Mrazek Moving Company)
- A moving day pack and keeping valuable items
After being K.O-ed by a tiring day of moving the first thing that you wanna do is not to unpack, but to toh (rest) on your new mattress. Therefore, it is important that you have the essential items you need in hand. A day-to-day essentials backpack would definitely come in handy for that few days of unpacking.
Day-to-day essentials are depending on your needs, but here are some we recommend!
- Toiletries and personal care products
- Clean Mattress Sheets
- Phone Chargers
- Clean set of clothes
- Some disposable cutleries and light food (Bread, Sandwiches, Milo Packs)
- Cleaning supplies (Wet-tissues, Rags, Sponges)
- Toolkit (Penknife, scissors, screwdrivers)
Protip: Just slide a cling wrap over your toiletries to prevent any leakage in your bag (Source: Map Happy)
As for your valuable items, keep all your small valuables such as jewelleries and documents in a bag and bring it along with you at all times and not in the moving lorry. That might also give you a peace of mind that you need.
- Decluttering
Decluttering helps you to save space on the things that you might have unknowingly hoarded over the years. Well, this might now be the time to ask yourself this: “Does this really spark joy?” But apart from asking this question, here are some tips you can follow to declutter!
- Declutter by categories as you are packing each room. If you are completely lost on which categories to start, you can refer to decluttering checklists to give you some sense of direction.
- When packing, divide your things into 3 categories: Keep, Sell/Donate, Trash. Found yourself with items you no longer find useful? You can consider places such as The Salvation Army and H&M for donating or Cash Converters (home appliances) and Refash (clothes) to convert your old items into cash.
- If you are still pondering over what to keep, you can ask yourself some additional questions: “This one still can use or not?” “When was the last time I used this ah?” “Will it work in my new home?”
As you pack, sort your items into boxes for different purposes (Source: Thrive Global)
Now that you’ve mastered the art of packing, you have crossed the first hurdle of moving. Hopefully, all these tips will make your moving journey steady. Already exhausted from packing the never-ending stacks of cardboard boxes? Outside’s trusty community taskers are ready to help you move your boxes to your new home or even help you get those packing essentials you might need. Post a moving task on the Outside app and deploy our reliable taskers to move those boxes that spark joy into your dream home.
Outside is a community-tasking app that connects users to help each other out for their daily inconveniences. Since its launch in 2017, the app has gained recognition for its work through media features and competitions, where it has won multiple awards. Currently, the app boasts over 10,000 users and is officially supported by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)’s #SGUnited and Majurity Trust’s #SGStrong.