Monday Night
Pack the bathroom, leaving only the toilet paper and your personal care items. Place a clear plastic tote with lid in the bathroom. The last night, you will place your personal care items and the toilet paper in the tote. It will go in the car with you.
Next, pack up the basement & attic. If it's an extensive job, you might need a little help, but getting it done is imperative. If the basement and attic aren't so bad, then get them completed and consolidate the packed boxes to the garage. If you can’t use the garage as your central box location, then place them in one of the bedrooms you don't use every day. Clearly mark the boxes or clear plastic totes, so you'll know where to put them when you unload at your new place.
Tuesday Night
Pack the closets. Place in one or two boxes things you won't use again or don't like. Put those to the side, because you'll be dropping them off at a charity store the next day. Clearly mark the rest of the boxes or clear plastic totes, so you'll know where to put them in the new place.
Pack up the living room or one of the bedrooms or wherever you have your personal office. If you won't be using it, break down the computer and its components or your laptop and tablet. Pack away any other office equipment such as your printer. Pack any books. If you won't be reading a few of the books again, then pack them in the charity boxes. Clearly label the boxes or clear plastic totes for proper placement in the new house.
Wednesday Night
Pack up the bedrooms. Pack bed and bath (if you have one adjoining the bedrooms) items in clearly marked boxes or clear plastic totes. Remember to take down the curtains or whatever kind of window treatments you have. You might want to launder everything washable on the nights you pack the corresponding room. Your things will be fresh for the new house. If you bought new things for the new house, then pack the old things in the charity boxes.
Thursday Night
Pack up the kitchen. You can eat sandwiches off paper towels or take out for the next couple days. Wash everything and pack it away. You might use your blankets and towels to place in between dishes. Put small vases and decorative bottles in socks. Wrap any paintings or decorative items such as bowls and figurines in thick winter jackets…. or you can use bubble wrap. Remember to wash any kitchen linens like towels and cafe curtains before packing them in clearly marked boxes or clear plastic totes for the new place.
Friday Night
Last night in the old house! Go through each room and its closets. If anything was left behind, pack it up. If all contents of the room have been moved to the garage or central box repository location, close the room’s door, so the movers will know not to bother, which will save time. They will appreciate you for it. Last minute things such as personal care items, breakfast foods and clothing for the next day should be put aside in a clear plastic tote.
Pack up your clothes, laundering the dirty clothes. Triple check to make sure all boxes and clear plastic totes are the garage or the central box repository location to make it easy on everyone who is helping to load the truck. Go through the garage, packing away what will be going with you. Place in boxes things such as half-full paint cans, paint thinner, gasoline for the lawn mower and any other flammable things. Those will go with you in the car, since the trash won't pick them up, nor will movers move them.
Pack up the garden tools, lawn mowers, deck furniture and any gardening things like bags of soil and pots. Make sure to leave nothing behind, then go to bed and get a good night’s sleep before moving day.
When you work long hours, it's difficult to find time to pack your belongings. Following this nightly guide will help get you packed up and ready for moving day. We hope it helps!
