How to Pack to Move Apartments

Switching apartments in college is not  necessary, but sometimes inevitable for some students who decide they want to move to a different apartment due to roommates, desire to be in a new neighborhood, or rent. The process of moving apartments is tedious and requires a bit of organization. Though it’s likely you will need help, having others help you out simplifies the process of moving out and cuts off the time needed. As someone who lived in three different apartments in college, the process of packing and moving was different each time, but there were some common methods to do so. Here are tips on how to pack up your stuff to move apartments:

Start the Process Early

If you know you are graduating or switching apartments in the fall, it’s best to start preparing early. This can mean taking some stuff home early, or having parents take them, as it starts to clear up space in your apartment. As for the rest of your stuff, slowly begin to organize some of it into bags or boxes during Finals week when you have time. By the time you move out, presumably the weekend after finals, you don’t have much left to pack, only essentials you needed.

Pack by Room

This leads to the next suggestion-pack all your belongings by room. By packing stuff from the kitchen and bathroom in separate boxes, this leads to less panic or confusion about items while moving into a new apartment. The best way is to pack materials from the bathroom in separate boxes/bags, then the same for the kitchen, common area, and bedroom.

Stay Organized

Packing by room leads to an organized system of items. But it’s also more important to stay organized in the moving out process, as stashing items into a storage unit or your basement leads to more searching and questions rather than an easy process of moving back into a new place. Labeling boxes or keeping a checklist of which items are in which bags/boxes can lead to less headaches when trying to move back in. Put fragile items such as glassware in separate boxes, so it leads to less damage. The same goes for a TV or picture frames.

One important thing is that when boxes for individual areas in the apartment are packed, make sure to place them in separate areas as well. For example, the packed boxes from the kitchen and bathroom can be placed in their respective areas and then be taken to the car to keep organized in there as well. By placing the packed boxes in an organized fashion in their respective areas, this creates more space for you to pack other items, as well as create room for multiple people to aid in the process. This way, nobody is tripping over boxes or stuck with nowhere to move.

Keep Certain Items for the Process

The packing process requires a lot of work, yet it cannot be done without the assistance of several items. Keep scissors handy in case of cutting. Another item to keep is duct tape to seal shut your boxes. Make sure to use markers that are not easily erasable to write in big letters across the boxes. One suggestion is to keep a paper checklist to monitor which items/rooms have been packed, and it’s more efficient than a phone in this scenario. In addition, tools such as a screwdriver may come in handy when trying to remove a TV or something from the wall.

Moving out is certainly a long and sometimes frustrating process. It’s important to stay organized, because these are your items, and you want to make sure you have a smooth transition in the fall when moving into a new apartment. Remember, there are others who can help, and moving out should not be a solo mission. The only thing that matters is that your stuff is packed, labeled, and transferred to a new  living environment in one piece.