Did your spare room turn into a place to stash unused items, papers, and junk in general? If you’re ready to move, and your junk room is ready to overflow, take a look at what you need to know before you pack this less-than-organized space.
De-Clutter Your Junk Room
Do you need to move everything in your junk room? Chances are the answer to this question is no. Most of the items, objects, and papers are in this unused space for a reason — you don’t need or use them anymore.
As you start the packing process, begin with a junk room clear out. If you’re not sure what to throw or give away and what to move with you, consider:
Personal value. You may not have looked at your child’s kindergarten report card or first grade school pictures for years. But these and other similar items hold precious memories. While you don’t have to move every art project, save anything with personal value.
Usefulness in the future. Your skis won’t do much good in the summer. But you’ll use them again next winter. Out of season items and anything you’ll realistically use again should go with you to your new home.
Other family members. Did your spouse store their beloved record collection in what you consider the junk room? Make sure everyone in the family agrees with your decision to throw away or give away the item.
Now that you’ve decided what to move and what not to it’s time to move on to the next step — packing.
Pack Everything You Plan to Move
After you decide what items should go into the trash, which ones are in good enough shape to donate, and which pristine picks you can make extra money from and sell, you can pack what’s left over. The specific packing strategy you choose depends on the items you need to move. If you’re not sure where to start:
Use clear plastic bins. These sturdy containers allow you to see what’s inside. When you get to your new home, these bins make the unpacking process easier.
Reuse original packaging. Electronics, small appliances, and other devices (such as the mountain of old printers you’ll take) should go into the original packaging when possible. This allows you to reuse old boxes and provides the safest way to transport delicate items.
Use garbage bags. If your junk room is filled with clothes, linens, soft toys, or similar items, save money on packing supplies and use garbage bags.
Choose file folders or document boxes. Important documents, old childhood artwork, report cards, or other papers should go in their own special boxes — especially if they include sensitive information (such as bills or tax documents). Place these items into file folders and boxes.
Wrap over-sized or awkward items. Athletic equipment, furniture, and over-sized items won’t fit into boxes, bins, or bags. Wrap these to-move picks in quilts, tarps, or plastic sheeting.
What’s the next step your move requires? With everything from your junk room safely packed or wrapped, you need to organize the stash.
Organize the To-Move Junk Room Items
While you could label every box, bin, or bag with the words junk room and pack the haul into a moving truck, this strategy could present problems when you get to your new home. To ease the unpacking process:
Separate boxes or items into categories. If you don’t plan to start a new junk room, separate individual boxes and items into the new room they’ll belong to.
Label everything. Again, if the items will go into new rooms in your new house, label the boxes or bins with this title along with what’s in each container.
Create a junk room inventory. Include everything in this room in your whole home packing inventory. Add the items to the categories of the rooms they belong to in your new home.
Increase overall efficiency and move boxes, bins, bags, and other items into the rooms they belong with before the movers arrive. This helps the contractor to organize your move and streamline the process.
Do you need to hire professional moving help? Contact Fairfax Transfer & Storage for more information.
