Next to the kitchen, the bedroom is one of the most difficult and time-consuming rooms you will have to pack and move when relocating.
With all the different items of varying sizes you will have to organise and pack, you will need a lot of supplies and patience, and put in a lot of effort to correctly and safely move all the items in your bedroom into your new home.
If you will be moving from Adelaide to Perth soon, here are some tips for preparing and packing the different items you have in your bedroom:
1. Clothes
Since you don’t wear all your clothes every day, start packing your clothes first. Choose the ones that you don’t wear often; launder them, and make sure they are dry before packing them in cartons.
Choose medium-sized boxes for your clothes. Fold them nicely so that you will be able to put more clothes in a box and save space.
In case you have plenty of formal clothes such as suits, dresses, and gowns, it would be best to get wardrobe boxes for them. With these types of cartons at your disposal, your formal outfits will stay unwrinkled during the transportation.
Avoid packing clothes which you tend to wear every day such as your work uniform. You can leave them off until one or two days before moving day.
2. Dressers and desks
Remove all heavy and breakable items you have inside the drawers of your dressers and desks. Next, clean the drawers.
If the drawers can be locked, you can then put a few light items inside them such as socks, pajamas, stuffed toys and linen.
With the dressers and desks working as additional containers, you won’t have to buy additional cartons. The day before moving day, cover the dressers with stretch wrap to secure them.
3. Appliances
To ensure your big screen TV, sound system, and other electronic items you have in your bedroom survive the move, wrap each item carefully with bubble wrap.
Pack them in the boxes they came in with if you have kept them. If not, choose a box that is not too big for each appliance so that it won’t be able to move around too much while in transit. Make sure it is covered with enough padding so that the appliance won’t get damaged while it is being transported as well.
4. Desk lamps
When packing a desk lamp, remove the light bulb and shade first, if the lamp has one. Next, wrap the cord around the lamp’s base. Tuck the plug into the wrapped cord to secure it.
To protect the lamp, wrap it in bubble wrap completely and secure it with packing tape.
You can place the lamp in tall, individual cartons which you can buy from shops that sell moving supplies, or from your removalist. You can also pack two or more lamps in one medium-sized box. However, make sure you add enough padding so that they won’t have space to shift around during the move.
For the shades, stack them inside each other, from smallest to biggest. Place a piece of tissue paper or unprinted paper between each shade for additional protection. Next, place the stacked shades in a carton, bottoms down and seal it up properly.
Wrap the light bulb with bubble wrap and place it in a small box. You can then place the boxed light bulb inside the cartons containing the lamps if there is space.
Don’t forget to label these boxes as “fragile” so that they will be handled with care, and they won’t be placed under heavier cartons in the moving truck.
5. Bedroom furniture
Check if your bed, wardrobe, and other furniture can be dismantled. If yes, get help with disassembling them if you can’t do this methodically.
This is because you have to remember or take note of how you dismantle the bed frame and other fixtures. By doing so, you will have an easier time putting them back together when you arrive in your new home.
Make sure you save all the nuts and bolts while disassembling and mark them in advance.
To protect all your furniture pieces, cover them with bubble wrap or unused blankets. Use a packing blanket or a mattress cover for your mattress so that it won’t get damaged or dirty during the move.
6. Pictures, paintings, and another wall décor
When packing picture frames, make sure they are securely covered with bubble wrap. Place them in a box with additional padding such as bubble wrap, towels, or bedding. Don’t forget to label the box “fragile” as well.
If you have large paintings and other larger pieces of artwork, you would do well to buy picture boxes. These specially designed cartons are great for moving around your wall decorations without risking damage.
As a bonus tip, make sure you create an inventory of all the items from your bedroom that you want to bring with you when you move. Give away, sell, or bin items that you don’t want to take with you so that you will have fewer things to pack.
AUTHOR BIO
Craig Jones is the Managing Director at Aussiemove, Australia’s largest independent moving alliance. Craig is a respected member of the removalist network in Australia, having served in senior positions, including the President of the removal industries governing body, the Australian Furniture Removals Association (AFRA). With 23 years of experience at Aussiemove, he has the skills and the highly trained team to move families safely and reliably, in Adelaide, across Australia and around the world.