When you're packing for your move, it won't take long for you to realize how much stuff you have accumulated over the years - and now you have to pack and move from one place to another.
It can get pretty overwhelming.
Before long you'll be looking for any shortcut to save you some time and reduce the size of your moving load.
Thankfully, there's a solution to your problem called vacuum packing.
Vacuum packing some of your items can?save space when it comes time to pack, making moving a lot easier.
Read on to find out which belongings you can vacuum pack and how to do it.
Best Items to Vacuum Pack Before You Move
It should be established right from the start that you can't vacuum pack everything.
Vacuum packing is putting items into an airtight plastic bag and removing all of the air, reducing the amount of space the items take up.
Some items are filled with layers of air in between them and vacuum sealing them will remove that air.
Other items are more solid and won't benefit from being vacuum packed.
Here are the items you can vacuum pack:
- Clothing is the most commonly vacuum-packed item when moving.
When packed in regular moving boxes or even luggage, each piece of clothing is filled with layers of air in between.
This makes it difficult to fit many articles of clothing neatly in one box without wrinkling or damaging them.
Filling up box after box of just clothing will take up a lot of space on the moving truck, not to mention how exhausting it is to carry heavy boxes of clothes back and forth.
By vacuum packing your clothing, you can reduce what would normally be five or six boxes into one vacuum sealed bag.
This will make it much easier to transport your clothing and load it onto the moving truck or the trunk of your car.
- Bed sheets and comforters are big, space-consuming, bulky items that have to be crammed and folded several times just to fit in a box.
When you vacuum seal these items, you can condense a thick, fluffy comforter down to the thickness of a paperback book, making it much easier to pack and load.
- Pillows and other bedding will go from very thick to tightly squeezed.
The best part is, when you finally arrive at your new home and open the vacuum-sealed bags, your pillows will spring back to life and feel as good as new.
- Perishable food is the best use of vacuum packing during a move.
By vacuum packing your food, you can keep it fresh for longer, sometimes as long as two or three years depending on what it is.
You can stack your vacuum sealed bags together, either in a large moving box or a plastic container, saving you tons of space in the process.
How to Vacuum Pack for Your Move
To vacuum pack your clothes, you will require a set of vacuum sealer bags.
The vacuum sealer bags are available in packets containing bags of different sizes, starting with small bags designed for storing food goods, then larger bags that are specifically designed to store garments.
The primary purpose of vacuum packing garments is to compress them.
Prepare your items:
In the process of packing your clothes, you need to make them even in a pile.
It is important to compress the clothes as much as you can before you place them in the bag.
If your clothes were not packed in a tidy manner before you packed them, the bag may end up wrinkling them.
Always ensure you iron those clothes before you pack them.
Pack your items:
Lay the bag on its side and start putting your folded clothes, bedding, or linens into it as much as possible, staying below the fill line marked on the bag side.
Exceeding this line can lead to the closing mechanism failing.
Secure the bag:
Close the bag and push down hard on the top of the bag several times in order to completely seal the bag so that no air can enter.
Locate the vacuum port:
On the side of the bag, usually indicated by a black plastic cap, you can find the vacuum port.
Pop it open to release the valve.
Then, place the hose of your vacuum cleaner into the valve and turn it on.
Compress the bag:
Keep the vacuum running for up to two minutes while all of the air is removed from inside of the bag.
You will know when the bag is completely vacuum sealed when the bag stops shrinking.
At this point, turn off the vacuum and quickly remove it from the valve, pressing the cap back into place before any additional air enters the bag.
Conclusion
One of the easiest ways to reduce space consumed in packing and make the task simpler for you would be to vacuum pack your stuff.
This would help you compact your soft goods, such as clothes, bedding, even packaged foods, to reduce the number of packing boxes that you would need, as well as keep your belongings clean.
Looking for an even smoother moving experience?
Try movers.com for free moving quotes from the best moving companies near you.