For a short move, there may be no need to pack everything into boxes for transport. The following are a few tips to minimize the effort and costs of packing, loading, and unloading your items when you are only moving a few blocks or across town.
Tip #1: Use drawers as boxes
There is no need to empty out all of your drawers if you are only moving a short distance. Your clothing isn't likely to get dirty or lost for a jaunt of less than a day. Save time and the need for packing boxes by simply removing your drawers from the dressers while leaving them filled with clothing items. Then slide each drawer into a plastic garbage bag to protect the clothing and the furniture. You can then place drawers back in the dresser once everything is loaded in the moving truck or stack the drawers like boxes and place small, loose items in the drawer spaces of the dresser. The drawer openings in the dresser work especially well for loading lightweight items, like pillows, that would take up a lot of room in a box.
Tip #2: Leave clothing on hangers
It can be time consuming to remove everything from hangers, pack them, and then hang them back up at your new home. Instead, group your clothing into bundles of 10 to 15 items on the clothes rod. Slip a large-size garbage bag over each bundle by placing the bottom of the hanging clothes in the bag and then pulling the bag up to the neck of the hangers. Tape the bag securely around the bundle of hangers, just below the hooks. You can now lift off each packaged bundle of clothes, including hangers, to place in the moving truck or into a large size box. Once you arrive at your new place, hang the bundles in the closet and remove the garbage bags and tape.
Tip #3: Substitute blankets
For a long move where your furniture is going to be shifting a bit as it travels many miles in the truck, it makes sense to invest in renting moving blankets. For a move of a couple of miles, however, you can save yourself the expense by using your own blankets and sheets to protect furniture tops and corners from damage. Although you won't want to use your family heirloom quilt or expensive down comforter, daily use blankets can be pulled into service as temporary furniture blankets.
For more help, contact a moving company in your area.