Many of us have more clothes and accessories in our closet than what the average person had in his lifetime a century ago. For this reason, packing has become more of a science and an art than a mindless activity as it was in the past. Here are the best clothes packing tips you should know before moving to a new home.
1. Prepare yourself Mentally
Packing is never easy. It may be burdensome but there are certain things that can sweeten the whole process. First of all, decide what you will take with you and what not. If there are items that you haven’t used for years why pack them and take them with you? Consider the possibility of donating or simply trashing out those clothes that you haven’t worn in a long time. Also, have in mind that this is something you will not be doing on a daily basis and it will soon be over. Plus, you can also use this activity to be mindful of what you are doing – to live in the present.
2. How to Pack – Rolling your Clothes
There are three ways to pack items in your luggage. These are rolling it, folding it, or bundling it. Using anyone of them will depend on factors such as the type of clothes you are packing as well as the luggage they will be packed in. For luggage with no structure and garments that don’t have a predisposition to end up all wrinkled such as T-shirts, jeans, etc., you should roll them.
Rolling Instructions:
– When rolling pants, fold them in half first. Then, roll them from their cuffs to their waistband gripping it very tightly.- When rolling dresses or skirts, fold each sleeve backward. Once done this, fold the entire dress/skirt in half. Finally, roll from bottom up.- As a general rule of thumb, fold the garment in half and then roll from bottom up.
3. How to Pack – Folding your Clothes
You should fold items when packing when the bag has structure and the clothes can get easily wrinkled.
Folding Instruction:
– When folding a shirt, lay it down first. Then take the right sleeve and fold it parallel the body of the shirt. Do the same thing with the left sleeve. Finally, fold the shirt in a way that its hem touch the shoulders’ part of the shirt.- When folding pants, fold along the side seams. This way, the legs will be one on top of the other. Fold it so that the hem touches the waistband. Fold again.
4. How to Pack – Bundling your Clothes
Bundling should be used for structured suitcases and when you have many garments to pack. It’s also perfect if you don’t want any wrinkled clothing after unpacking.
Bundling Instructions:
First of all, you will need an item such as a packing cube which will be used to bundle your clothes around it. Then start bundling your clothes one over the other. On the outermost layers put those clothes that wrinkle easily. On the innermost layers put those which don’t have a tendency to wrinkle. When all clothes are on top of another put the packing cube in the middle and start bundling them until you have a cube of clothes.
5. Final Packing Tips
If you have decided to use the bundle technique, then packing is as easy as putting the bundle inside the bag. If you want to use the other two methods, have this in mind:
– Put the shoes and bulky accessories on the wheel part of the bag.- Put the rolled clothing in the bottom- Add the folded clothing on top of the rolled one.- Put other thick garments on top of those two.- Finally put those items that can easily crack on top of all the clothing.
