Packing and moving your treasured memories may be the most stressful task during any relocation. While yes, it is hard to move big furniture without a scratch, family keepsakes can’t be as easily replaced as any other piece of furniture. During our lives, we accumulate a lot of items that remind us of family. That additionally complicates the situation. So to help you navigate the relocation Yonkers movers are here with our plentiful experience to help you organize family keepsakes for moving.
Sorting through family keepsakes before moving
The first step you need to take to organize family keepsakes for moving is to get everything out in the open. Of course, we mean every single thing. Lay it out on the bed or the floor to get a clear picture of everything you need to organize. At this stage, you can start sorting your things through. It doesn’t matter which system you use, they are all equal. The main thing you need to know when deciding on a system for how to categorize things is to know what will be useful to you. That can mean sorting by year, by event, or by the type of item such as jewelry, photos, small decorations, etc.
After that stage, you should take the time to really clean the items. Family keepsakes tend to gather a lot of dust since many people keep them in some places like the attic. Because of that, they can get dirty. When cleaning those items you should be careful not to ruin them. Family keepsakes are usually older items which makes them more fragile and in need of special care. Dusting everything should do the trick for most items. For those that are not as fragile and dirtier as the others, some warm water and soap can take care of it. It’s important to clean everything before you put them in any storage bin Westchester you bought for the move.
Doing a little decluttering
While it’s hard to let go of fond memories, especially family keepsakes, over time they can accumulate. Doing a little decluttering will help you organize family keepsakes for moving. The only tip you will need at this stage is to focus on what you want to keep rather than focusing on what you need to throw out. This will help you feel a little less pressure along the way. Of course, you should be in the right mindset for this to be able to succeed in this stage. You don’t want to start decluttering when you’re nervous or in a hurry. That could only derail the whole attempt to lose some baggage.
To help you declutter without feeling guilty you should consider some important things such as:
- Will this family keepsake survive the move? If the item is too fragile to be moved, you shouldn’t move it.
- Do I remember where I got this item? If the answer is no, maybe you should reconsider if it should still have a place in your home
- Are there any more items I can remember this by? If there are, consider keeping some of them to avoid any redundancies
Digitalize anything you can
Since most movers Westchester county NY charge by the weight of transported items, getting rid of some items you no longer need is the best idea to save a couple of bucks during moving. After you’ve separated everything you want to keep, if you still feel uneasy about throwing away items, you should consider digitizing some of them. There are many websites that can help you preserve memories. If you don’t like storing things online, you can digitize your whole collection on a computer also.
How to do it? Simply take photos of everything and attach them to a thumb drive or computer. They don’t have to be the best quality photos. The most important thing when digitizing everything is to name all the photos. Consider also having some digitized story attached to the photo it or any sort of text that tells the story of family keepsakes so it’s ready for moving. Having things in a dusty attic is simply not as good as having those memories stored safely in a computer. You can do this also for the items you plan on keeping. Having a written story of the item will help preserve your memory of it. And by digitizing old photos you will be sure they last a lot longer and avoid losing them in an accident.
How to pack family keepsakes for moving
The last step once you’ve done all the previously mentioned ones is finally to pack everything. While there are available packing service Westchester, for this part, doing it yourself can be helpful when unpacking. Use clear boxes to keep everything organized and clearly visible. To make sure your belongings don’t move around the box use packing paper. This will help keep your things in place without any breakage or damage. When wrapping family keepsakes for moving in packing paper you should wrap each item separately.
The packing part is where the previous steps in organizing and decluttering really help. If you organized everything beforehand it will be easier to pack it. Not only that, but packing in clear boxes means you have less unpacking to do once you move in. You can keep your family heirlooms and memories in the boxes once you move since everything is organized.
Final takeaways
Yes, leaving your old life and saying goodbye to things is hard. Especially if fond memories tie you to a specific place or item. Having some sentimental items in your home is a great thing. Hopefully, this article helped you organize family keepsakes for moving, without it being too emotional and hard. Following these simple steps will certainly make it a whole lot easier.
