If you’re a proud owner of a large footwear collection, you should try to learn how to pack shoes for moving before the actual relocation. Although the process is relatively simple, most people still make very common mistakes when securing them for transportation. Thankfully, the following seven tips will help you prepare the footwear with ease.
Learning How to Pack Shoes for Moving Is a Lot Easier With These Tips
Do you have an extensive shoe collection? According to a public survey, an average woman in the US has 27 pairs of shoes. Men are also not far behind, owning a dozen pieces ranging from running sneakers to slippers and boots. While packing shoes for moving is relatively easy, many still don’t know how to correctly take care of their footwear. The good news is that the following seven tips should help you learn how to move them before your next relocation. If you’re still unsure what to do after reading this blog, contact Professional Sacramento Movers, and we will take care of everything.
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Free Quote#1 Get Rid of Any Pair You Don’t Need
If you find that your collection could easily fill an entire closet, it might be better to get rid of all the footwear you don’t actually need before relocating. Besides not having to spend a ton of time boxing everything up, you will also save a lot of storage space in the new home. More importantly, your total relocation expenses will be lower, particularly when getting professional Sacramento moving services. If you’re not sure what to keep and what to give away, it’s best not to carry over anything you haven’t worn at least once the previous year.
How to Deal With All the Footwear You’re Not Planning to Keep?
Although decluttering will allow you to move efficiently, you still have to decide what to do with the footwear you’re not using. Considering all the relocation stress, you’ll be going through in the last few weeks before the move, try to deal with all the unwanted belongings about a month or two in advance. Since you can’t just leave them at the old place, you will have to:
- Sell them – Do you have a ton of sneakers you barely wear or boots that were only bought because of the discount? Instead of wasting time on boxing them up, try to sell them online. If they are in good condition, you might even earn enough to hire some better professional movers in Sacramento, CA.
- Donate them – If you couldn’t sell some of the footwear, why not try donating it instead? While more than a few charity organizations would accept your donation, remember that the goods would need to be in good shape. If you’re unsure where to go, visit the WEAVEWorks Recycled Fashion, The Salvation Army, or the local Goodwill.
- Store them – Although most people rent a storage unit for furniture and large items that can’t fit in the new home, it can also be used for keeping all the footwear you didn’t manage to sell or donate.
- Toss them out – Try not to find excuses to keep things that are clearly no longer usable. If the footwear is damaged beyond repair or worn out, simply throw it out.
If you’re still unsure how decluttering works, the tips in the video below should help you decide what to keep and what to give away.
#2 Sort Your Shoe Collection
Once you know what you’ll be carrying over to the new home, sort the footwear collection into several categories. Considering different types of shoes have different packaging and storage needs, separating your running sneakers from leather boots or heels will allow you to prepare each pair you own appropriately. To avoid skipping anything by accident, create a packing list with all the appropriate categories and list all the footwear.
#3 Clean the Footwear Before You Box it Up
Anyone can tell that packing plates and large pots and pots that are dirty is not a good idea, and the same can be said for your footwear. If you’re already organizing a move-out cleaning session, take some time to clean all the pairs you plan to move before boxing them up. Unless you’re cleaning everything regularly, there’s a good chance your footwear will at least have some dirt on the soles, particularly if it was worn recently. Fortunately, you’ll often only need an old toothbrush and warm water to remove most of it.
For more persistent stains, try using soap, laundry detergent, or other mild cleaning agents. Alcohol-free wet wipes are also a great choice, as they can easily clean the rest of the shoe without damaging it. Once the footwear has been cleaned, don’t start wrapping until you’ve made sure it’s completely dry. This is especially important If you’re placing anything in storage, as mold can quickly form on almost any surface that is wet.
How to Remove Unpleasant Odors and Keep the Packed Footwear Fresh?
Besides removing all the stains and dirt, you also want to neutralize any unpleasant odors from the footwear before boxing it up. Although washing it usually helps, only the sneakers can survive the washer without getting damaged. If you have a ton of delicate pieces, create a baking soda and citrus peels mix and spray it inside the footwear. This will not only remove the odors but also keep everything dry for longer periods. Additionally, placing a dry tea bag in each shoe will give them a fresh new smell.
What’s the Best Way to Pack Shoes for Moving When You Can’t Find the Time to Clean Them?
While everything we just mentioned might seem simple, those who have to move in a hurry will likely have too many tasks on the to-do list to worry about cleaning. If there’s not enough time to clean before the relocation, wrapping the dirty footwear in plastic will protect the rest of your collection from getting contaminated. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to clean and rewash some of it after the move.
#4 Use Original Packing Materials if Possible
Should shoes be stored in their boxes? The answer is a firm and resounding yes. The original packaging offers all the protection your footwear needs to stay in good shape even when placed in storage. Besides coming with just enough wrapping and padding materials, each shoebox fits the pair it came with perfectly, saving you a ton of space.
If you’re missing the original packaging, there’s no need to worry. You can easily find all the necessary supplies at any better hardware store or buy them from one of the local Sacramento moving companies. Most often, all you have to get are smaller boxes and some paper. However, it won’t hurt if you also get a few dust bags and some plastic and bubble wrap, especially for the more delicate footwear.
Where to Find Boxes and Other Packing Materials for Free?
If you still have a ton of footwear left even after decluttering, buying all the necessary supplies might be too much for your overall budget. Considering you’ll also have to purchase everything needed for boxing up electronics and other fragile items, why not try finding some supplies for free? For starters, try asking your friends and family if they have any leftover materials you could borrow. However, it might be better to visit some local shops and see if they have any supplies they could give away.
The Sacramento Regional Solid Waste Authority (SWA) mandates that all retailers must separate their waste into several categories, including recyclables like boxes and paper. If you speak to the store managers, they might be able to give you most of the materials you need for free. However, if you want to protect the footwear, only accept clean packing paper. Using dirty materials will only do more harm than good, as they can leave stains that are very hard to remove. Last but not least, check if there’s anything on Freecycle or post on social media describing all the supplies you need in detail.
Can I Use Common Household Items to Secure My Footwear?
Do you know how to pack shoes for a move without the common packaging materials? In fact, you can secure most of your footwear with several everyday household items. For starters, old clothes, towels, and linens are commonly used for securing dishes, making them perfect wrapping materials. Once again, make sure that anything that comes into contact with the footwear is clean.
This means you shouldn’t use newsprint for wrapping, as it can easily leave stains on the more delicate materials. If you’re out of cardboard boxes, it’s ok to place the footwear in large plastic containers, a hamper, or simply leave it in the dresser drawers. Just secure them with tape, so they don’t accidentally get misplaced during transport.
#5 Stuff Each Shoe With Some Socks
If you ask a few professional moving companies in Sacramento how to secure footwear properly, they will all tell you to stuff each shoe before you start wrapping it. This is the only thing that will keep its original shape intact, particularly if it’s packed with a bunch of other items in the same box. Just like when securing glasses, feel free to stuff them with socks, crumpled paper sheets, or anything else you prefer to use for padding.
#6 Nicer Footwear Should Always Be Packed Separately
While you will sometimes have to throw a bunch of footwear inside a single container, your nicest pairs should always be packed in a separate box. These include everything made of leather and other delicate materials to pieces you can’t replace, like expensive limited-edition sneakers. Heels will also need extra care, so try wrapping them in better material like bubble wrap or even a dust bag.
#7 Set Aside a Few Essential Pairs
Before you start wrapping all the footwear, make sure you’ve set aside a few essential pairs right away. Considering you’ll have a ton of things to do after relocating, looking for displaced footwear is only going to be a nuisance. If you want to avoid unpacking everything on the first day, it’s best to separate some comfortable sneakers, slippers, or any other pieces you are going to need right after you move in. Simply placing them in see-through containers with the rest of the household essentials will allow you to find exactly the pair you need almost immediately.
If You’re Still Having Trouble With Your Footwear, Our Moving Company in Sacramento Is Here to Help
As you can see, securing footwear doesn’t take a lot of effort. All you require are a few standard supplies, and everything will be ready for transport pretty quickly. However, this is one of the easier things to do before the move, meaning you’ll have a ton of work cut out for you in the weeks ahead. From changing the address to learning how to organize important documents, you simply won’t have the time to prepare the footwear correctly. With that in mind, your relocation could be a lot easier just by hiring our Sacramento local movers.
For starters, our company offers incredible moving services in Sacramento. Whether you’re having a commercial relocation or a residential move, our team will do everything they can to make the process easier for you. We also have excellent packing services, which will keep even your most delicate belongings safe. If you’re looking to move to one of the Sacramento suburbs without any issues, we’re the company for you. Contact us today, and one of our local representatives will provide you with a free quote right away.