Packing Checklist for a Summer Move

Temperatures rising, pools opening, and your lease ending. The signs are all in place and now is the time for peak moving season at All My Sons Moving & Storage. 

If you’re moving during high-summer, you’re in good company. All My Sons Moving & Storage performs over 80,000 local moves all over the nation during the summer months of May through August every year.

In summer, the kids are out of school, the weather forecast sees sunshine, and professional movers like All My Sons see the highest demand for residential moving services. 

Since we’ve been moving individuals, businesses, and families across the neighborhood and across the nation for over 30 years, we’ve learned an organized move helps beat back the summer-moving stress. If you’re gearing up for a summer move, here’s how to pack your belongings so you’re ready for the transition.

Right after you purchase your moving supplies, the first things you should pack are items that are safe to sit in a box for an extended period of time. Depending on the scope of your move and the time it will take to unpack once you’ve safely settled at your destination, these items could be inaccessible for a week or more. One of the most common mistakes that people make during their move is packing items they need to have on hand too soon. 

Don’t pack anything that makes your daily, functional living easier just yet, start with these non-essential items. Here’s what to pack first for your summer move.

• Winter Clothes: Jackets, boots, scarves, and other off-season clothing can safely stay in a box until the temperature drops, probably sometime in September. 

• Holiday Decorations: These items might already be in a box, awaiting the next holiday season. Ensure your boxes are in perfect moving condition, and set them aside to go in the back of your moving truck. 

• Collectibles and Keepsakes: Any knick-knacks you put on shelves or keep in the back closets. 

• Extra Blankets, Towels, and Sheets: Go through your linen closet and collect the items you keep on hand as extras. 

• Books: If you’re a bibliophile, you might have an extensive collections of beloved books on hand to re-read and display. Set aside any books you’re currently reading, and pack the library shelves into boxes.

• Physical Media Collections: Disc media like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays and vinyl records also might sit on your bookshelves in the living space. Keep any summer tunes you want to jam to while packing and put the rest in your moving boxes. 

• Photo Albums: Unless you admire your scrapbooks and photo albums daily, you can probably keep them in a box for your move. 

• Décor and Artwork: Items you keep on display brighten your home and make a space feel truly yours, but chances are your life won’t feel too disrupted if you strip the walls bare. Don’t feel too heartbroken over all the empty space, these items can come back out just as soon as you’re settled in your next home.

Once the back closets and the shelf spaces have emptied, you will be left with items that serve an important daily function. These items will go into essentials boxes. They should be packed and loaded onto your moving truck LAST to be unloaded and unpacked when you reach your destination FIRST.

When you unpack the essentials first thing at your new home, you ensure your summer move starts off on a high note. No rummaging around in a maze of boxes looking for items that you need, and no rushing to the store for necessities when you’re already tired from moving.

Pack these items last during your summer move.

• Bed Sheets and Pillow: Grab one set of sheets and pillows for every member of your household. 

• Kitchen Utensils, Dishes, and Glassware: All the kitchen essentials for a functional first dinner. 

• Napkins or Paper Towels: Pack with the kitchen essentials. 

• Toilet Paper: Stock the new bathroom immediately upon arrival. 

• Soap: Continue washing hands up until the moment of your move, then pack bar soap or liquid hand soap with your bathroom essentials. If you have open pump-bottles then pack them into sealable plastic bags to avoid spills. 

• Bathroom Towels: Put at least one bath towel and one set of hand towels with the bathroom essentials. 

• Shower Curtain: Your new home likely does not come with one of these installed, so be sure to dry yours off, fold it up, and put it with the bath towels. 

• Summer Clothing: Set aside one or two weather-appropriate outfits for moving day and pack the rest of your shorts, flip flops, tank tops, and swimsuits with the clothing you will need for the rest of the season.

• Cleaning Supplies: Put your vacuum, mop, and multi-surface cleaner in an accessible box for the move so you can spruce up your space right before you leave. You may need to move some of these in your own vehicle.

There are some items you should not put in a box, no matter how accessible. All My Sons recommends that you pack a bag you will carry during the move. 

This bag will contain all the items you need directly on hand during a summer move. 

• Medications: Always carry medicines on your person so that you can reach them in case of an emergency. 

• Summer Moving Outfit and Extra Clothes: Grab the breathable, weather-appropriate clothes you set aside earlier. Pack an extra set of clothes for every day you will be in transition during your summer move. 

• Toiletries: If you are moving long-distance and staying somewhere overnight, you will need your toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, hairbrush, and maybe some soap in your bag. 

• Phone Charger: Keep your phone alive in case of summer moving emergencies. Pack a car charger or power bank if you have them. 

• Book or Tablet: If you have hired professional movers, you might have some downtime during your move. Keep some extra entertainment on hand.

• First Aid Kit: Moving injuries can happen to anyone. Pack a first-aid kit for treatment of minor injuries like cuts and scrapes. 

• Sunscreen: One of the reasons summer is peak moving season is the constant sunshine. Keep exposed skin protected from sunburns by carrying sunscreen in your bag and re-applying every two hours. 

• Hat and Sunglasses: Your eyes need protection from the sun’s rays too. Wear a hat that shades your eyes and sunglasses. 

• Water Bottles and Snacks: Heat exhaustion is a real danger to movers during summer. Keep hydrated, and have a few snacks in case of hunger. 

• Important Documents: Keep rental contracts in a folder and make sure your government IDs are with you as well. 

• Boxcutter: You’ll pull this out at your new home when you’re ready to start opening boxes. 

All My Sons Moving & Storage can handle all your moving needs during summer, including the packing, loading, and transport. We understand that every move is different, and we’re ready to provide customized support to help get you safely to your destination.

All My Sons Moving & Storage remains committed to the traditional values we were founded on, and we aim to treat every box of precious memories you own as if it belonged to a beloved member of our own family. Make your summer move an easy experience and trust All My Sons to handle the details.