There’s a good chance you’ve got a couple shampoo bottles that are on their last leg. Or perhaps some other items you no longer need or use. Plus, there may be some belongings that you can pack early to save time during the week of moving day. Keep reading to learn how to pack your bathroom for a move.
How to efficiently pack your bathroom for a move
Packing your bathroom comes down to three things: sorting, purging and organizing. Use this bathroom packing guide to simplify your packing process:
Step one: Sort Your Stuff
Get a realistic idea of what you have and how much of it you need to keep during your move. Sorting your belongings into the categories below will give you a better idea of what supplies you’ll need to pack.
Sort your stuff into the following categories:
- Appliances and accessories
- Cosmetics
- Feminine and paper products
- Hair products
- Toiletries
- Medicine
- Towels and linens
- Cleaning supplies and miscellaneous chemicals
Step two: Purge unnecessary items
Almost-empty shampoo bottles, grimy bars of soap, and half-rolls of toilet paper are probably unnecessary belongings to pack. By category, go through your belongings and purge the things that are no longer serving you.
Appliances and Accessories
Do you have five identical curling irons you’ve collected over the years? Take inventory of all your bathroom appliances and accessories. Test them out. Narrow them down. Pack what you use; throw or give away what you don’t.
Cosmetics
Go through your makeup and throw away anything old, dried out, broken or rarely used.
Paper and feminine products
These items are light, so they shouldn’t cost very much to ship. You shouldn’t have to throw any of these away as long as they haven’t come in contact with moisture.
Hair products and toiletries
Throw away any empty bottles or products you never use. While it may seem like a waste of money, if your moving company charges by weight, you will have to pay to ship products you’re never going to use.
If you have a large supply of unopened shampoo, conditioner, or any other liquid hair product or toiletry, ask yourself whether it would cost more to ship your items or buy new products when you get to your new home. If it would cost more to ship the product, consider donating your unopened product to a homeless shelter or a women’s shelter.
Medicine
Moving is the perfect time to clear out your cluttered medicine cabinet. Safely dispose of your medication under the following circumstances:
- It’s expired.
- The label is illegible or not present.
- It’s ineffective.
- The physical appearance or smell changed.
- You no longer need it as you’ve completed the treatment.
Don’t throw away or flush your medication. Flushed medication can introduce harmful chemicals into the environment, and people can access pills you throw away. Take your unused medicine to a local household hazardous waste facility.
Towels and linens
If your towels, rags, shower curtain or any other bathroom linen have holes, rips, tears or considerable wear, throw them away. You can also use old towels and rags to clean your home before you move out.
Cleaning supplies and other chemicals
Go through your cleaning supplies and get rid of any you can’t definitively identify. Some chemicals, when mixed, can emit toxic gasses. Additionally, you can’t use all chemicals on all surfaces.
If you have any old paint, use it to touch up your walls if necessary, then dispose of it.
Keep in mind that your moving company cannot take paint, varnishes, ammonia, bleach or other household cleaners in the moving truck, so dispose of all chemicals, cleaners, and paints with your unused medicine at a local household hazardous waste facility. Check our list of what not to pack if you’re wondering about other items.
Step Three: Pack
Before you pack up your bathrooms, make sure everyone in your household packs an essential bathroom bag. Essential bathroom bags should include:
- Toothbrush
- Hair products that are used daily
- Deodorant
- Makeup
- Shampoo
- Anything else that is used on a daily basis
How to pack your toiletries:
- Wrap all opened bottles containing liquid in plastic wrap or put them in plastic bags.
- Line the boxes containing appliances and accessories, hair products, and toiletries with towels.
- Wrap fragile items in towels to protect them during the move. Label the boxes as fragile.
- Pack unused towels on the top of otherwise heavy boxes. They’ll take up space without adding extra weight.
- Label all boxes clearly.
If you need help with packing or moving, get in touch with Bekins Van Lines! We look forward to making your moving experience easy and hassle-free.
