I have been married to my handsome honey for 6 years now. How many times have we moved, you ask? Six. Let’s just say that I have learned a thing or two about moving efficiently. Especially this last time.
It all starts with IKEA. Dear sweet IKEA. Before we moved, we used to have an enclosed trailer parked out in the field that acted as our storage unit. It was nice to have a place to store our off-season stuff, but I dreaded getting things out of there. I {may or may not} have a little bit of irrational arachnophobia going on. Did you know that storage totes are NOT sealed against mice and spiders? Don’t ask me how I know this or I will get the chills.
Wouldn’t you agree that there are some items that are just plain hard to pack? Hangers, Shoes, Soft Goods, etc.? We have way too many clothes, blankets, pillows, towels, sheets, sleeping bags, socks, coats, fabric, on and on, to just put it all in boxes. My solution to drafty totes and hard to move items is the IKEA DIMPA bag. I love these things! They are thick, durable, sealed against pests and can hold a ton of weight. Also, the bags are semi-transparent, which means that I don’t have to pop the top to see what is in each one. Because of their shape, they stack and can stand on their own very well!
For my move, I got 30 of them. I had no idea if I would be able to use that many to pack up my house but I did. I used every single one. It was about the perfect number for our family of 4.
Here are the reasons why they were the perfect MOVING HACK for us:
- They are ultra lightweight so there is no extra weight when carrying. Unlike using cardboard boxes and totes. Believe me on the 30th trip back and forth to the truck, it makes a difference.
- They are ready to go! I didn’t have to build and collapse near as many moving boxes or mess with packing tape.
- They hold SO much stuff. Seriously, 1 bag is like 4 boxes combined.
- They have strong handles that don’t tear out. Â Also, the handles made it nice to carry.
- I could just throw them in the back of the truck and stack them high. No box stacking and worrying about them falling over.
- Had it rained on moving day, they are water-resistant so NO WORRIES! No soggy boxes.
- Once you are moved in, they are easy to sort through. I brought the bags with the essentials into the house, and left the rest in the garage so that I didn’t feel like I was living in a moving tornado wreckage for a month.
- I didn’t have to label any of them because they are clear. Boo Ya.
- I am reusing them for my seasonal, camping, maternity, baby clothes/everything else bags in my shed and loft.
- When I was packing, IÂ lined my hallways and still had enough room to move about as needed. Also, they were safer for my kids to walk by than stacks of heavy boxes.
These are what I did not use them for: I used cardboard boxes for these things.
- breakables
- electronics
- sharp objects
- books
- decor
- pictures
- delicates
Everything else, went in a bag.
If I move ever again, hopefully not anytime soon, I will be buying 30 more. No kidding. If you are wondering why I can’t just use the ones that I already got, it is because I have already found uses for them! They are so versatile. I have never been more pleased with the organization of my sheds.  I have a bag for everything. Each person has a winter gear bag, we have a communal snow boots bag, sleeping bags bag, tents and sleeping pads bag, life jackets bag, sporting goods bag, etc. And best of all no spiders. I also store my baby clothes in the loft because I plan on re-using them when I have more kids. P.S. If you are storing clothing in them, toss a dryer sheet in there and they will stay fresh as the morning.
A big Thank You goes to IKEA Draper for sponsoring my zany moving hack idea. It worked out more than perfectly.
Do you have an IKEA near you? Comment where below.
This is sooo clever idea! I think I found a great solution for all my moving problems. Your advises and tips on the IKEA DIMPA bags are the most useful I’ve read. Thank you for sharing your experience and making my move easier. Greets!