Having only moved from here to LA, LA to Okinawa, Okinawa to CA, CA to FL, and FL to here, and having moved SIL and nieces only three times since I got here, I do not have as much experience as some of you, but I can think of a couple tips:
1. Buy a couple boxes of cheap sandwich bags. Go through all your fastener organizer drawers, and dump each compartment into a separate bag (if the bin is labeled, throw label in the bag). If bag will fit back in tray, stick it there, but if not, just pack them in coffee cans, buckets, etc. This also works for the small catchall drwers in you tool box.
2. If moving tool box with tools inside, get some cheap foam to lay over the tools so that they are tight in the drawer when closed. Otherwise the tools WILL find a way out of the drawer down into the most inaccessible places in the box.
3. Blankets, pillows, bed linens and towels are great for packing around/inside fragile items like lamps, lamp shades. Old blankets make great furniture protectors to prevent tie-downs from chafing the finish.
4. Pour some fresh coffee grounds into a filter and tape it, or into a cloth bag, and place inside refrigerators and freezers after they have been thawed and emptied. (Clean socks will work in a pinch). It will keep odors from building up as they sit idle and closed.
5. Remove light bulbs from lamps, curios, etc..
6. Remove batteries from anything that may set a while after or during the move. Take cds or dvds out of the player.
7. Label both ends of all the connector cables to your stereo/home entertainment system as you remove them for easier reconnection after relocating. Masking tape and an ink pen or sharpie work well for this.
8. As for furniture, there are two methods. I personally prefer method one for short moves, as it makes items like dressers and chests of drawers much lighter and easier to grab on to.:
Method one: Drawers can be removed and reinstalled when loading and unloading. Fill the drawers with light items like clothing and linens, carry to vehicle individually and reinstall in furniture. Throw cover over furniture and strap or wrap lightly. Remove cover at destination and again carry drawers in separately.
Method two: Furniture shrink-wrapped to keep drawers secure. Empty all drawers.
9. Remove all shelves from adjustable-shelf furniture. Remove glass shelves from any furniture.
10. Large mirrors or glass panels should be stood vertical (on end or side) while moving. A good method is to load them into the vehicle where they will be sandwiched between two mattresses.
11. Do not pack books or magazines into anything larger than a 1 cube box.
12 In truck or trailer, heavy items go in first all the way to the front and tight against the front rail/bulkhead.
Last but not least: Make sure the spare tire, jack and lug-nut wrench are accessible after the vehicle is loaded. That means removing them from under the folded-down seat or floor compartment before you cover it with a ton of stuff.
Hope this helps someone.
Go
PS I forgot: Also tape all the fasteners for take-apart items to the item, or throw them all into one container labeled for what they are for and hope you don't lose that container!!.