Moving tips and tricks can be extremely helpful when you’re faced with the prospect of packing up all your belongings and relocating. There are endless details associated with moving somewhere else. It usually takes weeks, if not months, to actually settle into a new dwelling. You can eliminate much of this confusion by adopting some of the handy moving tips and tricks that will be described below. It will still be something of a hassle going through your relocation — that’s just the nature of the game. However, you can make the whole process much easier and much less confusing by doing some good pre-planning. Then, things will all fall into place when you adopt some of the recommendations we’ll provide in this article.
Pre-Planning For Your Move
Almost everyone will go through at least one move during their lifetime. Since the practice is so widespread, people have developed a number of moving tips and tricks over the years to make it easier. Of course, there is no cookie-cutter template that can account for all the planning that has to take place for relocation. With every move entailing different circumstances, no single checklist could account for all the details. Everyone has different kinds of possessions and assets in their home, and some of these require special consideration. The suggestions below may not take all these possibilities into account, but they are a great place to start. Some will save you a great deal of time, some will involve securing your valuable assets during a move. All of them have proven to be helpful for many families who have undertaken moves to new households.
Packing Tips and Tricks
One of the first tasks you’ll have to deal with in a move is packing up dishes, clothing, and other household items that cannot be transported loosely. You can use some good packing sense, so as to optimize your usage of all the boxes you have. This way, you won’t have to purchase twice as many boxes as you really need. There are also some best practices you should follow, so that nothing gets damaged during transit. Here are some of the best moving tips and tricks related to the packing task:
Put Heavy Items in the Bottom of the Box
Place lighter items near the tops of your boxes, where they won’t have to bear the weight of everything else, and leave the heavier objects on the bottom.
Fill Up Each Box
Don’t leave large spaces in your boxes, because the contents could shift around and anything breakable might get damaged.
Put Contents of a Single Room in Each Box
Don’t make the unpacking job much harder and longer than it needs to be – load boxes with just the contents from a single room, rather than mixing the contents of several rooms.
Use the Right Sized Boxes
When you’re packing books, you should use small boxes so as not to make each box overly heavy. Bigger boxes can be used to contain lightweight articles like pillows, blankets, sheets, etc.
Label Your Boxes
Label each packing box with the enclosed contents, as well as the room where it will be going. This makes the moving-in process much smoother.
Make Sure Boxes are Well Taped
Tape up both the tops and bottoms of each box securely, so you can prevent the contents from accidentally being spilled out in case of a mishap.
Prepare Your Wardrobe
Decide which elements of your wardrobe will be packed in boxes, and which will require special packaging. For instance, jewelry will definitely require careful and secure packaging somehow. Shoes should be packed separately to avoid damage. Expensive outfits should be shipped in something that can protect and accommodate them.
Kitchen Packing
There are lots of things in the kitchen that will require careful packing. These include all your plates, cups, and other breakable dishware. For safety’s sake, you should wrap each plate and cup individually. Then do the same for anything else that’s breakable. It’s always best to pack plates on their sides, rather than in a flat stack, because this will generally lead to less breakage. For packing glassware, you may want to buy some special boxes equipped with dividers. This way, you can buffer each glass against contact with all the others.
Moving Expensive Items
If you have some expensive artwork in your home, you may need to arrange for special crating to keep them fully protected against damage. You can wrap smaller, expensive items and stow them in a clearly marked box.
Moving Tips and Tricks
Here are some of the best moving tips and tricks you should be using during your relocation effort. You’ll find most of them to be relevant and helpful to your own moving project.
Develop a Moving Folder
Make a single folder that contains all valuable paperwork like contracts, utility companies, monthly bills, and needed addresses. When you need anything from the folder, it will be much easier and quicker to locate it.
Remove Clutter
Don’t fall into the trap of carting old and unused items everywhere you go. Now is the time to eliminate those unnecessary things, so they don’t just take up space in the new dwelling. If you make these hard decisions now, it’ll make the move much more efficient. You may end up taking a lot less with you to the new home, which means much less unpacking, storing, and disposing.
Advance Packing
Obviously, you won’t be able to pack everything as soon as you know you’re moving. However, there are all kinds of things you don’t use every day that can be packed in advance. This will save on the effort needed when you get close to moving time. For instance, you can pack all your winter clothing in advance of a summertime move. You can pack all recreational gear in boxes when you know it won’t be used for the next few weeks.
Book Your Move Early
Make sure to book early, so you can avoid missing out on moving services at the exact time you need them.
Keep Essential Things on Hand
Things can get pretty hectic on the day of a move, so make sure you have an overnight bag with all the essentials. Put everything you need in an overnight bag, so you can get through a day or two before you unpack things. For instance, toiletries, a change of clothes, and maybe even some snacks should be included.
Arrange for Utilities
Don’t forget to notify all your utility companies about the change of address. This will make startup time in your new home much less chaotic.
Purchase Moving Accessories
You’ll undoubtedly need things like packing tape, boxes, garbage bags, paper towels, permanent markers, and box cutters. If you have any expensive assets in the home, you may need special packaging materials to keep them safe during the move.
Renting a Truck?
If you’re doing a DIY move, make sure you rent a truck that has a ramp. If you have to lift everything up to the level of the truck, it will not only be tedious, but possibly dangerous. With a ramp, you’ll be able to walk everything right up to its place in the truck.