Month: July 2022

If you have a move coming up, you might be feeling under pressure. You probably feel overwhelmed with all the scheduling, prepping, and packing you need to accomplish.

Get a handle on your household relocation by incorporating effective planning and organization. It will help eliminate stress and make your move smooth and efficient.

Here are six tips to help with your preparation and packing.

1. Reduce the Common Clutter

Packing for a household move is easier when you only bring what you need to your new home. 

Before packing, eliminate things you no longer use by finding opportunities to upcycle or recycle when possible. Sell your stuff on Marketplace or donate it to organizations like Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity.  Don’t regard your house as a storage unit. Not only will eliminating the unnecessary lighten your moving load, but it will also provide you with more space in your new home.

2. Act Now by Making a Moving Plan

Develop a moving plan that includes a detailed packing schedule. Start in the areas of your home that you use the least and with items you don’t use often. For instance, pack up formal china or holiday decor.

Create your own packing guide and schedule to keep you focused and motivated. For example, determine a specific day to manage items from a particular room. Assign one week per room—for instance, the first week, work on the guest room, week two, the basement, etc. Then, prioritize your packing, assign reasonable deadlines, and start work as soon as you know you are moving.

3. Determine Essentials for Essentials Box

Pack essential items like a change of clothes, medicines, toiletries, select kitchen items, and charging cords separately. Keep these crucial things in a separate marked box that you keep with you on moving day. Then, you can quickly dip into your supply box before your other boxes arrive and unpack them.

4. Select Appropriate Cartons

Gather sturdy cardboard boxes to store and protect your belongings. The key to effectively packing everything from clothes to books and electronics to dishware is using the appropriate cartons for your various items. 

Smaller boxes work well with heavier items like books and fragile dishes. And larger boxes are more suitable for lightweight things like comforters and pillows.

Consider using dish pack kits or glass moving kits with dividers and partitions to separate and better protect your fragile dishware. Check with your moving company for these and other specialty boxes like TV boxes and wardrobe boxes with hanger bars that allow you to move your clothes right from your closet to the box and then directly into your new closet.

5. Use Suitable Filler Material

A cardboard carton is an ideal destination for your stuff when packing, but make sure you have plenty of suitable filler material like packing paper and bubble wrap too. The filler material prevents your belongings from shifting and colliding inside the moving boxes. Make sure you wrap each item effectively, then fill in all space to keep things from movings and getting damaged. 

6. Label and Color Code Boxes

Labeling your moving cartons is essential to keep your move on track and running smoothly. When labeling your boxes:

• Label each side
• List the contents in detail
• Indicate the destination room of the box at your new home

A color-coding system is also a smart idea to help differentiate which boxes go to which rooms. Make sure you provide the movers with your color code key.

Your Move Made Easier

These tips will help make your move smooth and efficient. Check out our blog for more information like this.

Contact us for a free quote and your individualized moving and storage needs!

When the movers show up at your house on moving day, they’ll quickly spring into action, packing boxes into the moving truck. If you’re not ready for their arrival, you could delay their progress while finishing up the last-minute packing activities. 

Getting your house ready is essential before the residential movers show up. This checklist will help.

Get Finished Packing

Unless you’re working with a full-service moving company with plans to have them pack your household goods, plan to finish packing before the movers arrive. Packing is a lot of work, so make a plan to be efficient. You may need help from friends or relatives during the packing process to make it more manageable.

Set aside time each day to pack. As you draw closer to your move date, you may need to spend more time packing to ensure the work gets done correctly.

Break Down Your Beds and Other Furniture

If your movers aren’t going to break down your furniture for you, disassemble it before they show up. Attach the hardware to your furniture in a baggie, so the hardware isn’t lost. Are you worried about being able to reassemble your furniture correctly? Take a video of yourself disassembling your furniture, so you’ll have something to refer back to when the time comes.

Take Items Off the Walls

Don’t forget to pack any art and decorations on your walls. Get those items packed before the movers arrive! Some art needs to be packed in a special box to avoid damage. If you have paintings or photographs, buy an art box for those pieces that need to be specially packed.

Take Down Curtains, Blinds, and Rods

Removing your curtains, blinds, and rods from the windows can take a lot of time, especially if you need to wash those curtains before packing them. If you don’t plan to hang the curtains in your new home, donate them to a charity so someone else can use them, or if you like to sew, set your curtains aside for any upcoming sewing projects.

If you’re selling your house or moving out of a rental, you may be able to leave your blinds in place for the next owner/tenant. Find out from your real estate agent whether you should do this before you go.

Tell the Movers Where to Park

One of the things that your movers may struggle with on moving day is finding a parking spot. If you live in an area with an HOA, there may be rules that prevent moving trucks from parking in the street outside your house. If you live on a busy street, you may need to get a permit for your moving truck. Find out in advance where your movers can park and give them that information.

Notify your neighbors when you plan to move so they can leave space on the street for the moving truck. This applies to both your old home and your new home.

Get Kids and Pets Out of the Way

Kids and pets can interfere with your professional movers, so make arrangements for your kids and pets to spend time with friends or family when the relocation occurs. Again, it is safer and more efficient with kids and pets securely out of the way.

Need Help? Give Us a Call

Make your move a success. Contact us today to find out what we can do to make your relocation less stressful and more successful.