Is your household moving from one state to another? Would you like to get valuable insights and best practices to better prepare for your move?
Then, you are in the right place because we’re going to share with you 25 actionable moving tips to reduce stress and anticipate any potential unexpected situation.
The best part?
All of these tips come from people who’ve been in the field for decades and have experienced every possible scenario.
Without further ado, let’s get down to business.
Since moving your household is an event that requires a lot of planning, then we advice you to consider this set of best practices as soon as you think of moving:
1. Sort your closets, drawers, cabinets or any areas that cause concern
2. Analyze what items can be thrown away or donated
3. Reserve Transportation (Moving Truck or Portable Container)
4. Book Loading & Unloading Help
5. Take pictures of your home to identify what goes where & how you styled your shelves, nightstands, counter space, etc.
As you delve into the above details, it is also good to consider, at least, six weeks prior to your move the following:
7. Notify current services that you will be moving and start to obtain important documents:
• Banks, Phone Companies, Doctors, etc.
8. Arrange additional help with pet care, child care, or general man power.
9. Create a specific game plan for the next six weeks.
Now that your agenda starts to fill with moving activities, you should keep in mind to:
10. Purchase boxes, tape, and other important moving necessities
11. Contact current services to cancel
• Gas, Electric, Cable, Garbage, Newspaper, etc.
12. Contact these same services in your new area to start upon moving in
You will be impressed about how fast time goes by, specially when planning your next move. At this point you should be a few days from moving your household, so please:
13. Pack, pack, pack
14. Label your boxes
Make sure to secure a handful of blank newsprint sheets to wrap your appliances. Kitchen towels and linens can also be good alternatives. Place layers of newsprint sheets or linens at the bottom of the box for padding. Afterwards, place your wrapped appliances inside the box. To be more efficient, you can mix a number of small appliances in a single box.
For large-sized appliances such as refrigerators, check the product manuals for storage instructions. All parts of the appliances should be cleaned prior to packing. You can also place linens and fabrics inside some of your appliances like washing machines. Make sure all parts that are prone to loosening will be securely tapped. Critical parts you should pay attention to include stove burners and electrical cords. Furniture pads are also available for your large-sized appliances. Tie them securely before loading them to the vehicle.
Art and collectible items: All your collectible art items should be installed with corrugated corners. Use bubble wrap to wrap and pad each of them. Place crumpled sheets of blank paper on the bottom of the box for padding before placing your items inside the box. Make sure the box is not too tight for the items. Place a ‘fragile’ label on the box to serve as warning for the movers.
Books: Since books can be heavy, divide them into several boxes. You should also use small books as fillers for the other boxes.
Clothes: If you have wardrobe boxes, then you do not have to dismantle them anymore. You can also use them as storage or packaging for clothes in hangers. Other clothes that could no longer fit inside your wardrobe boxes can be packed inside suitcases or boxes. Avoid mixing your clothes with liquids that could cause stains.
Electronic equipment: If you still have the original boxes of these pieces of equipment, then they would be the perfect packaging material for your stereos, TVs and computers. However, should these boxes be no longer unavailable, you could purchase heavy-duty big boxes padded with bubble wrap.
Furniture: These are items that could be disassembled should be dismantled for a handier and more convenient packing and transport. This tip could also help you save space. Bubble wrap is also a necessity to ensure that there will be no scratches or damages on your furniture items. Nuts, bolts and screws should be stored inside zip-lock bags.
Kitchenware: Alternate plates and bowls with bubble wraps or blank newsprint sheets. Place crumpled newsprints on the topmost bowl before placing them to boxes. Heavier and bulkier kitchen pieces should occupy the bottom portion of the box. Non-breakable items such as spoons and forks could be placed inside cell packs. However, allocate one separate box for the items you will have to use during your first week in your new home.
After a quick rest, do not forget to:
15. Contact a locksmith to make an appointment for move-in day at your new house
16. Create a MOVING DAY survival kit
17. Forward your mail to your new address
18. Keep packing
On moving day:
19. Do a final walk through to make sure you have everything!
20. Inform your movers of any special instructions or general information
21. Pay your movers
22. Don’t forget your pre-packed moving day survival guide for all of the day´s essentials!
After the move:
23. Unpack & get organized
24. Confirm your new address with:
•Employer
•Bank
•Creditors
•Doctor
25. Leave a review for your movers and if the experience was smooth; Celebrate!
Now, we invite you to schedule a video-conference with one of our executives to give you a free itemized moving quote and leave us a comment about which moving tip we need to include/exclude.
