Moving can be a daunting task for anyone. There are so many things to remember, between prepping your current home and belongings to arriving at your new home ready to settle in. These 11 tips will help ensure you’ve got all your bases covered to conquer your big move.
- Prepare all your moving supplies. Besides boxes to put your belongings in, you’ll also need a range of other supplies: packing paper, packing tape, and bubble wrap. It’s also advisable to have floor runners and storage pads to decrease the chance of damage to floors, stairs, doors, and walls.
- Have the necessary boxes. It’s best to have more boxes than necessary than to have too few. There are sites where you can buy boxes specifically for packing and moving, but you can also get some from recycling drop-off points. For appliances and electronics, you can reuse the box it came in.
- Pack heavy items in smaller boxes. This makes them easier to carry. Likewise, place lightweight items together in larger boxes so they can be kept together more easily than if you were to try to carry them on their own.
- Pack the same room in the same box. Don’t over pack a box, but do pack by room. It’s a good idea to label and color-code your boxes with sticky notes so you know at a glance where they came from and where they go in the new home. An additional step is to have a list of what’s inside the box itself; some moving boxes already come prepped for this!
- Keep your fragile items together. After wrapping them properly, place them in their boxes in such a way that they won’t move around or bump into each other. Ease bubble wrap or more paper to fill the empty space that may give them the chance to move.
- Take “before” photos. Especially when working with a moving company, be sure to document what your belongings look like before they arrive at your new home in case something goes awry.
- Prep furniture for travel. A dresser will be a lot easier to move with everything inside taken out. Pack items that normally go inside others separately to ensure everything can make the move safely.
- Know the rules at your new place. Make sure you know and communicate where movers are allowed to park and the best ways to access your new home. The same goes for friends or relatives who might be helping you as well.
- Schedule a pickup for donations. It’s highly likely you’ll get rid of a few things while packing. Be sure to box or bag whatever it is and set it aside where it can’t be mistaken for things you plan to keep (another good time to use labels and sticky notes). You can schedule donation
- Have a moving day essentials box. Pack a box (or bag) with anything you’ll need handy on the day of the move and the following few days. This can include clothing, medications, toiletries, phone chargers, bottled water, wallets, and pet food, among other things.
- Complete all packing before moving day. Don’t leave anything left to pack on moving day! There’s already a lot going on that can be distracting, and leaving yourself more packing just adds unnecessary work to a busy day.
Have any additional tips to prepare for a big move? Leave them in the comments.
