Moving is one task that makes us wish we had a magic wand. The process has always been stressful. Aside from arranging your items orderly in a box, ensuring your belongings arrive at the new location intact is another stress.
Moving Tips and Hacks
Time after time, many people have surmounted the daunting task of moving. Luckily, some of them have shared the tricks they utilized. From our findings, we put together 50 tips and hacks that will make your next move less stressful.
Before Moving Day
Preparing ahead of time will set you up for success. Pick a day to create a moving plan. Having a moving plan does not only make the process less daunting, but it also helps you pay attention to the little details that matter. Here are things to do before moving day:
1. Create a Checklist
A checklist will serve as your guide for moving. It makes remembering and following up on what you have to do seamless, and it will save you the time of going back and forth. It would help if you created a checklist a few weeks before moving.
The checklist typically includes:
- Essential items and tasks to remember
- Shutting off service or changing addresses with utility companies.
- Placing an order for packaging materials
2. Clear Out Unnecessary Items
Relocating is an opportunity to do away with old and unnecessary items. There are some items in your home that you’ve not touched for over two years, and many of them you clearly don’t need anymore. Some belongings won’t fit into the new home due to size or change of decor.
Take an inventory of all you own and donate old and unnecessary belongings. This action will give you more packing space in the truck and save you packing costs and time.
3. Schedule Your Move
With a flexible schedule, moving middle of the week or end of the month is ideal, especially if you want to cut costs. Renting trucks on Tuesday and Wednesday is cheaper compared to weekends.
Scheduling your move early also gives you a chance to book ahead of time, giving you a better rate. Additionally, you get enough time to get permission from the office and carry out other pre-packing tasks.
4. Set a budget
Moving house can be costly, and it is something you’ll evade if you can. With good budgeting, however, you can easily get the total cost of the whole process and identify where to cut costs.
The budget helps you decide whether to make a DIY move or pay for a full-service move. You can address every other aspect of moving that involves finances in the budget.
5. Mark your Calendar to Follow up with moving tasks
Take your planning a step further by marking the moving tasks on a calendar. Get an extensive size calendar with enough white space and mark the daily tasks.
Breaking down the tasks on the calendar helps you remember without committing to memory and makes them easy to follow up.
6. Getting Packaging Materials
With good knowledge of the items you have to move, it is time to get the materials needed for packing. A rule of thumb is to get more packing supplies than you need, and this helps you avoid the stress of looking for more material on packing day.
To minimize cost, you can go treasure hunting. On Sites like Craigslist, Nextdoor, and Facebook Marketplace, you can find free or cheap boxes. You can also get free boxes from the grocery store. But if you want high-quality boxes, you can get them from uBoxes on Amazon.
7. Hire a Professional Mover or DIY Move
Your budget will help you decide whether a moving company is your best or you will just DIY. If you choose professional movers, take your time to research the best moving companies. Ask family and friends for referrals and ensure you compare many companies’ offerings and hiring costs before deciding.
If you prefer to DIY, get some people around you to help you pack. It is also essential to confirm the prices of trucks and book them on time.
8. Inform Friends and Family in Time
You sure can’t make a DIY move alone. It is polite to inform your family and friends a month or few weeks before the moving day.
Aside from informing family and friends on time, send out text or email with details of the move, including time and what to wear.
9. Hire Movers to Save Time
Using the help of friends and family can save cost, but it may cost you time. Aside from picking a time that fits well into everyone’s schedule, you have to deal with the sluggishness that comes with it.
Some of them are not professional movers, some may not be physically strong for the tasks, and you easily engage in chit-chats that take up time.
10. Plan for Kids and Dogs Daycare
Having toddlers and dogs moving around can cause home accidents or slow down your packing process. If you have little kids and dogs, It is advisable to plan for daycare, and you can keep them there for the duration of arranging and loading the boxes in a truck.
Another alternative is to have the little kids and pets stay with family or friends until you’re done packing.
11. Stop Purchasing Groceries a Week before Moving
Throwing away food is not always pleasant, and you like to deal with guilt. Reduce or stop buying food items a week before you move. Get creative in the kitchen with the groceries you have at home to ensure you finish them.
Give out whatever remains to family and friends that need them.
12. Make Copies of Important Documents
Documents like passport, birth certificate, proof of insurance paper, social security card, and tax claim are too important to risk damaging the only version. Making copies of these papers may seem tedious, but they are certainly worth it.
Pack all the copies in a briefcase to avoid squeezing and contact with liquid.
Packing The Items
The day you pack is the most stressful part of the moving process, and here are hacks and tips that can make it easier.
13. Pack a Day before Moving
The moving day always comes with extra stress. Pack them a day before you move to avoid rushed and haphazard arrangements of your belongings. Doing this will give you enough time to categorize your items, arrange them orderly and pick every necessary item.
The rule of thumb is to pack all 95% of your belongings, and you can pack the remaining items like essentials you used overnight in a tote bag.
14. Mark Boxes for Each Room
Marking boxes for each room will save you time and make arranging your items in your new home easy. You can either write the room’s name on the boxes or use color code to represent and mark them as you pack.
You’ll be able to identify the rooms each box belongs to when you get to your new home.
15. Pack an “Open Me First” Box
You may be too tired to start rummaging through your belongings to find essentials on your first night in your new home. It is wise to have a box that contains soap, paper towels, cups, toilet paper, trash bags, utensils, and more. Mark the box “Open Me First” for easy identification.
16. Snap Wiring and Electronic Setup
Some electronics and wiring setups are complex. To remember how to set them up in your new home, you need to take pictures before you start detaching the wires. Additionally, taking pictures of fragile items will help you make insurance claims when they get damaged.
17. Create Handle in Boxes for Ease of Lifting
Make the boxes easy to carry by cutting curvy rectangle shapes on the covers. You can use the X-ACTO knife to avoid destroying the cardboard. Also, be sure not to cut too close to the top of the cover to avoid a rip-off.
18. Remove Ink and Cartridge from the Printer
Toner and ink cartridges can stain other items if they break, burst, or leak in transit. Before loading the trucks, remove the toner and ink cartridge and put them in a plastic bag.
Keep the plastic containing the toner and cartridge on top of other heavy materials in the truck.
19. Put Your Suitcases to Use
Your suitcases are made to carry items. Why not use them? Pack clothes lying around into the suitcases, creating space to pack other items in the boxes.
Also, you can use suitcases to pack individual essentials. It might take a few days to empty the boxes in your new home. Having items like toothbrushes, PJs, and phone chargers in a suitcase can be a lifesaver.
20. Place Sheets and Pillows in a Dresser Drawer
This is one of the hacks that will keep your bed linens neat. Before packing things, remove your sheets from the bed, fold them, and put them alongside pillows in the dresser drawer.
Use masking tape to keep the drawer closed. Your sheets will be just when you need them in your new home.
21. Don’t Remove Clothes from Hangers
Keeping your clothes on hangers gives you ease in moving and setting them up in your new home. Please put them in groups of 6 to 10 and bundle them in light plastic bags.
On the other hand, you can simply leave the clothes on the metal hanging bar if you have a moveable wardrobe.
22. Cover Your Mattress With Fitted Sheets
You don’t need to spend extra dollars purchasing a mattress protector, and your old fitted sheets can do the magic for you. Covering your mattress from top to bottom will ensure it stays clean throughout the moving process.
23. Write The Content Of Each Box On The Box
Aside from knowing which room each box belongs to, it is valuable to identify the content of each box without hassle. If you have enough time, you can take inventory of each box by creating a spreadsheet document.
You can track each box by searching for them in the document.
24. Place Nuts and Small Pieces of Furniture in a Plastic Back
As you take furniture to pieces, keep small pieces of furniture and screw them in a plastic bag. To avoid unnecessary rummage at the new home, mark the plastic and tag it to the particular furniture itself.
Additionally, dedicate a box for moving furniture and label the box.
25. Arrange Plates Vertically
To evenly distribute the pressure around the box, arrange your plates vertically like you would in a dish rack. This will prevent your plates from breaking as you move.
Either way, you still need to line the box with bubble wrap and place styrofoam or paper between the plates for maximum safety.
26. Use Toilet Roll to Protect Necklaces
Necklaces and chains can get tangled when packing. String necklaces, chains, and bracelets through empty toilet paper to avoid this. You can connect them around the tubes.
Alternatively, you can use egg cartons to keep the tangles at bay.
27. Cushion Bowls and Cup with Coffee Filters
Coffee filters are cheap, and you probably have plenty of them taking up space in your cupboard. Why waste so much money on packing papers? To avoid cracks and breakage, you can use coffee filters as padding between your bowls and cups.
28. Stay Hydrated and Eat Well
Packing requires a lot of energy, and eating and drinking are the gas that will keep you going. But many people get so lost in the stress of packing that they forget to make arrangements for food and water.
It is vital to pack a cooler with snacks and drinks and keep it where it won’t obstruct movement.
29. Guard Razor Blades with Binder Clips
From injuring you to damaging other items, razor blades can cause a lot of harm if not carefully handled when moving. If the protective cover for your razor blade is missing, use a binder clip to prevent accidental injuries when moving. For $8.99, you can get DSTELIN Binder Clips on Amazon.
30. Assemble Boxes with Paper Packaging Tape
Paper packaging tape is perfect for building and sealing boxes. You can cut it effortlessly without any sharp object. Finding the end of the strip is also not a big deal. It sticks well, but it is easy to remove, and it won’t rip off the boxes to shreds as plastic tapes would. When you get to your new home, you can open the boxes swiftly and reuse them if need be.
31. Put Towels in the Washing Machine
Excessive motion in the drum of your washer can cause the suspension to break—stuff towels inside the washer to prevent the tub from being damaged, which will control the movement.
Alternatively, you can secure the drum with a transit bolt or shipping bolt. There is a space for these metal rods at the rear of the washer.
32. Seal Liquids Supplies with Plastic Wrap
You can prevent liquids, especially toiletries, from leaking in the moving truck. You have to unscrew the liquid containers’ lids, put a plastic wrap over the opening, and screw the lid with the plastic underneath it.
33. Protect Picture Frames with Pieces Of Clothes
Picture frames are very fragile and can easily get damaged if they bang against each other in transit. You don’t have to spend much to avoid damaging your beautiful frames, and you can use some of your clothes to wrap the frames.
Another option is to use pool noodles on the exterior of picture frames.
34. Keep Packing Materials Together
One way to avoid adding the daunting task of searching for supplies is to keep all materials in one place. Put some scissors, markers, tape, and others you may need in a small basket you can move from one room to another.
35. Use Materials You Own in Place Of Bubble Wrap
You don’t need to spend extra dollars buying bubble wraps, especially if you’re moving on a budget. Use what you have at home to wrap picture frames and other fragile items. Items like linens, towels, sheets, and clothes can serve as valuable alternatives for bubble wraps.
36. Wrap Kitchen Utensils with Saran Wrap
Organizing your kitchen utensils is much easier with Saran wraps, and all you have to do is lay them in a tray and wrap them up. This will help you prevent your utensils from falling off when packing.
37. Tape Mirrors To Prevent Shattering
It doesn’t matter the packing method. The first step to safeguarding your mirror is to tape an X across the mirror’s surface. Should the mirror crack during the move, these tapes will prevent the mirror from shattering while protecting the frame as well. You can use cling film or saran for this.
Unloading and Offloading the Items
38. Move Heavy Items with Furniture Sliders.
Why carry heavy items if you can just slide them effortlessly with one hand? Yes. You can do that with furniture sliders and just put the sliders under bulky items, and it works well on tile floors, carpets, linoleum, rugs, and wood. Most furniture sliders can accommodate 40lbs, but you can use heavy-duty for items above 100lbs. X-Protector is one of the best sellers of furniture sliders on Amazon.
39. Use “Mom’s Attic” for Fragile Items
Mom’s attic is the smaller space in the truck separated from the rest of the cargo area. Popular moving trucks like U-hauls have this storage space. It is the ideal space for storing fragile items like light fixtures, electronics, and glassware. Mom’s attic offers the softest ride in the truck.
40. Carry Items with The “Camel Clutch”
Loading items in the van is stressful, but holding them in front of you makes it more stressful. Carrying items on your back with your arm behind you puts less pressure on your back, and doing this will make the job easier.
41. Offer Your Movers Tips or Refreshments
Prepare enough food for your movers, especially if they are family and friends. People stay active and put more energy into stressful tasks when they are well fed.
Even when you hire movers, you can still tip them and offer them refreshments.
42. Use Doormats to Keep Your New Home Clean
Avoid damaging the floors of your new apartment as you move in. Before you begin offloading the items, place doormats at each entrance. Another good option is using disposable booties to protect your floor, especially for messy weather like snow or rain.
43. Load And Offload with a Rubber Wheel Dolly
Dragging heavy boxes can scrape your flooring, and carrying them will put a strain on your back. You can save yourself time and energy and safeguard your flooring with a rubber wheel dolly. With this tool, you will be able to carry four to five boxes, and you can rent them from any moving supply store.
44. Prevent Lockout with Rubber Bands
Your Locking and unlocking your doors is not one of those things you will like to deal with on move-in day. To open your door hands-free, String a cross-crossed rubber or hair elastic around one doorknob, then pass it over and string it around the doorknob on the opposite side to keep the door from locking.
45. Keep Toolbox Handy
From hanging kitchen fixtures to reassembling furniture, your tools will be helpful in almost every part of the moving process. It’s essential to keep the tools handy so that you can access them without hassle. The easy trick to ensure your tools are always available is to make them the last item you load into the truck and the first to offload.
46. Pack Last-Minute Items in a Shopping Bag
After packing everything in boxes, you should check rooms for items that can be missed easily, like pairs of socks, shoelaces, and hairbrushes. If found, a shopping back is your best option for moving them. WISELIFE grocery shopping bags can hold up to 50lbs.
47. Use Division Of Labor to Load The Moving Truck
When you’re ready to unload the truck, give everyone a role to play. Some can be responsible for moving the boxes to the main entrance, while others move them to the truck, and about two people can make the arrangements in the truck.
Unloading the trucks this way is very efficient, and you get everyone busy and save time.
48. Load Huge Items First
To ensure the space in the moving truck is well managed, load the truck with heavy items that take more space first. One trick for creating more space is to flip the sofa over the side.
You can load smaller and lightweight items in the remaining space in the trucks.
49. Ensure There’s No Space in the Boxes
Items moving in the box can damage When there’s space in the box, items can either get damaged or the boxes crushed. To avoid this hazard, ensure the boxes are full and sturdy. You can use towels, blankets, pillows, curtains, or clothes to fill up the spaces.
50. Order Groceries for your New Home
After dealing with the stress of moving, you won’t like to go shopping immediately. Place an order for groceries to be delivered within a few hours you get to your new home. You’re definitely going to need it!
Doing this will give you enough food to eat while taking your time to rest.
