Moving Hacks

30 Tips for More Efficient Ways to Pack Up and Move

1. If possible, arrange to get into your new house while it’s still empty, and do a thorough cleaning before the furniture shows up. It will never be easier to reach those baseboards and vents than it is right now!
2. Empty gasoline and oil from any lawn equipment you’re bringing with you. Professional movers won’t transport fuel.
3. Measure everything! You wouldn’t believe a headache an oversized piece of furniture can create on moving day. Disassemble whatever you can, and if it truly doesn’t fit, you might have to let it go.
4. Make arrangements in advance for special items like pianos, antiques or aquariums.
5. Move in the middle of the month, if possible. It’s cheaper, and you’ll find more availability with moving companies.
6. Plan meals. You don’t want to have to go food shopping right before you move out. Try to freeze meals in advance, so you use up the food you already have.
7. Donate items or plan a yard sale. Do this at least 3 weeks before you move, if not earlier.
8. Use a rubber band to prevent getting locked out. Moving day will have you going in and out of doors all day. Loop a rubber band around the inner and outer doorknob, so it holds the latch in. No worries about getting stuck.
9. Use a boxcutter to create handles on boxes. It’s so much easier to lift and move boxes when you can get a grip on them.
10. Use containers like laundry baskets or hampers to pack clothes. No need to take up double the space. Use the spaces you already have.
11. Use pots and pans to pack small kitchen items like towels, spice bottles or utensils.
12. Rubberband lids to pots and pans to keep things secure.
13. If you can’t transport knives in a butcher’s block, use oven mitts to prevent any accidents.
14. Use trash bags to pack hanging clothes. You can gather together 5 or 6 hangers at a time and slip regular kitchen trash bags over them. This keeps things neat and organized, and they’re very easy to hang up at your new house.
15. When disassembling furniture, keep all hardware and screws together in a zipping plastic bag. Tape this bag to the underside of the furniture so that you can quickly assemble at your new home.
16. To fill small nail holes in walls, you can just rub a bar of Ivory soap over them. Larger holes will require spackle.
17. To remove noticeable furniture indents on carpets, place ice cubes along the dents. Let them melt, then use a spoon to gently “fluff” the carpet fibers back up.
18. Color code packing tape and labels. Designate a color for each room and tape and label all boxes for that room in the same color. This makes unpacking so much easier and can help the movers quickly place boxes in their correct rooms.
19. Use plastic wrap to secure small items already in containers. You can wrap your silverware tray and other similar containers in plastic wrap and place the entire tray in a box. Saves time packing and unpacking!
20. Take pictures of the back of your computer and TV to remember wire placement. Setting up your electronics can take hours if you don’t remember what goes where.
21. Use paper towel tubes to keep cords untangled. Wires can get hopelessly knotted in transit. Keep them organized.
22. Pack an OPEN FIRST box with essentials for the entire house. Think along the lines of hand soap, toilet paper (Don’t assume the last owner left you any!) phone chargers, trash bags, light bulbs, box cutters, and anything else you’ll want to have on hand immediately upon moving in.
23. Then pack an OPEN FIRST box for every room. Highlight the most important things for the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, living room, etc. Mark these out so you can easily find them.
24. Pack an overnight bag for each person. As a rule of thumb, you should pack as though you were going away for a long weekend. Remember clothes, PJs, toiletries, medications, etc.
25. Pack snacks and drinks for the car. Moving is exhausting. Make sure you have access to water, protein snacks and anything else that will help keep you going.
26. Carry cash and important documents with you. Cash is important for unforeseen purchases, tolls, tips for the movers, etc. Personal documents should be with you in the car at all times.
27. Pack valuables in the car with you too. Jewelry, small heirlooms, and anything else that might be in danger of getting lost or stolen.
28. Make provisions for babysitters and/ or petsitters. Kids and pets can get hurt, upset, or even lost on moving day with everything going on in the house. If at all possible, ask a trusted person to look after them for you, even if it’s just for a few hours.
29. Check the parking rules at your new place. Are you allowed to have a moving truck pull up on the street? Is there a time limit? Will they have to park further away than anticipated? Find all this out before moving day so you’ll be prepared.
30. Arrange to have locks changed. Either on moving day or shortly after, it’s a good idea to have someone out to install new locks for your home.

Author Bio: Niv Orlian is a blogger at Golan’s Moving, a site all about moving, and related topics such as real estate, home moving tips, and general household tips.