Moving houses is one of those exciting yet stressful activities. On the one hand, you are happy to finally move to a new home and environment. On the other, the exercise is stressful and can lead to loss of items, breakage of valuables, and other disasters.
That said, it is possible to move between houses without having put yourself through mad stress and anxiety. The easiest way to do that is to hire reliable moving services, of course. Below are a few practical tips that will simplify packing and organization to enhance your moving experience.
1. Get Rid Of Unused Items
Changing houses presents a great opportunity to get rid of all the clutter that has been lying in your kitchen, storage, closets, and other rooms. Use the weeks or days before the moving date to pick out these items. It may feel hard letting go of some clothes but it’s necessary. It reduces your luggage and gives you a fresh start in your new home.
Where do I take the items? Pick the clothes that no longer fit, books, kitchenware, toys, furniture, etc., and donate them to charity organizations within your area. You can also sell some of them to reduce the financial burden you are incurring during the moving process.
2. Create A Moving Folder
With the unnecessary items out of the way, it’s time to create a master folder containing all the activities you’re supposed to do before, during, and after the move. This is helpful in various ways.
For starters, it makes sure every little detail is taken care of, hence reducing the risk of forgetting some vital tasks.
Second, a moving folder helps you keep track of everything that is going on. This will make it easier to track any issues that might occur e.g. missing items.
Finally, the folder will help in the exciting transition to your new home. For instance, it will remind you to cancel the utility providers from your previous home and make sure that the utilities in your new house are in order by the time you arrive.
What exactly should the folder contain? Write down all the utility providers you need to call plus the date you are supposed to call them. This could include the internet, gas, and electricity companies. Write down the moving company you’ll be using and schedule a date for the call.
In summary, the folder should contain all the essential details of the personnel and activities involved in the process.
3. Hire Moving Services In Advance
It’s time to go into the market and search for the best moving company. You can start by making a simple google search of moving services nearby. This will generate multiple results but don’t just pick the first one that pops up. Scrutinize each of them to avoid rogue moving services.
What should you consider when hiring a moving company? Experience, good customer reviews, licenses and insurance, and manpower. Take advantage of Google reviews and online platforms like Reddit to determine how reliable the company is before hiring their services. You can also call some of your friends for recommendations.
Once you find a mover that fits your needs, don’t sit on the number and wait to make the call a day or two before d-day. Call them in advance to avoid last-minute frustrations.
4. Get Boxes Of The Right Sizes
Look at the items you’ll be moving with and use the insight to find appropriate boxes. Generally, you should have boxes of all sizes to keep all your items, big and small, safe.
Here is a quick hack for you: put the heaviest items in small boxes to avoid backaches.
Where can you get moving boxes? You can buy them from local stores or big retailers like Walmart.
Boxes from local grocery stores are usually cheaper but they may have quality issues. Bug infestation is also a concern with such boxes. On the other hand, special moving boxes are slightly more expensive but the quality is almost always guaranteed. They’re also durable so they are usually worth the investment.
If you are moving with special art, consider buying special crates. These are especially useful for transporting expensive oil paintings.
5. Start Packing Early
Start packing your items as early as possible. We are talking weeks or even months in advance. Begin with the items you won’t miss and finish up with the key essentials on the night of. This dramatically reduces your workload on the moving day itself.
6. Pack Smart
The importance of packing smart cannot be overstated. It makes your work unpacking the equipment so much easier and reduces the risk of damaging and losing valuables.
What does packing smart entail? Label all the boxes with content description and the relevant room, avoid leaving empty spaces in your boxes, don’t combine equipment of different rooms, etc.
That’s how to prepare for a smooth moving experience. In addition to the above tips, you may also want to call in a few favors from your family and friends. They’ll make the process easier and more fun.
