Moving Hacks That Make Life Better

Moving is something that all of us find ourselves doing at one point or another, and most people dread it. Moving is not seen as fun, it is seen as a chore. While there may not be a way to make this task an enjoyable one, with a little planning you can make it an efficient and hopefully timely one. Below are some hacks that might make the moving process a little easier.

Preparing
With everything preparation is usually the way to succeed. So, when you’re moving, don’t forget the pregame portion! Before even moving, here are few things to keep in mind.

 Call utility companies
As soon as you know you’re moving, you want to get your utilities in order. Cancel any utilities that you have scheduled at your old location then set them up at your new home. This is something that may only take a few phone calls but can save you a lot of grief when you’re getting settled into your new residence.

Measure everything
Maybe you already have the layout of how you want your furniture figured out. However if you’re like most of us, you may get your bulky furniture into your house and realize they’re a bit too big for the corner you were picturing it in. To avoid this, go ahead and measure all your furniture or large appliances so there’s no surprises and you can plan the layout of your home ahead of time.

Collect boxes
The earlier the better. Pretty much as soon as you realize you’re going to move, you should start to accumulate boxes for all your items. Some places like U-Haul offer free boxes if you ask for them as well.

Make a packing essentials station
Before you start packing, take stock of everything you might need such as tape, scissors, plastic wrap, sharpies and more. Put everything you’ll need throughout the packing process in one box. Not only will this ensure that everything is in one place but its also portable! You can take this packing station into every room you need to pack up so you don’t keep going back and forth whenever you find you need something for packing that is in another room.

Make some handles
Wouldn’t it be great if we could make the handling of boxes easier too? Well, you’re in luck. Using a box cutter, cut triangular holes on two opposite sides of the box. This will make a handy little handle for you to gain some leverage and grip when you’re lifting and carrying boxes.

Packing
After using everything above, you’ve prepared as much as you can but now it is time to really get down to business. Yes, it is time to pack.

 Protect fragile items
This is no surprise, but breakable items are well…breakable. However before you drop some coin on packing peanuts and bubble wrap, there maybe a few things already around the house that you could use such as crumpled  up magazines and newspapers, plastic bags, or old towels.

Keep those clothes where they are
You’ve got a full closet of clothes and a few dressers to boot, so obviously you’re going to have remove all those clothes and neatly fold them and place them in their own boxes, right? Actually you can save yourself some time by using those hangers and dresser drawers to your advantage. For items hanging in the closet, go ahead and leave them on their hangers, simply wrap a garbage bag or wardrobe bag if you have it around the garments. For the dresser items, leave everything in their drawers and wrap plastic wrap around each one to keep the items safely in place.

Keep hardware in plastic bags
Moving furniture is never easy. Even if you have light easy to assemble furniture, once you take it apart you run the risk of losing all the little screws that held that IKEA chair together. However if you keep every bit of hardware that comes off of your furniture in a little bag you don’t have to worry about that. Even better, tape that little baggie to a larger piece of the furniture it belongs to and you’ll know exactly what it goes with when it is time to rebuild.

Label the boxes
There is a number of ways to label and organize boxes but marking the box before hand can save a lot of confusion and needless moving back and forth between rooms. One method that makes a lot of sense is creating an inventory list that lets you know everything inside. Another way would be to color code boxes by room, and reference it with a key/map that lets you know ahead of time which room each box should go to when you’re ready to unpack.

Label your cords
When moving, you’re probably going to be unplugging a bunch of cords and hookups. One way to avoid additional confusion and needless tangles is by looping the cords through some old toilet paper or paper towel rolls. You can go a step further and then label these rolls as well. While we’re on the subject of cords, it might be wise to take a quick picture of the back of your tv or computer so you have a reference when you hook up your devices in your new place.

Put a piece of plastic wrap over open toiletries
When packing up your bathroom, you’ll likely come across several already open toiletries. To avoid a messy situation, put a small piece of plastic wrap over any open bottle or tube and then screw the cap or top back on over it.

Make heavy items portable
If you have suitcases or large rolling bags, utilize them. Pack up heavy items such as books into a rolling suitcase to avoid the strain of lifting or moving heavy boxes.

Take a picture or two to remember the old house
This really doesn’t affect the efficiency of unpacking but moving can be an emotional experience. Hopefully you’re moving on to a bigger and better residence. However some time down the line you may want to look back and remember the place you left behind. Take a few pictures to remember the home by so you can treasure it in the future.

Unpacking
Alright you’ve gotten to final leg of the journey, all the boxes are packed up and have been transported to the new residence, now all that is left is to unpack.

 Unpack boxes by room
If you planned ahead and grouped all your boxes by room, now you can grab all the boxes and take them to the right room and unpack within each room.

Use rubber bands to prevent getting locked out
When you’re unpacking you may be going in and out of the residence and may not remember to take your brand new key or maybe your new doors are a bit sensitive and like to lock on their own. To avoid getting locked out on your first day, loop a large rubber band from the knob on one side of the door to the knob on the opposite one.

Take a breather
Moving can be stressful, remember to brace yourself take breaks if you feel yourself getting fatigued or tired.