Six Tips You Need When Moving

Moving is never an easy process. I have moved in and out of apartments, across the country and two blocks away–every move was difficult. We are currently living in the fifth house we’ve owned. You would think after five house moves we’d be experts, but ,I can tell you there is always something new to learn.

Here are six things I would suggest you do in order to alleviate some of the challenges of moving:

1) Pack your breakables in towels and linens. This helps you twofold – you do not have to wash all your items when you unpack and you do not have to pack your linens separately.

2) Pack your bedding in one box and place the box in your car. Do not put it on the truck with the rest of your items. It took me two days to find our bedding that I had specifically needed for our first night in the new house. So frustrating!

3) Do not let the movers take your plants. We moved on the coldest day of the year this time and none of our plants survived. The cold killed them before the movers were able to unpack them from the truck.

4) Label every box and have someone act as “Traffic Cop” as the movers bring the boxes into your new home. Don’t let the movers just place boxes in a common area. You are paying them nicely so make sure they go up the stairs and place the boxes in the appropriate rooms.

5) Pack a stash of cleaning supplies, a broom and vacuum in your car so they are all easily accessible. You’ll definitely need to wipe down furniture, dust the cabinets, sweep the floors and vacuum right away.

6) Feed your movers (and your family). We always have lunch ready for the movers when they arrive at the new home. We have them eat before they start unpacking. This is extremely well received and gets them motivated to do a good job for you. (Most people never offer them anything.)

There’s lots more ways to prepare for your move that I will cover in a different post. These six things were “top of mind” from our move in February so I thought I’d share.