Moving can be quite stressful. There is just no way to sugar coat it. There are just so many things to do. You need to purge, sort, lift, haul, pack, unpack…all of it! Moving can be such a pain! You will definitely greatly from moving tips and hacks to make the move painless and easy.
1. Use Suitcases to Pack Heavy Things
While most of your belongings will be packed in cardboard boxes or plastic bins, heavy items can be packed in suitcases since these things have wheels which will help you move or transport them easily. Not only will this help you save money from having to buy more moving boxes, but this will also help you find necessities after the move.
You can use your suitcase to pack heavy things that can’t easily be transported in boxes. These things may include books or serving dishes.
You should also consider packing first week essentials like clothing, outerwear, medications, blankets, and more in suitcases, so you will be able to find things quicker.
Before packing, make sure that your luggage is in top working condition. Do not throw your belongings inside the suitcase in a haphazard fashion. Throw away unnecessary items, and line the suitcase with a protective covering before packing your belongings.
2. Use A Tool to Move Heavy Furniture and Appliances
Take a look at our Furniture Mover Tool Rollers to move heavy appliances and furniture. Your back will thank you for it. You lift the appliance or furniture with the lifter tool and then place the rollers’ wheels under the four corners of the furniture or appliances, and then you can roll away the furniture or appliance with perfect ease.
This tool is designed with an anti-slip design to prevent the furniture or appliance from slipping. It can withstand heavy lifting, and it can carry items that weigh 150 kilograms or 330 pounds. It is your must-have tool for moving heavy objects.
The great thing about this tool is that you can use every time you need to move something heavy in your home or workplace. You don’t have to place your back in jeopardy again. You have this amazing tool to do all the heavyweight lifting and moving for you.
3. Multi-Task When Packing
Here’s another packing tip: multitask! Often, the natural packing instinct is to go from room to room and packing items that way. Instead of doing the same thing you should consider where the item is going in your new home.
For example, maybe in your old house, you store all your cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, but in your new house, there is a utility closet in the laundry room where you can store all your cleaning supplies. So, you can pack your cleaning supplies together with your laundry items.
Fill up your suitcases with clothes, pots, and pans with spices, laundry baskets with your laundry supplies. Basically, fill up any empty space with items.
4. Save Money with Free Moving Boxes
Moving can be a bit expensive. Perhaps, you should consider requesting for a moving quote that doesn’t include boxes, and you can scrounge up your own boxes for free. You might want to get wardrobe boxes, but for other items, you can get boxes for free from local stores.
The key to getting boxes for free is to call at non-busy hours before you drop by at the store. Be super agreeable, and request to speak to the manager. Your success would depend on the manager’s mood and willingness to spare a few boxes. Don’t be upset if they refuse to give boxes for free.
5. Pack Dishes Sideways to Keep Them from Breaking
Pack plates on a vertical fashion to distribute weight and pressure evenly across the box. The plates are less likely to break in the move if packed this way. Make sure to line the box with bubble wrap, and then wrap the plates with packing paper. Make sure to place a foam sheet between each plate.
6. Place Garbage Bags Over Your Hanging Clothes
Protect your hanging clothes with trash bags to keep them from getting dirty. You will also be able to avoid packing and unpacking clothes and rehanging them. You don’t have to worry about hanging clothes slipping out and getting muddy or dirty.
7. Avoid Scratched Floors with Furniture Sliders
Perhaps you are quite excited to live in your new home, and you want to make sure that your home is as pretty as it can be. You don’t want to scratch your floors on moving day, would you? So, place some furniture sliders under the heavy appliances or furniture so you can easily move items across floors, rugs, linoleum, tile floors, carpets, or wood floors.
These sliders will help keep you from scuffing or scratching your floor during moving day. It also makes it incredibly easy to push items around in your home while you figure out where things fit in your new house.
8. Make Sure to Reserve the Moving Truck in Advance
To avoid all the stress, make sure to rent your truck and purchase your mattress covers ahead of time. Life is easier when you know that everything is ready for moving day and that your truck will be available on that day.
The extra tools will also help move things a little bit easier and more quickly. You can go in and out in half the time. You should also consider getting insurance for protection. After all, anything can happen while moving, so play it safe and protect yourself and your belongings.
9. Use the “I” Formation When Loading Your Truck
There is a right way to load your moving truck, and it is called the “I” Formation, and when this formation is accomplished, this creates an uppercase I inside the cabin. In order to do this, you have to follow these rules:
- Heavy objects like furniture and appliances are placed at the top of the “I” Formation.
- Desks and tables along with heavy boxes are placed in the middle part.
- Box springs along with your mattresses occupy the left side of the middle column, but they’re outside of the “I” Formation.
- Place your sofas and couches at the right side of the truck, but outside the Formation.
- Other heavy boxes go at the back center of your truck. This is the bottom part of your “I” Formation.
- Smaller boxes are placed at the bottom part as well and should flank the sides of your heavy boxes.
10. Calculate Travel Time Using 20% Rule
When you deal with professional movers, you can expect steep rates. It can start at $1000. You should consider renting a moving van, so you will have to pay the daily rental cost, which ranges from $20 to $30 a day plus the mileage fee. Google may give you a travel time estimation, but do not underestimate the travel time. Make sure to tack an additional 20% to the total travel time. Just in case, you end up with a considerably slow driver.
The Total miles divided by the Maximum Speed Limit plus 20% equals to Estimated Travel Time
11. Make Sure to Stock Up on Supplies Before Moving Day
Packing wizards would advise you to stock up on packing supplies before your moving day, so you will be ready when the day comes. You won’t be stressing out over duct tapes, packing tapes, trash bags, boxes, cutters, labels, and more. Moving day is going to be absolute mayhem! So, make sure that you’re ready for it.
Make sure to use different colored tapes to mark one box from other boxes. Assign a color for each room, so you will know where the boxes will go.
These are the types of things that will help you greatly with your move. You will find it easier to unpack when the boxes are marked properly.
12. Get Rid of Things You Don’t Need
If packing and moving are stressful, unpacking and organizing everything inside your new home is even more stressful! You can limit the stress by leaving behind and getting rid of unnecessary things.
Perhaps, there are a few things that you can get rid of, sell, or donate. You can throw a garage sale before moving day, so you can get rid of items that you don’t need and still earn money from them. You can also help out people by donating a few items.
By doing this, you will be able to reduce the number of items that you need to pack, and you won’t need to worry about making a lot of clutter in your new home.
13. Pull Aside and Hold Close Valuables
Pull aside valuables before you start loading the van. These are items that you don’t want to pack and should go with you in the car, van, or plane. These items include legal documents, jewelry, family heirlooms, and other precious things that you can’t entrust to other people.