Moving Tips and Tricks

General Tips

• Try to make a reservation several weeks before your move day.
• Leave more time for moving, don’t rush and don’t leave everything for the last moment.
• Have a good rest and sleep before move day: you don’t need to add up tiredness and sleepiness to all the stress that you already have.
• Check and clean out all the closets, the attic, and the basement at least a day before moving, so you know for sure that you didn’t forget anything important.
• By law, moving companies cannot transport hazardous materials such as gasoline, bottled gases and other flammables, ammunition and explosives.
• For large appliances, check the instruction manuals to see if there are special instructions for moving.
• Prepare enough cash for your moving day.
• Defrost your fridge before the moving day.
• Prepare some food, snacks, and water, especially if you have children.
• Schedule disconnection time for the utilities, internet and phone at least a week before the moving day, so that you won’t have to pay for them of the house where you’re not living anymore.
• Cancel all the house-related services, such as the delivery of newspapers, magazines or food/milk, cleaning & lawn services, etc.
• Do not take the things that you won’t use – organize a backyard sale, give them to your friends or family members, donate to Salvation Army or a Goodwill nearby. If you have heavy items, you can even schedule a free donation pick-up, which will help you save your time.
• Save donation receipts to claim a deduction on your income taxes.
• Change your address on all your online platforms (bank application, Amazon, shopping apps, etc), and most importantly, work/school website. Or you can contact them directly to request this change in your personal profile. You don’t want your sensitive information to be delivered to your old address.
• If there is something where you are relying on help from your family or friends, make sure to have a backup plan not to lose precious minutes on your move day.
• Plan enough time to see your friends, family members and neighbors before your leave. Again, start preparing in advance so instead of cleaning the last minute, you could spend some quality time together before your leave.

Packing tips

• Always tape boxes.
• Use foam pouches for glassware, plates and bowls.
• Always stack fragile items, such as dishes, decorations, upwards when packing.
• Stuff boxes containing fragile items with soft things, such as clothes, pillows, blankets, etc.
• Try to separate boxes according to rooms, and do not mix items from different rooms.
• Use small boxes for heavy items.
• Don’t use boxes without tops.
• You can put your clothes in suitcases.
• Put important and sentimental documents, such as documents, insurance, and children’s albums, separately from other things so you can easily access them.
• Don’t use supermarket or used boxes. They can be unreliable when it comes to moving.
• Don’t use a regular duct tape but a professional packing tape.
• Make sure to pack and unpack fragile items over a padded surface.
• When packing electronics and different appliances, try to pack them in their original boxes if you still have them. If not, protect them with a bubble wrap.
• Put labels on all the boxes (on top and bottom) or color-code them (e.g green for donations, pink for kitchen, blue for bedroom, etc).
• When you disassemble furniture and other things, make sure to put or tape all the parts, especially small ones, together near the main base.
• When you disassemble furniture with a complicated structure or location of drawers, put stickers with their names/locations on each part to help you assembly it after your move.

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