18 Moving Tips And Tricks

Moving is a stressful experience and packing up one’s home is no easy feat. While you may have professional movers to help you pack up your belongings, there are still a few things that are up to you.

Fortunately, there are plenty of packing tips and tricks out there that can make the moving process easier. In this article, we will go over some of those packing tips and tricks so that you can get an idea of how simple it can be when packing up your belongings for your next move.

Make A Moving Checklist

If you intend to move to another state, the first thing to do is make a moving checklist. Your moving checklist will be the most essential tool you have when it comes to getting everything packed and moved.

The best thing about a moving checklist is that you can use it as a reminder of what needs to be done, where items are packed, and where they need to go at your new location. You can also create a separate moving checklist for each room in your home. This can help ensure that all the room items are accounted for during the moving process.

When creating a moving checklist, it’s essential to start with a comprehensive packing list, then break down everything else into categories by room or area. This will help ensure that nothing gets missed when packing up your belongings.

Hire The Right Professional Movers

The next step in our moving tips and tricks guide is to hire the right professional movers. Hiring professional movers with a good reputation is essential for a smooth move. You want to hire a moving company with a good track record that has provided clients with excellent customer service and happiness over the years.

The best way to find out if your potential professional movers have what it takes is by reading online reviews from previous customers who have used them before. Make sure you read all the reviews and check whether the moving company has honest or fake ratings.

Get A Moving Truck With Loading Ramp

Getting a moving truck with a loading ramp is one of the most important moving tips and tricks that you can use to make moving day easier. Because, let’s face it, if you’re not renting a moving truck with a loading ramp, you’ll have to lift your items onto the back of your vehicle, which could take some time (and maybe even cause damage).

Renting a moving truck with a loading ramp will allow you to quickly load your stuff without worrying about breaking anything or hurting yourself. Suppose you plan on using this method for getting everything into your new place. In that case, plenty of moving truck companies offer these types of services in most cities across America.

Use Quality Moving Boxes

Using quality moving boxes is also one of the critical moving tips for you. Make sure you buy good-quality boxes, not flimsy cardboard boxes that break easily. You want to ensure that the moving boxes are strong enough to handle your belongings and load them with care.

The best way to prevent damage during a move is by using high-quality, double-walled corrugated cardboard or fiberboard moving boxes. When buying new moving supplies, look for sturdy plastic containers with reinforced corners and sides and reinforced double handles on each unit.

Choose The Correct Size Of Boxes

Choosing the right moving boxes can help you save time and money on your move making it one of the essential moving tips and tricks on the list. It also ensures that all your belongings will arrive in one piece, and you don’t need to buy extra packing supplies.

The best way to determine what size of moving boxes is by measuring your items before they are packed. This will give you an idea of how much storage space each item will take up, which means you’ll be able to choose a suitable-sized moving box for the job.

Remember that if you pack boxes too tightly, they’ll shift around inside the container during transit. However, if it’s too loose, it won’t fit properly into a moving box without causing damage during transit.

Fill The Spaces In the Box

Empty spaces in boxes will not only make it easier for your packages to break or get crushed during transit. They also increase the weight of each individual box. You can use several items to fill empty spaces in your dresser drawers. You can use packing paper, old clothing, stuffed animals, books, and bunched up paper that you no longer need or want.

One of the most essential packing tips when packing for a move is to cut old dish towels into squares and place them inside each box full of clothes or other items. This ensures that nothing moves around inside the wardrobe during transport and adds extra cushioning between fragile items like glassware or ceramic plates if they happen to be stacked within other pieces of furniture.

Put Heavy Items In Small Boxes

If you have heavy items to move, you may have trouble finding somewhere to put them. Heavy things can break or crush other items and take up so much space that they don’t fit in the moving truck.

To solve this problem, place all your heavy items into small boxes before moving. This will make it easier for your chosen moving company to lift and transport everything safely and efficiently and save space when it is time for unpacking later.

You can also use a separate box to keep your belongings from shifting too much during transit. And suppose there is too much movement between large objects like furniture pieces or appliances during transit. In that case, they could get damaged or even punctured by sharp corners or edges sticking out of their containers.

Don’t Overpack Moving Boxes

When it comes to moving tips, one of the most common mistakes people make is overpacking. This can lead to damage and extra fees, so you must avoid it during your upcoming move.

Overpacking can also result in a higher price, as movers have to charge more for carrying all that extra weight. In addition, if you have too many boxes, there’s a chance that they won’t fit in the moving truck or van at all. In this case, even if your stuff doesn’t get damaged by overpacking (which is unlikely), you might not be able to take everything with you on your move day.

Use Plastic Wrap To Prevent Leaks

Plastic wrap is your best friend when you’re moving, and you have many fragile, leaky, or stinky items to transport. Plastic wrap can be used to pack glasses and prevent leaking by wrapping glassware with the help of packing tape or rubber band. Also, plastic wrap can be used to keep food from spilling out of containers during transit by covering them with plastic wrap first.

You can use plastic wraps for other stuff too. You can wrap anything that might want to get stained (like a tablecloth) in plastic wrap before it’s completely packed so that the packing tape doesn’t ruin any part of it when you’re moving.

If any boxes smell bad, for example, if they were under your kitchen sink, cover them in plastic. So that no one will know about their foul odor until after they’ve been unpacked at their new home.

Use Sealable Plastic Bags

A sealable plastic bag is a must-have item in your arsenal of packing tips. They can be used to pack small and loose items, such as jewelry or craft supplies.

The sealable plastic bag is also helpful for packing fragile items, like glassware and china, that could break during the packing stage. Using sealable plastic bags will keep these items safe from damage during transit and make unpacking more manageable when you reach your new home.

In addition, you should pack up any belongings that may leak or get dirty during the move, such as foodstuffs and liquids in bottles. This way, they are kept away from other belongings inside your moving truck. It’s much easier to clean up after at the destination than it is after finding out everything’s ruined because something was left out of a box during transit.

Use A Bubble Wrap

One of the best packing tips is to use bubble wrap for protection. Bubble wrap is a great way to protect fragile items and keep them from moving around in boxes. Bubble wrap comes in sheets, rolls, or cushions, and it’s inexpensive and easy to find at most stores that sell packing supplies.

Moreover, bubble wrap is a cushion between other items inside boxes, so they don’t get damaged during shipping or storage. You can reuse bubble wrap after each move if you want, but you will probably need new pieces every time because they usually get ripped or torn with a box cutter.

Keep Wardrobe Clothes On Hangers

There are several reasons why you should keep your wardrobe clothes on hangers. First, it helps to save storage space in your suitcase and storage boxes. Second, keeping them wrinkle-free will make them look great when you wear them again. Third, hanging clothes allows for neat organization of all pieces that go together, so they don’t get mixed up with other items when moving from one location to another.

Pack Similar Items Together

One of the most essential packing tips is to pack similar items together in one box. This is particularly useful if you’re moving to the best states to raise a family and want to ship your packages via freight carrier.

Why? Because they will charge a per-box fee based on weight and size. By packing similar items together, you can reduce each box’s space by consolidating them into one larger container, thus, saving money.

If you’re unsure what ‘similar’ means when packing for a move, consider whether an item belongs in the clothing or kitchen/dining room categories. You’ll likely find that all your cookbooks should go into one of those large boxes, for example.

Label Boxes Correctly (On All Sides)

Labeling boxes is one of the best moving tips out there. Use a marker or pen to write the room name on each side of the original box, both top, and bottom. You must label boxes with the room they belong to so that you can quickly tell which rooms are in which building by looking at the labels. Remember that if you don’t label your boxes correctly, someone else may come along later and think they belong in another room.

Take Photos Of Electronics As You Pack Them Up

Recording photos of your electronics as you pack boxes are a great way to ensure that everything gets packed correctly and that nothing gets lost. You can use the photos as a reference when unpacking or if something does get lost during the move. You can use them to verify what was actually packed by taking another photo after unpacking.

Get Creative With Packing Materials

When you’re moving, it’s vital to use packing materials that are light and easy to handle. It can be tempting to just throw all your stuff into boxes, but this is a recipe for disaster. You’ll want to get creative with what you use as your packing material. Here are some ideas:

• Toilet paper, magazines, packing paper, and other soft materials
• Plastic bags for fragile items
• Garbage bags for clothing
• Paper towels for small items

Use Garbage Bags When Packing Clothes

If you’re looking to pack clothes in a neat, efficient way and prevent wrinkles, these moving tips are for you. To start, place your dress shirts flat in the bottom of your garbage bags and fold any slacks or jeans around them.

Next, fill any remaining space between them with socks and underwear (place these items next to one another). Finally, put sweaters on top of everything else so they won’t get crushed by heavier items like coats and jackets if placed on top at some point during travel. If there’s still room left over after this step has been completed, just put anything else like belts in there too.

Pack Plates Vertically In Boxes

When packing dishes and other breakable items, pack them vertically in boxes. Use cardboard boxes or packing paper to protect the plates and other fragile objects from being crushed by heavy items on top.

Also, you may place dish towels between each plate or glass to prevent them from scratching against each other. However, if you can’t find enough boxes for all of your dishes, use paper plates instead. They’re much sturdier than plastic ones and therefore better suited for this purpose.

Conclusion

While moving can be a stressful experience, it doesn’t have to be. Taking the proper precautions and planning can make your move much more straightforward. However, if you’re worried about how much work is involved in packing up all your belongings, consider hiring professional movers who can handle everything for you.

If you need help moving, HOMES by ARDOR has trusted agents ready to help in the home buying process. They can also assist in finding a rental property that fits your needs and budget.

Steph Wilkinson

In her 25-year career, Steph Wilkinson has been involved in the acquisition, marketing and sales of over $3 Billion dollars of residential real estate. A number of years ago, Steph transitioned into Brokerage Leadership for National real estate brands and tech start-ups. She has served as a Business Strategist for real estate agents and brokerages alike and is also a real estate coach and trainer. In her new role with the Iconic Team, Steph will be responsible for the growth of the team and will be working with all of our agents to increase their productivity and bottom line.