Now Its Time to Start Moving

Your house is sold, congratulations! Now begins the process of packing up your family and household items and moving to your new residence. If you are fortunate enough to have packers and movers, good for you, but if you do not have that luxury here are some guidelines to help make your move a successful and safe one. You will want to start off by using the right equipment and tools to make sure that your possessions arrive at the new destination in the same condition they were in prior to packing and moving. Determine moving expenses and keep a record of costs. You may be able to write some of your move off so save all receipts. Verify with your insurance company that your belongings will be covered for the move. It may be necessary to make some changes on your policy and your agent will be able to give you the best advice for this. Also make sure you transfer your policy to your new home address. Hold a yard sale or list items for sale on the internet if you won’t need them don’t move them. You will need many boxes for your move and they come in a variety of sizes and shapes plus there are boxes for specific items. You will be able to purchase professional moving boxes from moving supply stores. There are specific boxes for pictures and mirrors, wardrobe boxes with a hanger bars that will let you move your hanging clothes right from your closet to the box, mattress cartons for any size mattress, one box per mattress and box spring and dish pack boxes that are double sided to offer better protection against breakage for dishes, crystal and glassware. Purchase plenty of packing paper to wrap your items in. Clean paper will prevent any ink rub off so only use printed newspaper if you need to stuff a box and you are not worried about stain from the print. Bubble wrap is also good for those very fragile items. Compare prices and you will find some items that are made better from professional packing stores like specialty boxes that are worth paying a little more for. I have found that discount stores like Sam’s and Costco have better prices on items such as the wide heavy duty packing tape and bubble wrap than office supply stores so check around for the best deals. A tape gun is a must along with rolls and rolls of wide tape as are marking pens with a broad tip that will identify the contents and let you know what is fragile and needs to be handled with care. Be sure to also note on the boxes which rooms the boxes should be placed in at the new residence. Color coding boxes that have high priority at the new destination is a smart idea. Select a color that stands out such as bright pink, orange or lime green, something that is easy to find. These boxes may contain bedding, towels, cleaning supplies, tools to put together the beds etc. Think about what you will need first when you unpack and make sure these boxes are easy to access. Create a survival box that is last to go in the moving truck and will be first to come out of the truck containing items such as a first aid kit, soap, toilet paper, personal items, paper towels, paper plates and cups, eating utensils, pots and pans. If you have little ones make sure they have at least one box that is all their own. Let them fill it with their favorite toys and special items and color code it with their name and room. Make sure these boxes are some of the first boxes to be unloaded from the truck and delivered to their new room so that they can begin to unpack and feel that they are a very important part of the move. Have a few pairs of scissors or knife cutters and plastic bags to hold screws, keys, picture hooks etc. It is a good idea to keep any hardware that has been removed from a piece of furniture attached to that piece of furniture. Put it in bag and tape it securely to the back or bottom or inside the drawer of the furniture so it will not get lost and it will be available when reassembling the piece. Another tip, keep at least one trash bag in every room as you pack so you will not be tempted to pack an item that should be thrown away. Do not use boxes that are damaged or soiled or cannot be closed properly. Also make sure that you cannot hear the contents of a box rattle or move when you lift it. No box should weigh more than 50 pounds, when packing heavy items such as books use smaller boxes. No boxes should bulge or cave in at the sides or top, it’s better to pack fewer items with lots of wrap to insure safe arrival then to stuff too much into fewer boxes and risk items breaking. When packing plates wrap them securely so no edges or sides are unprotected, place them in the carton so that they are standing on their sides, which is the strongest part of the plate, and make sure all plates and other flat dishes are packed the same way. Make sure you use lots of crumbled paper on the bottom, side and top of the boxes. If you need to rent a storage unit make your reservation in advance and make sure you have insurance coverage while your items are in storage. Purchase a high security steel padlock with a thick clasp for the storage door. Depending on where you live and the season your items will be in storage, a climate controlled unit can be a wise decision. They provide protection for items that are sensitive to temperatures such as wood, leather, electronics and photographs. You will want a storage unit that is conveniently located and has easy access. The storage unit we rented had drive thru entry so the moving truck was able to drive into the building and the packers loaded the truck inside the building, protecting them from the outside elements which proved to be a very wise decision since it rained all afternoon while the packers loaded the truck, everyone and everything stayed dry. Packing blankets and pads are a necessity along with an appliance utility dolly for moving large items. Shop around for your truck not only for price but also for service and dependability. Make sure you select a company that has reliable equipment so that your odds of breaking down are next to none. Ask for references and talk to past clients. They will give you your best testimonials. Plan your travel route ahead of time and make reservations for your overnight lodging. Remember you need room to park a big truck so check on that too. Your move should be exciting and as stress free as possible so plan well, be smart and be safe. Happy moving!