Moving can be an overwhelming experience. There are, however, a handful of things you can do to reduce the amount of stress that comes with the moving process. Following these tips can help ensure that everything goes to plan as you begin your new life in your new home.
1. Make arrangements.
Step one of the moving process is to choose a moving day. How you choose your day depends upon several factors, such as whether or not you’ve decided to hire a moving company. Many companies will help you obtain any supplies you may need, such as boxes and packing tape. If not, use this time before the move to collect as many boxes of various sizes as you can.
Another key arrangement to make is changing your address with the Postal Service. This ensures that mail received at your old address is forwarded to you at your new address. Since it takes some time for this request to process, make sure that you do it before you move. You can choose the date that you’d like the forwarding service to begin.
2. Decide what stays and what goes.
Before you start packing, take inventory of your belongings. More than likely, not everything needs to move from one home to the next. Use this time to donate or toss anything that you no longer need or want.
It may also be a good idea to clean everything that will be moving to your new home. Although you will likely want to clean your belongings again after the move — moving will expose these belongings to the elements — you should at least wipe down your furniture. You don’t want to move the dirt and dust from your old home into your new one.
3. Pack wisely.
When it comes to packing, the best advice is to start early. Depending on the size of your home, it can take weeks to adequately pack all of your belongings.
Keep in mind that how you pack may vary from room to room. For example, you want to take more care when packing up your kitchen. Many kitchen items are fragile and require special wrappings to ensure they remain in one piece.
It is also wise to label all of your packed boxes. This allows the unpacking process to go more smoothly, as you will not waste time unpacking a number of boxes in search of one item. There are a few things, however, that you’ll want to pack at the last minute. Some of those things include:
- Toiletries
- Food
- Cleaning supplies
Again, labeling the boxes that contain these items will save you time in your new home. Since you will likely not be unpacked by night one, you can limit yourself to unpacking only these most essential items.
4. Prepare your new home.
Although most of the time prior to your move will be spent on packing, don’t forget to take care of your new home. Whether an apartment or house, your new home will contain all the remnants of its last inhabitants. These residents may, for example, have smoked or owned pets, so be prepared to clean up after them if they’ve failed to do so. You do not want to move any belongings — especially larger furniture that cannot be easily moved around — into a dirty home.
Depending on your comfort level, you can take additional steps to ensure your home is move-in ready. After a thorough deep cleaning, determine if anything needs to be replaced. Many residents will change out items like toilet seats to achieve maximum cleanliness.
In addition to cleaning, consider mapping out where all of your furniture will go. Use painter’s tape to mark the floor with the dimensions of each individual piece of furniture. This is especially important if you have decided to hire a moving company, as you may be unable to move large furniture on your own. If you’ve mapped out where your furniture will go, however, movers can go ahead and get these items into their proper place.
5. Perform a final sweep at your old home.
After you’ve finished packing and have begun unloading all of your items into your new home, don’t forget to clean up after yourself. This is one reason why it’s smart to pack cleaning supplies last. You should be prepared to spend much of your moving day cleaning up your old home.
Aside from being the responsible thing to do, your final clean will help you verify that you are not forgetting anything and are leaving no items behind. This step is especially essential to renters who paid a security deposit, as many landlords will return this money as long as the rented property remains in good shape.
No matter how far you’re moving, the moving process itself can bring on stress and uncertainty, but following a few guidelines can help ensure that your big day runs as smoothly as possible.
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
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