How to Make Your Move as Smooth as Possible

Moneymagpie Team 17th Oct 2023 No Comments

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Moving can be a very stressful experience for anyone, whether it’s big or small, across the city or across the country.

To start, there’s a lot of work that goes into finding the right place, from hunting via driving around and apps to the paperwork you need to both provide and sign. On top of all of the errands you need to do, you also need to find the time to pack and clean your home, which is another stressor weighing on your shoulders.

This article is here to help change that; we’ll provide information about what to do before, during, and after you pack to ease that process, and then we’ll help you prepare and load your moving vehicles.

Tips For Making Your Move Smoother
Ensuring The Move Goes Smooth

Tips For Making Your Move Smoother

Keep in mind that these tips are aimed at those making a large move, and while some of these tips can help with smaller moves, there are resources that help to make smaller moves easier that you should also consider reviewing.

Properly Decluttering

You should declutter before you begin packing, as this will help you get rid of old items that you don’t use anymore, broken things, and more, and can be started as you hunt for your new home. By starting with decluttering, you make both the packing and unpacking processes easier.

Start by selecting an area and breaking it down into smaller areas. For example, you decide to start decluttering your kitchen. Once you’re there, head over to a cabinet or the pantry and pick a shelf, such as the top one, then pull out everything and review it.

Throw out expired items and set aside opened ones since this will allow you to see which items you don’t need to pack and which ones to use up first. Once this is done, go through the remaining items and see what you will and won’t eat and toss or create a donate pile for the items you won’t use. Continue this process until the entire house is decluttered before moving on to the next step.

Packing Carefully

Once you’ve finished decluttering, it’s time to start packing, and there are a few tips to consider as you begin to pack.

The first thing is to separate the house into smaller areas, just like you did with decluttering. For example, you’ll need the kitchen during the moving process, so maybe start with another area, such as the bedroom. Open up the closet and pack some of the things in there that you won’t use right now, such as board games, puzzles, crafting supplies, and more, but leave the clothes there—they need to be one of the last items you pack.

Focusing on one room at a time has multiple benefits, from making unpacking quicker to making labeling easier. Some tips to help you pack are to pack heavy items in small boxes, put heavy items on the bottom of boxes, and try not to leave empty space in a box as it can cause the items to move and shift as they’re being carried and transported.

Cleaning Up

You can focus on cleaning when the items have been packed into boxes and have started to be moved. Each room in the house has different cleaning procedures, though some constants include starting from the top and working your way down and removing the nails and screws that items hung on.

You’ll need to not only clean the areas you always consider such as the floors, but also the ones you may frequently miss, such as baseboards. Unscrew every light fixture covering safely and clean them, maybe even replace the lightbulbs if they’ve been there for a while. Dust the tops of door frames and scrub the tub and toilet diligently.

If the home has carpeting, you may need to invest in or rent a carpet cleaner to remove stains and to deep clean the plush ground covering. You may also want to consider doing some final yard work before you leave your current place.

Preparing Your Transportation

Now it’s time to decide the best and most inexpensive way to move your furniture and boxes. If your personal vehicle is large enough and your move is small enough, you have friends to help or the trip is short, using your own car may be the best option.

Since you already own the vehicle, it can be the cheapest way to move though, this won’t be the case if many trips are required or the distance is far enough. You or a friend or family member may be comfortable and confident when driving large vehicles, in which case renting a moving truck may be the best option as you can pack it how you want.

Hiring a moving company may be the best option for large moves or when everyone you ask is too busy to help.

Loading the Vehicles

If you decide to rent a truck and are therefore filling it yourself, you’ll need to know how to properly pack it. Failing to pack a moving truck correctly can result in it being off balance, making the drive difficult or impossible, and may result in items being broken. The first step is to pack large and heavy items first, which probably means starting with furniture.

Once these items are in the truck, you’ll follow up with boxes. Fragile ones will need special accommodations so make it clear which ones are fragile and which ones aren’t. Generally, larger and heavy items should be near the back, while small, light ones should be near the door. Professional moving companies know this and will pack the truck accordingly.

The biggest thing you need to do is get an appropriately sized truck to make as few trips as possible, with a single one being preferable.

Ensuring The Move Goes Smooth

You also need to ensure you give yourself enough time and have enough people to make the loading and unloading processes go as smoothly as possible. Also, you’ll need to remember that everything you pack will need to be unpacked so pay attention to the weight and the problems you had as you moved items as these might be able to be avoided later.

There is one more thing to consider as you move, and that is the mental health of those around you. Moving is a big change and can be hard on those who are easily overwhelmed or struggle with change, so try to check in with your family members every now and then and see if they need anything.

Some may be excited and won’t struggle at all, whereas others may need some private time to brace and prepare themselves for the move. So long as you keep this in mind and follow the tips we provided above, your next move should go smoothly.

Disclaimer: MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence.

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