One Stop Moving Boxes

Once the moving boxes are packed, waiting in stacks by the door, then comes the overwhelming task of cleaning.  People who are moving out of their own home may not feel especially prone to cleaning after all of the stuff has been cleared out. But, it’s generally a good idea to leave things relatively clean.

Clean the refrigerator a few days before the day that you must be completely out.  After it is completely cleaned, turn it off.  By turning it off, you will be able to smell any dirtiness that you have overlooked.  If a foul smell arises, seek out the problem and clean the fridge once again, especially targeting the problem area.  Once you are convinced that the fridge is truly clean, you can turn it back on.

After sweeping any hardwood or linoleum floors, take a squirt bottle and spray a bit of water on any tough areas. Then go through and spot clean.  Although it takes a bit of time initially, it will make the job of mopping much quicker.

People moving out from an apartments may want to hire professional cleaners to do a sweep through.  With the place already fairly clean, a professional cleaning service will only need to clean for an hour or two, but will help to insure that you get the damage deposit back. Professionally hired cleaners will also be a good way to make sure that nothing has been overlooked in the cleaning process.

By having things boxed, waiting by the door, you avoid the last minute rush.  By waiting to the last minute for packing boxes, you run the risk  of having poorly packed boxes.  When your boxes for moving are getting packed at the last minute they are less likely to have proper protection measures taken.  If people who are helping you with the move end up loading boxes at the last minute, the moving boxes may end up labeled wrong.  All of the different variables should be good encouragement for a person to avoid procrastination.  Choose to be well prepared and buy all your moving supplies ahead of time.

The last few days before the move, don’t plan to use any of the things that are normally used.  Have paper-ware to use in the kitchen.  Plan to order out or to eat simple meals that require little or no dishes.  This frees the kitchen up to be completely packed up ahead of time, as well as allowing you to pack up the cleaning supplies, like dish soap, dish rack etc. In the bathroom, its a great time to use up all the travel sized shampoos and soap bars that are left over from hotel stays.  Pack  the other toiletries.

The last thing to avoid procrastination on is getting help.  Line up a babysitter if needed.  Also, line up a place for your animals to stay during the move. A cat getting stepped on or a nervous dog peeing on the carpet is not a great way to end a long day of moving.  Friends who may be available to help should be informed of the moving date at least a week ahead of time. The early bird gets the worm.

The best advice anyone could give to someone getting ready to move is this: be prepared.  Procrastination is a very common problem, but avoid it at all costs when planning for a move.

The first thing to plan well in advance, rather than waiting till the last minute, is the moving truck.  Especially for those who are moving cross country, be sure to have plans well laid out.  Moving trucks can easily be reserved online, as well as over the phone.  Plan ahead, and have things in place in order to save the hassle of frantically trying to find whatever is available at the last minute. If you are hiring professional moving help, book them when you book the truck.

Next, have all of the moving boxes labeled and packed in advance.  Although this seems like obvious advice, this is something that often be a problem for people who are moving.  Waiting till the last minute to pack anything  and buy moving supplies is a bad decision.  Have a suitcase for each person in the house, with the things that will be needed for the last day or two in the old place.  These should be the only things that are used the last two or three days before moving.  Everything else should be boxed, labeled and ready to go two or three days ahead of time.

Marking every single item will not save time in the long run.  A list might look like this, “Spices, Pantry items and dish towels.”  It may also be a good idea to count the moving boxes at the end of packing up each room, and number them “1 of 8 from Kitchen.” (Or “1/8K” for short.) This will help keep track that everything is moved, making sure that nothing is missing or forgotten.

Someone who loves organization might feel the need to make up a spreadsheet stating what is in each box such as “1/8K has Plates and cups.”  Most people will find this much organization to be a waste of time.  However, if some boxes are going into storage, a systematic list might be helpful for remembering what has been placed in storage as well as for estimating how much renter’s insurance is needed.

Most people think to write the room name on the top of the box.  However, when there are rows of boxes stacked one on top of the other, that doesn’t really help.  Choose an letter or abbreviation for each room. For instance, a good system might use “K” for kitchen, “B” for bathroom, numbers for the kids’ bedrooms since “K” and “B” have already been used. Use these letters or abbreviations to mark each side of the box, so that no matter what side of the box is covered or pushed against the wall, it can be easily identified.

Packing the moving boxes can be quite a hassle.  In the new home, finding everything can be even more of a chore.   Avoid chaos by smart packing and smart labeling using moving supplies labels.

As a general rule of thumb, never pack things in one moving box that are from different rooms.  This seems like a no brainer, but at the end of a long day of packing, it can happen.  A few things left over from this room, a few from that room, and now there is a box that doesn’t really belong anywhere.  These things are usually the little things, the ones that are easy to get lost.  When they get thrown together, they now become more easy to lose, because they are in a combined box where no one would ever think to look for them.

Mark moving boxes clearly.  Of course, writing the name of the room on the top of the box is a good start. Choose a space on top of the box, such as “the upper left corner” and mark every box in the same place for quick access.  When using boxes that already have writing or markings on them, use labels to make the current marking stand out.   Under the room name, on the top of the box, write out a short list of what items are in the box.  Unless there are specific things that need to be found right away (like where the coffee pot is), generic lists can work just fine for identifying what is in the box.

When packing the moving boxes, it is essential to remember to also pack some suitcases.  Everything needed for the days of travel, as well as the first few days in new home should be packed in suitcases.  Toiletries that will be needed should be packed as well.  After packing any needed toiletries, think about getting rid of old cosmetics and toiletries that are never going to be used.  Most cosmetics will have an expiration date or a number of months that it is good after having been opened.   Toss everything that will expire within the next month.  Even if it isn’t expired, if it’s not going to be used throw it away.  Not only will this help to save space on the moving truck, it will also make unpacking the moving boxes much less time consuming and you use less moving supplies while packing.

If a storage unit is needed, its best to look for this ahead of time.  Make calls to various storage units.  Be sure to ask questions about the security system.  Do they have cameras?  A fence and a gate?  Do they cover the loss of property or is it essential to secure renter’s insurance elsewhere?  You can also look up the address on google maps, to make sure the neighborhood looks safe, something that is quite important.  The best place to store extra belongings is not just the place that is cheapest.  Its better to find good quality for a good price, and know all the extra belongings are safe.  By getting things like this sorted out before hand, you can hope for a smooth move.

Moving day can be hectic.  But moving to a new neighborhood is a totally different thing than moving to a new state.  When preparing for a cross country move, the key is to do everything possible to keep things simple and by being pre-paired with proper moving supplies and packing boxes.

In the kitchen, go through the pantry and the fridge.  Make up a menu plan for the last few weeks based on the items that are found.  Give unwanted items to a soup kitchen, or the next door neighbor.  Smaller things like seasonings can often fit inside of other kitchen objects such as stove top pans and tupperware containers.  There is however, no use hauling ten moving boxes worth of spaghetti sauce and canned beans along.  That is a waste of space.  Plan to use up what you can before you leave.  Utilizing a grocery delivery service at the new home is also a great idea.  In most cities there are at least few options for grocery delivery.

The moving budget for a cross country move should include some money for eating out.  But having a menu in place for the first week of settling in, and ordering the needed groceries online will save unnecessary eating out. It will also save the hassle of finding a grocery store and going shopping while trying to unpack.  When your order the groceries online, make sure to put some paper plates, cups, and plastic cutlery into the cart before “checking out”.

Heavy duty moving boxes are good for packing dishes, glassware and canned goods from the kitchen.  In other parts of the house, these strong boxes are what things like picture frames should be boxed in, as well as home sound systems, and anything that is relatively weighty.  When packing heavier items, keep the boxes small to medium. This keeps the boxes from being awkward to carry, assuring that moving boxes are less likely to be dropped. It also makes the boxes easier to move once the movers are done and the unpacking has begun.

Another reason to avoid using large moving boxes for these items is that too much weight in a big box could compromise the integrity of the box.  A small or medium box will limit the amount of items per box.  Because many heavy things are also breakable, keeping box size smaller will prevent  damage.  Most moving companies have a few options for strong or heavy duty boxes.  Liquor stores or companies that sell water by the gallon are also great places to find strong boxes.  When using boxes that aren’t new, be sure to check them for rips or tears. Check seams, and reinforce with plenty of packing tape if needed.  When assembling new boxes, tape the bottom seam twice, coming from slightly different angles.

Moving lots of little boxes could be quite a hassle.  Avoid this problem by organizing small items before packing.  Bathrooms items for instance, can be organized in small tupperware containers, and then all put into the same box.  Office supplies can be kept organized by using plastic baggies for each type of item and then can all be moved and stored in normal boxes. Use these tips to simplify the moving process.

Other than finding a new place to live, getting moving boxes is essentially the first step in moving.  An average move will require multiple types of boxes. Needing multiple types of boxes shouldn’t mean that finding moving boxes is stressful.

Bigger boxes are great for packing things like the extra clothes from the back of the closet.  They are also great for stuffed animals and extra blankets.  Extra craft items, such as fabric, ribbons and the mending pile can also be thrown into a big box.  Big moving boxes can be found in a few different shapes at most shipping companies.  Most companies that rent moving trucks or have professional movers will also have a wide assortment of boxes to choose from.  Besides either of these options, going to a department store and asking a manager for some large boxes is also a great way to stock up on boxes.

The best bet for this option is to go to the store first thing in the morning, because most stores smash all their boxes by midmorning.  Getting moving boxes from a store works well.  However, for boxes that are uniform in shape, or are blank with no prior writing or marks, going to a moving store or shipping company is the best plan.

While pre-packing, it’s a great idea to do a little sorting too.  Have a large bag or box that is the designated “donations” box, as well as a hand-me-down box for items that friends or relatives might be able to use.  This makes it easy to get rid of anything that is not being used and is just taking up space in your home and in the moving truck.

Once either box fills up,  put it in the back of your car and start a new one.  Then you can drop it off whenever you are in the neighborhood, rather than making a special trip.  (Unless the boxes start overtaking the car! In that case,  just make the extra trip.) Somethings you will come across just need to get tossed, so keep a trash bag nearby.  The key to sorting stuff is keeping it quick and simple.  So have your moving boxes, donation boxes and the trash all at arms length.

Once each small section is done, that part of your house can go back to normal.  Moving boxes get stored out of the way, waiting for the big day.  Donations and trash are easily disposed of.  Your house looks pretty normal, but is one step closer to being ready to move.  Pre-packing is one of the best strategies to use to keep your sanity while moving.