3 Tips to Save Time and Sanity During your Move

20 Dec 3 Tips to Save Time and Sanity During your Move

When moving house, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out — especially if you find yourself wondering where to start. Trying to organize a move can be a real challenge, given that you’ll need to pack up all of your belongings, schedule your movers, and coordinate all of the other details yourself. Considering that an average of 35.1 million people move each year, remember that you aren’t alone (even if it may feel that way).

Fortunately, there are a few tips that can help to make your move go as easy as possible. Whether you are hiring movers to help move or you are doing it yourself, these tips are sure to help ease some of the stresses many people endure going through the moving process.

Make Good Use of Boxes

Everyone knows that boxing items up is the best place to start. But if you aren’t moving for a couple of weeks, then you won’t want your current space to be overtaken by cardboard. If you have an extra closet, this is an excellent place to store boxes. If you don’t feel as though you have the extra closet space, consider what is on the floor or the shelves on the closet that can be packed into boxes to help make room. Storing the boxes either on the floor or on the shelves in the closet will make it easier to move whether you are moving yourself or you are having movers help you with your move.

Consider writing what’s in the boxes on the side of the box rather than the top. Not only will this make it easier to see what it in them but it can help the movers or the moving company know where to put the boxes when they get to your new destination. Make sure to seal boxes properly and pack items with care to avoid damage during transport.

Choose Cleaning Time Carefully

Many people think that if they clean as they pack, they’ll end up saving time. This act can actually be counterproductive. It’s fine to tidy up and lightly clean as you go, but don’t try to deep clean at the same time you’re packing up your belongings. Things are going to get dirty as you pack, whether you do it yourself or rely on movers. This means that you will feel even more defeated once all your belongings are out of the house.

Be proactive and consider coming in yourself to give the house a deep clean after everything is moved. Alternatively, consider hiring a cleaning company that has experience cleaning homes before or after moves have taken place. This ensures that the deep cleaning is performed only once, which will save time and energy.

Always Take Pictures

Once you start to unpack in your new home, you might be surprised to find that you don’t remember how major appliances need to be hooked up. Computers, televisions, home printers, and other electronics may come with a lot of wires — and you may not recall how to attach them properly without a user’s manual. You can avoid this scenario by using your phone to snap a quick picture before starting to disassemble things. This will help be your guide to let you know which chord, cable, or wire goes where when it comes to hooking your electronics back up.

Taking photos can also help you take an inventory of your valuables, which can come in handy if something is damaged or lost in transit. It can even help you to remember what’s in each packed box or exactly how you organized your closet in your old home. Use the technology in your pocket to your advantage during your move.

Moving doesn’t have to be stressful and there’s no reason to panic. Using movers helps alleviate some stress, but utilizing these tips will also ensure the process goes smoothly. Making these moves as painless as possible will benefit all involved. After all, you want to make memories in your new home — not relive horrid memories of moving out of your old one.