Top 15 Moving Tips

Top 15 Moving tips

So you decided to move, and you’re wondering about which direction to go in, do you go with the safer and probably a lot quicker option of choosing professional movers, or do you go with the cheaper and more fun approach of getting friends and family to help. Moving can be quite a bit of a problem for some people, be it stress, no time to pack, or just downright no clue where to begin everything. On the other hand, there are people that have already moved a couple of times (which isn’t anything extraordinary since around 40% of all moves in the US are work-related) but they still have a hard time with all the tasks needed and still find it a rather stressful time. Well for whichever reason you want or need to move, this is the place to go to, 15 of the best tips you need to make moving less of a hassle and more of a journey.

The start of the moving process

The first thing you should do in all cases of moving is to definitely make a plan or checklist that you can follow through to the end. Some kind of timeline that you can possibly even change as things get done, moreover this timeline will serve as a guide when and what to do in that certain period (ex. 2 weeks before moving request a day or two off your job). Surf the web in search of local moving companies and keep track of all of them to see what suits you best. Also, an important thing to note is to check your budget and see what works for you, should you hire professional movers, should you get the best movers to also pack stuff up for you, and so on…

Research is what matters

You would think that picking the right moving company is easy since the professional movers are the most reviewed ones, in a way that would be correct, however, there are many more situations and preferences where choosing some lesser-known ones can turn out better. But most importantly make sure that every local moving company is licensed and not just an amateur that has a truck and is written down on a website as a professional mover. Things you should look into are definitely what each company and mover has to offer, some don’t accept bags or suitcases and will only lift boxes, other companies will either ask for a downpayment or just ask for payment in advance, most importantly look into all the insurance policies for each company you’re looking at, since if things go bad insurance can and will help a ton.

Scheduling the move

Once you’ve done all your research it’s time to call up some professional movers. Scheduling should be rather easy since it’s really only one phone call away, but prepare some questions in advance so you can get all the info you need before you actually negotiate a set time and date. Ask away question by question, from getting a moving quote, to check if all trucks are safe for your belongings as well as making sure if there are any extra charges that aren’t listed. Also, consider that most moving companies have some kind of service they decline so be sure to ask about that as well. After all of your questions are answered and you’re sure of when and what you want it’s time to finalize it and get a set date for your move.

Notify everyone needed

The best way to handle notifying every party that is in some way involved with you is before the actual stress of packaging and managing time comes into play. To send notices to your friends and family, to your job or school, and make sure to check with your government and bank about changing your address on government-issued papers as well as credit cards and debit cards. Make sure to cancel any subscriptions and any utility service when you get closer to the actual date of the move.

Things to take into consideration before packing

Take a look around your current house or apartment and take a pen and paper, mark everything you want to keep, and mark everything else that will either be donations or sold at a garage sale or website. Decluttering is a way of removing all that is unnecessary to you and restoring all the lost storage from hoarding that stuff. It will also be a breath of fresh air once you get to your new house since there won’t be anything that you don’t need. Looking for things like that in your current home can add up and can cover some expense of your moving if you decide to sell some of it, however, if you wish to donate there are always organizations that accept donations and put them to good use.

Packing, packing, and more packing

Packing stuff really should start as early as you can, and even if you hire professional movers and pay the additional cost of packaging, the process can and will take a while so a headstart is a good thing. A good thing to look for, if you chose to do packaging on your own, is to set a timer every day for an hour or two and get to packing. This way you won’t be lazy about it and you won’t get tired from packing all day, you’ve probably got a lot of time so there’s no need to rush things. Get supplies either from local stores or online, and splurge a little on better boxes for all the important stuff you own. Start with unused rooms and items, get seasonal items that are mostly unused, and pack them first, steadily climbing up the ladder of essentials and important stuff. Make sure you don’t overpack a box, remember most larger boxes should be around 50 pounds, and don’t cram more when it doesn’t fit, however, if there are any empty spaces in your boxes make sure you fill them with either packing paper or packing peanuts to decrease the danger of them shifting around and breaking accidentally.

Labeling everything

There’s no such thing as too many labels, if you want to know what every single box contains then put markers to good use and mark everything you need to. This also helps professional movers where exactly to put most of the boxes, and to know which things are more fragile than others. Also keep a box marked with essentials open at all times especially nearing the date of moving, since by that time you won’t really have any dishes, utensils, and clean laundry out in the open so instead of looking through everything and reopening boxes one by one, you can easily access a single box which you can close up as you get ready to leave. You could also do it the colorful way, color coding every box to a different room so the professional movers know exactly where every box belongs. A trick that could prove useful when unpacking is to use wool string as a sort of pull tab, so you don’t have to torture yourself with ripping packing tape.

Valuable stuff

Even when professional movers are involved with packaging, it’s way more secure for you to pack the most valuable stuff you own yourself since most of the time the moving company doesn’t take responsibility for missing jewelry, documents, and other important stuff you might own. Package it the safest way possible with packing paper or packing peanuts, as well as just keep track of the boxes that store all your valuable stuff. Also, make sure you put that box in the truck last since you don’t want it accidentally damaged if it’s under every other thing.

Empty everything out

You probably overlooked this small thing, but it will cause slight problems when it comes to moving day. Make sure every cupboard, drawer or anything that can store stuff is emptied out, also make sure that kitchen and bathroom appliances are fully emptied out. It might not sound like a problem, but it adds weight to the item, and our professional movers will try to keep everything accident and danger free, however, the added danger of something falling out while moving is definitely avoidable. At least if you forgot or didn’t get to it in time, warn the professional movers of the potential accident.

The forbidden list

Most of the time liquids will be located on the banned or forbidden list of a moving company, so before you actually pack any of that, check with your professional movers to see if they allow transport of such items in their truck. If they do, then take precautions in how you pack your hazardous items. Paints, tools and painting equipment should be packed in the same box and should be clearly marked, also when packing any medicine, fire extinguishers, auto batteries and similar items you’ll want to keep them separate from everything else so in case of an accident it won’t ruin every item.

Cleaning everything

Make sure that your new home and the place you’re at right now are cleaned thoroughly since the last thing you want is to be sitting in a dirty place. Before the set date of moving make sure you visit your new home and clean everything up, from the floors to the windows. The same thing goes for your current place since now without furniture in the way you can clean everything in detail.

Renovations

This goes without saying but make sure that the place you’re moving into doesn’t have any kind of minor repairs needed. Since the house is completely empty it’ll be a lot easier to get everything under control as well as paint every wall if needed.

Cleaning out the kitchen and bathroom

You’ll want to defrost and empty out your fridge and freezer a couple of days ahead of the move since it needs to be dry. Moving any Tupperware, silverware, everyday dishes you’ll want to keep them in separate boxes with lots of padding so they don’t break, the same goes for any kind of ceramics, china or crystal keepsakes, and dishes which you wouldn’t want breaking. Make sure any toiletries you have are separate from dry items as well as encased in some plastic wrap as a general precaution to it leaking.

Electronics and furniture

If you aren’t the one that connected all of your electronics, make sure to grab a couple of pictures just so you get the idea of where everything needs to go. Most of the time, professional movers won’t be able to help with electronics and any issues with connecting. However, when scheduling professional movers most of the time disassembly and reassembly of furniture is included in the starting price, so you won’t need to know how to put your bed back together if you booked someone (make sure to check with the company if there is an extra charge for such a thing).

Overnight bags

When it’s all set and done, and when the workers are leaving. You will probably be sitting amongst all the unopened boxes too tired to get up and do anything. That’s why it’s a good idea to pack an overnight bag.

Anything you would need to make yourself feel somewhat at home and relaxed you put into this bag, and as the name suggests you open it once it’s only you and your new home left. Any change of clothes, some toiletries, maybe a laptop or tablet as well as some snacks and drinks.

And with that the list is complete, if you followed along and listened to some of the tips, your moving experience should have been really smooth and fast. And that is exactly what Long Beach Movers the professional movers of Los Angeles offer to you. Our professional movers are all background checked and will do their job perfectly so that you can get into your new home as fast and as easily as you possibly can, we offer an affordable price with no hidden charges and our transparency can be seen in the way we work, everything you need to know is laid out in front of you. Give us a call, and our customer support service will fill you right in on everything you want and need to know, you’ll get a free estimate over the phone and then we’ll be in talks of getting you to your new home.