Awesome Tips For Making Your Household Move Go Smoothly
The average American moves about 12 times in their lifetime, so you can probably expect a move in your future. Household moves can be hectic and disorganized, but with some of these tips, you'll reduce your headaches and find packing and unpacking much easier for you. These tips will have you moving and packing like an expert, even if it is your first time.
1. Shrink wrap your games and puzzles.
If you are packing away your games, the last thing you want are cards and pieces falling out of the game boxes and becoming lost. Sometimes, if a box is turned a certain way, or even flipped upside-down, you'll open it at your new place to find a muddle of plastic pieces at the bottom. So, stack your games two or three high, and use a shrink wrap tool to keep them together with the lids on. You'll save yourself some money, because you won't have to replace games or throw out the ones you already have.
2. Stack your books with covers facing up.
Sometimes to save space in the box, you'll stack your box with the spines out-- you can also see all the titles easily this way. But, this stacking method can lead to broken book spines, especially if you stacking several boxes of books on one another, or if a box is dropped. Save your books by stacking them on top of each other, with the spines facing the inside of the box. You'll find that fewer books become casualties of the move.
3. Move your clothes in your luggage.
You'll find suggestions to move your clothes while still on the hanger, and just wrap them in plastic, to save having to rehang all your clothes. However, the bags can rip, and clothes can be pulled off the hanger. Instead, save space and your clothes by packing your wardrobe in your traveling luggage. This way, you can keep you suits and special dresses on hangers, without having to worry about them getting ruined, and it means that all of your clothes that aren't hung up, like underwear and sweatpants, are all in one place with the rest, in case you need them during the move.
4. Pack your kitchen first.
Most people gravitate toward packing up books and clothes-- those feel like you are making progress. However, the kitchen is the hardest and most time consuming room to tackle. You'll need more boxes to accommodate oddly-shaped pots and pans, and you'll need to spend the time carefully wrapping your fragile things in newspaper or bubble wrap. Plus, the kitchen usually requires the most cleaning, so getting your things out will let you get the worst behind you. Just another little tip-- use newspaper for cups and other glassware, but save yourself the trouble of wrapping up your dinner plates by using foam plates in between.
6. Pack your tools last.
When you get to your new house, you will need to reassemble all that furniture you just took apart a few days before. Don't bury your tools beneath everything else in the moving van. If someone can assemble things while the rest of the crew unpacks, your bed might be ready to sleep in at the end of the first day. Therefore, keep your hammer, screwdrivers, drill, and wrenches at the ready.
7. Know where to get your boxes.
Many people go to the grocery store or liquor store for boxes-- but these boxes go fast. Try frequenting schools and office buildings, who buy reams of paper in boxes that come with lids. These boxes are study-- made to hold heavy paper, and are much easier to pack and tape than other boxes.
After you've moved a few times, you start to learn the tricks of the trade. Hopefully this tips will make your move go even more smoothly, and reduce your stress level.