52 Moving Tips To Help You Move Like A Pro

As we close out 2015 on this last day of the year, we want to give you our top 52 moving tips to make moving your home absolutely easy and successful.

If you’re moving your home at any period of the New Year, you can use any of these 52 moving tips. One moving tip for any week of the year you’re moving, as many moving tips as you like or even all, just so you can have a successful home relocation.

Find out what these 52 moving tips are for the 52 weeks of the new year!

52 Moving Tips To Make Moving Your Home Absolutely Easy

Moving Tips

1. Make sure to get moving quotes from several licensed moving companies and compare them carefully before you book. You can use our free moving quotes tool to get started.
2. Before hiring any moving company, check out the company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
3. Do not hire an unlicensed moving company and any mover without insurance.
4. Do your best to get a binding or binding not-to-exceed moving estimate so you can avoid unnecessary price hikes.
5. The more household goods you intend to move, the higher your moving cost will be. Do your best to clear out clutters and reduce your moving cost.
6. You should use a digital still camera or a video camera to take shots and records of your household items before loading the moving truck.
7. If you intend to move large items like boats, motorcycles or cars, make sure you hire a moving company that specialize in moving these items.
8. Before you pick up your phone to call any prospective moving company, do some research and gather information from referrals, the moving companies websites, and online review sites
9. Few weeks or days before the moving day, use up things and food items that you don’t intend to take along to your new home.
10. Just before you move, make sure you check the room dimensions at your new home to ensure larger pieces of furniture can fit through the door without any damage.

    

11. Make sure you declare in writing to the moving company you hire, any household goods that is valued over $100 per pound especially household electrical devices or appliances.
12. Just before you move, consider clearing out clutter by donating items you no longer need such as toys, furniture or other household goods  to charities in town, hospitals, schools or prisons. Check out our post about donating while moving for great tips.
13. Consider discarding or recycling any item that you can’t donate, sold or give out. The less of items you no longer need you have, the easier it would be for you to move your home.
14. You can play it safe by checking the non-allowables list for items or goods that are not permitted in a moving shipment. If you’re not so sure about how to discard these items, ask the moving company you hire.
15. If you’re having an inter state move, make sure the moving company you hire has a USDOT number, appropriate moving insurance and is registered with FMCSA to conduct inter state moving services.
16. You can easily find out if the moving company you intend to hire is registered with the FMCSA by calling (202) 366-9805 to verify their license and (202) 385-2423 for insurance.
17. When you intend to hire a moving company, costs shouldn’t be the only thing on your consideration list. Consider other key things like level of convenience, your schedule and the moving company’s level of experience.
18. If you’re not the homeowner or first tenant in your new home, Consider changing all the locks. You can’t be too careful!

Moving Tips – How To Pack Your Items Appropriately

19. Before you pack any of your household items, you should create a packing list. The list should contain grouped items by room. You can track items on the list while packing by ticking them off on paper, or any smart device like a smartphone or tablet.
20. Buying so many moving boxes could be costly. You can find new or fairly used moving boxes  and moving supplies on websites such as Craigslist at cheaper rates.
21. Consider packing similar household goods in the same box. When you arrive your new home, it’ll be easier to find any of your items.
22. When you’re packing books, lay them flat inside the carton. Make sure you alternate the spine and open sides of the books. To prevent the books from sticking and tearing during unloading, you should place a piece of paper in between them.
23. Use bubble wraps for wrapping statues and figurines and then wrap carefully with unprinted news print or clean paper. Another option is to wrap them with clean paper until they are absolutely covered.
24. Create a home inventory list while you’re moving. The list could still be useful even after you’ve moved. You can add more items to the list as you buy new household goods.
25. If you have plenty clothings to move, you should consider garment hanging boxes. With the hanging boxes, you’ll be able to move your wardrobe to the new closet at your new home.
26. Whenever you intend to pack heavy household goods in smaller boxes, make sure the boxes are strong enough to hold the weight of the goods and can be lifted easily.
27. Don’t forget to label all your boxes. You can do so by attaching sticky notes of different colors to the two sides of every moving box. Write boldly where you expect each box to end up in your new home.
28. When you’re loading the moving van, spread the weight of your household goods evenly throughout. Doing so will make loading the truck easier, keep the truck steady while in transit, and makes unloading less stressful.
29. You should make sure that Vacuum is the last item you throw into the moving van. Vacuum is always among the first few items you’ll need when you arrive at your new home.
30. If possible, use new moving boxes only for your move. You can get cheap or free grocery boxes but they damage too easily. Plastic totes too are not so strong for stacking. Always play it safe, use strong moving boxes.
31. It is easy to assume that its safer to pack your household items into big boxes. However, small to midsize boxes makes packing less stressful as they are easier to load into a moving van. This is one of the moving tips you shouldn’t take for granted.
32. Pay attention to the packing supplies the moving company you hire is using. If they pack your items with the wrong packing materials, chances are some of your valuables could be damaged while in transit.
33. If you own high value items that could require buying extra insurance from the moving company you hire, don’t hesitate to buy the coverage.
34. Label every box! Consider numbering each box based on what it contains and the room you want the box to be at your new home. You can create an maintain an inventory of your household goods by doing this.
35. If you’re moving valuables like jewelries, and important documents, keep them in a safe box and keep it in your car so you can take it along to your new home all by yourself.
36. Do your best to finish packing your household goods few days before your moving date. Consider packing a suitcase for each member of your family with clothes they can wear during the moving period.
37. If you intend to move your refrigerator to your new home, do your best to empty, clean and defrost it. You can do all of these a day before your moving day.
38. You’ll have to cushion your dish packs or boxes. You can do so easily by wrapping china with newsprint paper and placing papers at the bottom of the boxes.
39. You can wrap up to three pieces of plates in a bundle by using a double layer of paper. You can place these plates inside a carton in rows and on their edge.
40. Carefully wrap your pictures and mirrors in clean paper. Place these pictures and mirrors in a flattened packing or telescoping boxes. To hold these items together properly, you should tape and seal the boxes.
41. While you’re packing, always stand glass, pictures and mirrors on their edge. Do not lay flat
42. If you intend to pack heavy household appliances, consider dismantling the various parts and pack each part separately

Moving Tips – How To Unpack and Unload Appropriately

43. Once you’re in your new home, keep in mind that you don’t have to unpack everything in one day or even in one week. So plan and unpack at your own pace.
44. If your friends, family members or colleagues come to help you unpack, break the task into rooms and let each of them focus on a room.
45. Once you start unpacking, consider separating items you consider as necessities from others you wouldn’t need anytime soon.
46. Clean and clear as you go. Don’t let empty boxes and packing paper pile up. Pick a spot where all packing supplies you no longer need will end up.
47. When its time to unpack kitchen utensils, unpack only what you need. Consider unpacking items such as pots and pans first. Also, you should plan how to line your shelves before you start stocking them with other utensils.
48. As soon as you’re in your new home, set up your major appliances that could make starting out in a new home easier. Some of these appliances could be small ones like the coffee pot and toaster.
49. When you’re unpacking items you’ll need in the bathroom, consider things that you or your family members will need most often. Some of these items can include medication, toothbrushes, hair shampoo, soaps, the shower curtain and towels
50. When you’re unpacking your garage, get the tools you’ll need to get the space up to speed. Consider things like an extra shelving, storage boxes and special bins
51. While you’re busy packing or supervising to make sure the moving company you hire get things right, ensure utilities like electricity, water, & other services in your new home are being taken care of by experts.
52. Artworks are more appealing when you hang them at the right heights. Interestingly, 57 inches is the average eye level of humans. So consider hanging your artworks within 57-60 inches.

    

With these 52 professional moving tips, you can move your home successfully at any time of the New year. You can read more of our expert moving tips about what you should do before moving out of your home .

Also, you can read more moving tips about what you can do before moving into your new home to make it more appealing.

Happy Moving and Happy New Year!