Moving Tips & Tricks!
Plan ahead & Book your move!
One of the first things you should do when you know you are moving, is book your move with a reputable moving company! That is if you need the help. But you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t, would you? Now, we’re certainly biased when it comes to who you should hire. We think we’re pretty great! But we definitely recommend you call at least 2-3 companies for quotes. This ensures you get the best price, understand the market fully, and feel more confident in your decision with the movers you picked!
2. Downsize & Scale down!
Sometimes it can be hard to let go of things you've had for awhile — but it's even more of a hassle to haul a box of stuff you don't want across the city, province or country! Donating clothes, furniture and items you no longer like or use will make your move *that* much easier. Start the process several weeks or months ahead of your move, too, in order to minimize stress. If you find something that you’re unsure whether to keep, sell or give away, start a pile of things to review later. This will also make your move MUCH cheaper! The less we have to move, the faster we are and less you pay.
3. Pack early & Pack everything!
It’s never too early to start packing for a move, so begin planning as soon as possible! Pack areas that aren’t used every day first, such as the basement and attic, etc. Give yourself time, and pack more and more each day leading up to your move, to ease the stress on moving day. Everything that CAN be packed, SHOULD be packed! This both lessens the possibility of damage to your items, and makes your move so much faster! When you, or your movers, have to move lots of small, unorganized, and unpacked items it makes your move drag on much longer than needed. So make sure everything is completely packed before your moving day!
4. Label boxes!
We cannot recommend enough the importance of labeling boxes! This helps you find, and unpack, your belongings more quickly after your move. But it also helps you, and the movers, put boxes where they need to go on moving day. Colour coding your boxes is also an amazing idea to add some more organization! This can be done by simply using coloured tape, or labels, to help designate boxes for each room.
5. Secure doors & drawers!
Buy a roll of stretch wrap! Trust us, it’s worth it. And also a roll of painters tape. Wrap dresser drawers with their contents inside using the stretch wrap! Dresser drawers are like their own moving boxes, and this will keep you from having to unpack and refold their contents. It'll also make moving the actual dresser much more manageable. Tape any doors, such as cabinets, to keep them closed on moving day! This will move things along and help prevent any possible damage to your furniture from doors swinging open.
6. Make use of all space!
One of our top packing tips is to use every little bit of space you can! Waste baskets can be filled with things you need to keep snug, for example. Make use of luggage bags, backpacks and any empty space you can take advantage of. The more compact you pack, the less boxes you’ll need! One of the worst feelings ever is loading up the truck and realizing how quickly you’re running out of space!
7. Take Photos!
Take photos of furniture before you dissemble it! This way you have a guide of how it fits together when you need to reassemble it later on. You can use this trick with other things too, such as how your electronics are connected! That way you remember how, and where, all those wires really go when you reconnect everything later.
8. Move small & fragile things early!
If you have the option to access your new place early, we highly recommend bringing over a few loads of things before your official moving day! Especially fragile & awkward items. This will cut down a lot of time on your main moving day, and end up costing you a lot less money! Leaving the larger, and heavy items, for the movers to handle, and less trips for them to take. But even if you aren’t hiring movers, doing this will still save you a lot of time on moving day, and free up a lot of room in your U-Haul or truck.