(Newswire.net — March 29, 2016) — Whether you’ve moved once in your life or 20 times, there always seems to be at least one thing that goes wrong. Something breaks or gets misplaced, and it takes time to re-create the homey feeling of your last place.
You can avoid going through that experience again, however, with some moving advice that can help you perfect the process.
1. Pack an Overnight Bag
Ever experienced that frustrating feeling of unloading all the boxes, collapsing on the bed at the end of the night, and realizing you have no idea where your pajamas or toothbrush are? Dodge that problem by packing a trendy overnight bag with all the essentials.
2. Label Everything and Color Code
Buy labels or a permanent marker to write what’s in every box and which room it goes in. For a smoother transition, use colored masking tape to label your boxes. Each color can stand for the room a box should go to — for example, red for bathroom, blue for kitchen, etc.
3. Use Clothes to Cushion Breakables
Save some money and the environment by using clothing, towels, and linens to cushion your breakables and dishes rather than having to buy, use, and discard packing material.
4. Get a Few Clear Plastic Bins
It’ll probably take you a couple of weeks to get completely unpacked. You can easily locate the immediate essentials, such as dishes and towels, if you put them in a clear plastic bin for ready identification and access.
5. Protect Your Cosmetics and Toiletries
One of the most discouraging mishaps during a move is when your makeup, lotions, soaps, and creams leak or break in the transition. Avoid that by using cotton balls in powder makeup to prevent breakage and covering the bottle necks of your liquids with cling wrap, then replacing the lid.
6. Pack Your Drawers to Save on Boxes
While you’ve got the cling wrap handy, use it to seal drawers stuffed with clothing and linens. Press ’n’ seal cling wrap works best for this, and you’ll save considerably on boxes.
7. Take Pictures Before You Pack
Don’t assume you can remember how everything goes after you’ve taken it down and boxed it away. Take pictures of things like photo arrangements on the wall and cord placements in your entertainment center. This will save you time and hassle and help you place things just the way you like them.
8. Be Packed Before the Movers Show
Rule number one of moving: Always have your boxes packed and ready to go before the movers come – it’s bad manners not to.
9. Hire Movers to Protect Your Things
It’s nice to get a group of friends together to help you pack, but if you want to be sure your things will be protected, then hire professionals. They’re trained to take extra care with your breakables and fragile furniture, and usually, they’ll replace anything that gets broken.
10. Donate to Charity
Save yourself some time and hassle by simply donating your leftover goods to charity. Maybe you could extract a few hundred dollars out of your stuff by selling the castoffs, but that’s a time-consuming, stressful endeavor. Compare that to the feeling of extreme satisfaction of knowing you contributed to a good cause during your easy move.