Moving house is usually a time for new beginnings and fresh perspectives. When we’re moving for positive reasons – better job opportunities, for example, or into a bigger house as the family grows – this can also be a very exciting period. However, there can be no denying that moving, whether it’s long-distance or local moving, does involve a ton of work and can sometimes fill us with dread. It’s little wonder many people consider it one of the most stressful life events.
Unfortunately, sometimes this is something that has to be done so it’s not like we have a choice. That said, the best favour we could do ourselves – given there’s no way out – is to embrace our move-in totality. With that psychological aspect taken care of, the rest is incumbent upon us to find ways to make our relocation easier and less stressful. And that’s why we’re here.
In this post, we take a look at some of the best moving hacks and tricks you can incorporate into your move to make your relocation more seamless in 2021. Interestingly, as you’ll realize, most of these are standard moving best practices at the heart of it; advice that most of us usually don’t remember to follow, much to our own chagrin.
Do a household purge
One of the best things you can do when relocating is to embark on a household purge. We cannot overemphasize how simpler your move will be if you organize your possessions and choose what to leave behind instead of lugging them with you to your new home.
If you’re moving locally, you can be forgiven for deciding to keep everything, although getting rid of some items – old stuff, for example, or things you rarely use – will create more room in your new home while also eliminating old energies.
If you’re moving across the country, however, moving lean will make the move easier in every sense of the phrase. Plus, this can cut your moving bill considerably, especially if you decide to leave heavy items like old furniture and appliances behind.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you’ll be leaving the belongings in your old digs. You can sell these items on the secondhand market (either through online and/or offline avenues like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace and/or flea markets respectively.
Or donate to charity. Or if you feel generous enough, give some of the stuff to friends or family.
Pack heavy items in rolling suitcases
A lot of people mistakenly believe that stuffing as much stuff as possible into many little boxes constitutes efficient packing. While it’s true that small boxes work great for heavy items like books, you don’t have to stuff them too heavy. Rather, consider wheeling them in your rolling suitcase(s).
This is a good hack to minimize the number of boxes while also reducing the potential for injuries.
Improvise with the padding
Padding material such as bubble wrap, old newspapers and packing peanuts are some of the most integral packing supplies you’ll need when relocating.
However, household items such as towels, linens and other soft items can work great as alternative padding materials to cushion the boxes holding items that need extra protection – from fragile like glasses and dishes, to other items like cookware and sharp objects such as knives.
The bonus with this hack is that it keeps your box weight in check – never mind reducing the need for (and cost of) moving supplies like padding materials since you’ll be moving with items such as towels anyway.
Colour-code your boxes
Everyone and their neighbour is aware that labelling moving boxes makes it easier to tell which box holds what or goes into which room.
However, you can go one further and opt to colour-code your boxes by using differently-coloured stickers and sticking the sheets on the boxes, categorizing them by say the rooms. For example, green-coded boxes can be used for the kitchen, red for the master bed, yellow for the kids’ bedroom etc. etc.
The upside to this over labelling individual boxes is that it makes it particularly easier when packing, more so when dealing with a large household, as you don’t have to hunt for the marker every single time you seal up a box.
It also makes it easy to tell which box is destined for which room when you get to your new home.
It’s the little things…
Do the cleaning before unpacking
Speaking of a new home, if there is any vacuuming, dusting, cleaning, or wall-painting that needs to be done in your new pad, you can make work easier for everyone involved by tackling those assignments before you open the first package. You may wish to employ the services of a professional such as Austin cleaning service, or a similar service near you. With a simple online booking system and a team of professional cleaners, they can help to relieve the stress of moving by getting the house all ready for your arrival.
Cleaning will be much faster when there’s not a lot of things everywhere and generally, it will be less work that way.
And there you have it. Happy moving!
