45 Moving Hacks That Will Make Your Life Oh So Much Easier
1.Use colored tape to quickly identify where each box belongs.
Yellow for living room, pink for bedroom, green for kitchen, etc. Make a cheat sheet that indicates which color corresponds with each room if you're worried about confusing them. Learn more here.
2.Make sure to keep your sentimental, valuable, and important objects/documents with you during the move.
3.Pre-cook, then pack a bunch of frozen meals into a cooler so you can put off grocery shopping for a while without blowing a bunch of money on takeout.
Meal-prepped frozen meals are essential for moving because you can just pop them in the microwave. No cooking supplies required. Just don't forget to stick the meals in the freezer as soon as you arrive so they don't get lost in the shuffle! Get the recipe here.
4.Tight on space? Use vacuum sealed bags.
5.Stack your heavier items in a rolling suitcase.
Travel suitcase isolated on white background. File contains a path to isolation.
6.Number each box so you can inventory the contents in each.
This system is as simple as it is clever. Each room is assigned a set of 100 (100 for the living room, 200 for the kitchen, etc.), then each box gets a number within that set. You can unpack one box at a time instead of opening every box to find what you're looking for. Learn more here.
7.Take photos of electronic wiring so it's not quite as confusing as it was the first time around.
The Wires close-up. A bundle of wires. Tangled wires. Miscellaneous wires are tangled.
8.Use packing as an opportunity to throw shit out.
9.Make a to-do list for friends or family members who are willing to help out.
It's a true gift when people offer to help you move. But if you don't have a solid plan going in, having a bunch of people asking you what they need to do in the middle of all that chaos can end up causing you even more stress. Make a plan in advance so everyone has their individual tasks and can get everything done in the knick of time.
10.Cut handles out of the sides of any heavy boxes, to make picking them up a lot easier.
Man lifting moving boxes at new home
11.Put plastic wrap between the bottle and the screw top so you can hold onto opened toiletries without risking a leak.
Plastic wrap (or press and seal!) should be #1 on your list of supplies — you can use it to pack salt shakers, prevent your jewelry from getting tangled, and keep drawers tightly in their frames. Learn more here.
12.In the week or two leading up to the move, try and do a little bit every night.
Family of three is moving in or out of a room in an apartment or a house. Mother and father are playing with the child on the floor of the room. The child is sitting in a box and holding what seems to be a vacuum cleaner stick. They are all smiling and the father is leaning towards the adorably cute kid.
13.Wrap breakables in socks, bedsheets, and towels to cut bubble wrap out of your list of expenses.
BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
Moving is expensive, so you definitely want to cut corners wherever you can. Learn more here.
14.Deconstruct your bed the night before.
15.Make your bed first so you can just conk out whenever you're too exhausted to keep going.
16.And keep all of your cords in toilet paper rolls so you don't have to add "untangle wires" to the to-do list.
Label each roll with the wire's function so you can set everything up without comparing each to figure out what goes in which port. Learn more here.
17.Change your address a couple days before you move.
AMC
Everyone knows how annoying it is to constantly receive mail addressed to previous residents. Don't be that person.
18.Before you pack anything, put together an overnight bag of essentials.
19.If you have a car, load it up with as much stuff as you can in the days leading up to the move.
20.Make sure gas and electricity is already set up for your new place.
New Line Cinema
Moving can be a bit of a rush and leave you feeling flustered at times, so make sure to get the necessities organized before you start getting preoccupied with packing.
21.Label. Everything.
22.If your current place needs to be cleaned before you receive your bond, organize a cleaner, or make sure you have the rental agency supply a checklist for what you need to do.
Some rental agencies will recommend a cleaning place and even organize it themselves. While it might be pricey, it ensures everything gets cleaned correctly and to the right standards. If you think you can knock it over yourself, make sure you've stocked up on cleaning supplies. And never forget the sugar soap!
23.Make sure you buy the higher-quality garbage bags.
24.If you're getting rid of furniture, try selling it on a website, in a community Facebook group, or organize a council pickup.
If it's an old bookcase not worth shit, council pickups are available — just book one in, dump your stuff outside your house, and they'll swing by and get it for you.
25.Also, remember to defrost your fridge the day/night before.
Pixar
It's a good excuse to get takeaway that night. Clear everything out, and switch it off. Now I won't force you, but once it's defrosted it's also a good time to give it a good ol' clean.
26.Buy garment bags for your clothes.
27.Or, leave your clothes on the hangers and then put a trash bag around them for an easier move.
28.Visit supermarket stores later at night and ask for boxes. Or, visit major department stores or other retail shops.
29.If you forget things easily, write a list.
30.Get partitioned boxes from liquor stores so you can easily pack your glassware.
31.If you're using movers, organize them at least a week in advance.
Disney
It's better to be safe than sorry!
32.To avoid heavy boxes, fill the box halfway with heavy items and then the rest with something light, like a pillow
33.Use some yarn to make taking off the tape on boxes WAY easier.
34.You can use tape to signal which areas of your home are already packed and empty.
35.You know those giant blue bags you get from Ikea? Store 'em and use 'em.
36.Use plastic cling wrap to keep things all together, like your furniture with drawers.
37.To make sure you don't scratch your floors, you can use products like "Moving Men" to help assist you.
38.Carry your wrapping paper in a garment bag so you can bring it all with you without crushing it in the process.
It's not like you can just stick it in a box. Hang the garment bag in the coat closet when you arrive. It's a perfect storage solution as well as a genius moving hack. Learn more here.
39.Get a few different-sized boxes so you can pack heavy items in the small ones and light items in the larger ones.
40.Pack dishes on their sides to keep them safe and to fit a few more in the box.
Wrap each dish in packing paper and stack them in the box like records. Learn more here.
41."Utilize existing real estate space."
42.Take pictures or videos of the place you're moving out of and moving into for your records.
43.Tape the bag of small parts to the furniture so nothing gets lost in the process.
When everything's reassembled, tape the instructions or the Allen key to the bottom of the furniture so you don't have to sort through a bunch of random clutter to find either when you need them.
44.Finally, be kind to yourself because moving is A LOT
This post contains content from Emily Shwake, Tahlia Pritchard, and Casey Rackham. It was compiled by Laura Frustaci.