Top 10 Moving Tips and Tricks

Whether big or small, moving to a new city can be difficult, even overwhelming. The best thing

to do in this situation is to look for tips and advice from professional movers and experts.

Anyone who has moved knows these tips can make the moving process much easier. Take a

look at these moving tips to help you save time, money and energy.

1. Look for Free Moving Boxes

The process of moving tends to incur a lot of unexpected costs and some of them are actually

unnecessary, such as buying boxes to pack your stuff. If you can avoid some of these costs, it

can end up saving you a lot in the end. So make a smart start! Procure packing boxes from

grocery stores. The craigslist free section is also a good place to find free packing boxes that

are in good shape.

2. Keep Clothes on Hangers

Some people are fans of the plastic wrap technique when it comes to packing clothes; simply

wrap folded clothes in plastic wrap to make them more compact and place them into a suitcase

or box. But taking the clothes off the hanger first, folding them, wrapping them and packing them

also means having to unpack, unwrap, unfold and rehang each garment when you get to your

new home. Skip a step and save yourself time by keeping clothes on the hangers. Just zip tie a

group of hangers together, wrap the bunch in plastic wrap and place them into a suitcase or

box. When you get to your new home, just hang up the bunch, remove the plastic wrap and cut

the zip ties.

3. Color-Code or Label Boxes by Room

A challenge while packing for a move is that the greater the number of boxes you pack, the

harder it becomes to keep them organized. And this, in turn, makes it difficult to find things when

you arrive at your new place. There are two easy ways to help solve this proble: color-coding or

labeling. Either assign a color to each room of the house (kitchen = green, living room = blue,

etc.) and mark or put stickers on each box to go with the right color. Or simply label each box

with the name of the room. This way you’ll be able to sort boxes easily when you unload the

moving truck.

4. Pack your Plates nicely

A moving catastrophe that you just don’t want to experience is find your expensive ceramic

dishes broken. A trick is to pack your plates vertically, like records, so that they are less likely to

break in transit. Although a common way to pack them up is to wrap them around with used

newspaper. But here is another, more effective trick: Simply pack foam plates between the

breakable ones to keep them intact and safe.

5. Packing your Television

A lot of TVs are big, heavy, and fragile. Try covering the screen with soft blankets or towels and

wrapping the entire thing with tape to make it more secure. Or, if you planned ahead, use the

box the TV came in to repack it securely. Just make sure you keep the TV standing upright

when you load it onto the moving truck; tilting or laying the TV down can damage the screen.

6. Remove Drawers

Take drawers out of dressers and chests. IT will make moving the main piece of furniture much

easier because you won’t have to worry about a drawer falling out. Then, use the empty

drawers as extra storage. Fill drawers with clothes, books or small items that might get lost in a

big box.

7. Keep Mirrors and Pictures Intact

Packing plates is still second to packing one other extremely fragile and delicate category of

items: mirrors and picture frames. To pack these items safely, you’ll need to pack each of them

separately. A best practice is to pack them using bubble wrap or a normal packing paper or

newspaper. Just don’t forget to label the boxes as ‘fragile.’

8. Use Your Towels and Sheets

Linens can consume a huge amount of space in boxes that could be used for other things, but

they can be used wisely when moving. Wrap your super fragile objects – like vases or ceramic

artwork – in towels or thick blankets, which will protect your stuff from breakage or cracks. This

way, you will also save on bubble wrap or packing paper that can be used for other, less-fragile

items.

9. A Quick Way to Fill Holes in the Wall

Small holes in your apartment walls, minor or insignificant, can cost you when it’s time to move

out. To avoid this, fill them in using a bar of soap. All you need to do is rub the hole with the bar

until it’s filled. This is much cheaper and less messy than trying to patch every hole with caulk.

10. Don’t’ Forget Your Overnight Bag

A common mistake people make when they’re moving to a new place is forgetting to pack an

overnight bag. When you arrive at your new home, full of boxes, the last thing you will want to

do is search a bunch of boxes for your pajamas and toothbrush. Save yourself the hassle and

pack a bag with a few outfits, pajamas and all the toiletries you need for a few days. It also

takes some of the pressure off so you don’t feel like you have to unpack everything right away.

For Tucson movers, contact My Tucson Movers to get professional assistance in getting you

through this overwhelming process. While it is best to hire a moving company when planning a

big move, especially if it’s your first move on your own, these tips should come in handy if you

take on the challenge solo. Good luck!