Are looking for some moving hacks on how to make moving easier? Do you want to learn new tips for packing when moving house?
Most of those who transferred to their new homes found the entire experience stressful. You do not necessarily need to experience.
If you are transferring to a new place and want the entire experience to be stress-free, you’ve got to prepare for it and we have tons of tips and tricks for moving that will surely be helpful to you.
Here are some moving hacks and moving tricks and tips for a fun and hassle-free experience when you move to your new house.
Contents
1. Declutter
One of the things that you can do to make your moving day much easier is to declutter.
Get rid of the things you do not need before you start packing.
By removing the things that you do not need, you will have fewer things to box and load.
This will also help you save time and money. Not to mention, less stuff means less stress.
2. Sort Things By Category
Spend a day organizing your stuff by category – books, shoes, papers, clothes and more. You can also put a box for items that you want to donate and another box for items to sell stuff.
If you have furniture for sale you can put it on Craiglist or AptDeco. For branded clothing try Poshmark or a local consignment store. If you have specialty items like a slightly used Coach bag you can put it on eBay.
3. Look For A Professional Moving Company
Research ain’t fun but thanks to Yelp and Google, you won’t have a hard time finding one.
It’s very important to take your time in finding a reputable company with excellent customer service because they will play a huge role in your move.
The company can make or break your moving experience. But you’ve got to be careful because there are many people claiming to offer this service when they just own a truck.
“There are tens of thousands of people claiming to be a moving company when in actuality it’s just some guy with a van trying to make some extra money,” said Mike Sulkowska of Lift NYC.
Here are the top moving companies in NYC.
Lift NYC Movers
Lift NYC is one of the most trusted and reputable companies in NYC. When finding one, read its list of services, fine print, refund, or damage policies. It is not as established as Morgan Manhattan because it just started operating in 2013. But the company has already gained a solid reputation because of its excellent customer service.
Lift NYC Movers don’t just pack your items, they also make sure that your items are safe and protected. But what makes them outstanding is the way they communicate and handle your concerns and inquiries from costs to explaining the process. They are very easy to work with.
Veteran Movers NYC
It has a high Yelp score and the company’s workers are veterans. Jesse Gartman started the company in 2011 to provide meaningful work to his fellow veterans.
Rabbit Movers
Another reputable company like Veteran Movers NYC, but you will be trusting your move to a team of artists like writers and musicians not veterans. They are known for handling heirloom furniture collection, small load moving, as well as large and fragile objects.
JP Urban
This is a local moving company co-own by John McCutcheon who majored in music at Carnegie Mellon. They have a reputation for moving pianos. In 2015, it was named the best move by New York Magazine.
Morgan Manhattan
The brand has over 100 years of experience. They are the best choice when moving an entire home and specialized items like artwork and antiques in Manhattan. They also oversee both long-distance and international moves.
For affordable moving companies NYC, here’s our review: https://imhonyc.com/cheap-movers-nyc/
4. Schedule A Moving Day
Knowing New York is one of the busiest place in the country with people moving in and out, there’s quite a number of people who tend to move the last minute to the city.
However here’s the most unpopular moving hacks – Plan your moving date ahead and choose the cheapest time of the month. According to the RentHop study, February is the cheapest month in New York.
Best time to move in New York is from May to September. Rental prices start to increase in early May and peak around June, July and August. The rent starts to drop starting in October before reaching a low in February.
“Interestingly, the lower-price periods and higher-price periods actually last for a while, and seasonal price flips happen fairly rapidly (over a span of only 1-2 months),” RentHop says.
5. Create A Master List With A To-Do List And Schedule Everything
Many skip this because they think that it is optional. But, you will soon realize that you will inevitably end up doing more than what you expect and having a list will surely come handy.
This is one of the moving tips often overlooked, but it is very helpful.
You can write your to-do’s and schedule in a notebook or use organization apps on your phone. Some of the free apps that you can use to organize your moving schedules and to do’s are:
- Asana
- Trello
- Timeful
- Evernote
- Awesome Notes
When it comes to listing items, list everything that comes into your mind. Include the date when you need to accomplish it. For example:
- Sunday (Oct. 4): Buy moving boxes other moving essentials
- Monday (Oct. 5): Call moving Company
- Wed (Oct 7): Drop items for donation/sale
- Sat (Oct. 31): Moving Date
Also, list all the things needed especially your master contact list. It’s best if you keep all these details in one notebook.
6. Check If You Have Original Boxes And Buy If Necessary
You have to keep your appliances, electronics and other items safe during the transport. Start by checking if you still have the original boxes.
If you don’t have it anymore, then you should buy new ones. To save more, check out if your local liquor stores their used boxes and if you can buy from them.
7. Color Code And Label Your Boxes
It will be easier for you if your boxes are color-coded.
Using labels, stickers and colors make packing things much faster.
When labeling your moving boxes, you do not need to do something special or really spend on it.
You can use any material available at home like markers, colors, sticky labels and colored labels.
Color coding is very easy to do, here’s a quick tip to do it:
• Assign a color to each room or region of your new home. You can also assign a color for the fragile items or your books to make it easier for you to organize them later on.
• Chose a distinct color for each room – green, blue, red, orange, purple or yellow.
• Use colored packing tape to seal the box
• Use the same color marker to write on the label or print label with that color font
• Coordinate with the movers or anyone who is helping you transport your items, so they will know which things need extra care.
• Print a color key for the movers for reference
Tip: You can purchase home moving color coding labels on Amazon. If you have color markers and only plan to label your box, yourself, that will do.
It’s best to label it on the side not just on the top for easy reading. This is among the packing hacks that proved to be very effective, so don’t miss it.
8. Create A Number System
Color coding and writing labels are very helpful, but if you want to take it further, then create a number system.
When you pack your things, your kitchen or bathroom stuff will likely occupy two or more boxes.
So, numbering them and listing what’s inside each box will help you a lot.
For example, if you have 5 boxes labeled “Bathroom” and the plunger is on box #3, then you don’t have to go through each box labeled with “Bathroom” and dig where the plunger is.
Also, by using a number system, you will know exactly the number of boxes you are transporting and will easily spot if one goes missing or stolen.
9. Change Your Address A Week Before You Move Out
Many are excited to occupy their new home but don’t update their address. It’s best if you change your address a week before you move out of your old place.
Do this and avoid the disappointment of having your shipment and bills delivered in your old home.
Do this for your bills, credit card statement and packages, so they will arrive on time and without hassle in your new place.
This is one of the moving tips and tricks that many underestimate and only realized later when they’ve been waiting for their late package for weeks.
10. Schedule Disconnect Times
If you applied for cable, internet and electricity in your old place, you have to inform them if they have to be disconnected.
Figure out when it has to be done and make sure that you still have enough time to gather the necessary item that you might need to return.
11. Call In Favors Early
If you have no plans to work with a moving company and you are relying on friends and family to help you move your things, it’s best to inform them ahead.
Call them in advance and inform them of your moving date.
Be courteous to give them a month’s notice. If you have kids, do the same to their babysitters.
You can send them email and inform them where to meet, what to bring and what to wear to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
12. Pack A Personal Overnight Bag
One of the most undervalued tips for moving packing is keeping a personal overnight bag.
Moving a bunch of stuff is not easy. It’s time-consuming and very tiring.
The day might end before you realizing that there are still a lot stuff that needs to be done.
Save yourself some energy and time and get your essentials ready and accessible. Prepare ahead with get a personal overnight bag ready.
The bag should include a change of clothes, your toiletries, your laptop, charger and other stuff that you regularly use even your favorite mug and pillow. This will also make your new place feel more like home.
13. Be A Good Host
Take care of the people who help you move regardless if they are paid or not.
So, make sure that you have some beverage or snacks ready for everyone.
You can order a pizza or anything and have it delivered.
If your guests have preferred food but the restaurant doesn’t offer a delivery service, no problem. You can use the following apps because they are available in New York.
• Postmates
• Uber Eats
• DoorDash
• GrubHub
• Caviar
• Seamless
• Slice
Tips For Packing When Moving House
Here are more moving packing tips to get all your stuff ready with less time and hassle.
These moving tricks and tips are particularly focused on packing. You should do them days before yours scheduled moving day, so you won’t be in a rush.
14. Cover Bottles – Cover all liquid bottles with plastic wrap to avoid a messy explosion.
15. Defrost – Defrost your fridge a day before moving out to avoid a leak and nasty smells.
16. Cut handles – Cut handles into the sides of the cardboard boxes for easy lifting.
17. Heavy items in suitcase – Place your heavy items inside your suitcase for easy transportation.
18. Packing personal items – Place the things that you will immediately need in a clear plastic wrap so you can easily locate them. This might include your toiletries or towel.
19. Roll your clothes – Roll clothes instead of folding them to save space.
20. Packing plates – Stack plates with styrofoam plates to keep it from breaking. You can also use packing paper or paper towel.
21. First day basket -Pack a first day basket with disposable plates, cups, and cutlery so you and the movers can eat comfortably without you digging out the boxes to find where you place your dishes.
22. Clothes and hangers on plastic bags – Slide clothes on hangers directly into garbage bags for fast and speedy unpacking.
23. Pack supplies basket – Keep packing supplies in a basket that you can easily move from one room to another.
24. Jewelry in egg cartons – Use egg cartons to pack your jewelry, so they will keep tangle-free.
25. Decors on storage bins – Invest in storage bins for holiday decor and other items that will be in storage.
26. Packing heavy and light items – Use small boxes for heavier items and large ones for light items like decorative pillows, towels and linens.
27. Use bubble wraps or blankets – Use packing paper, bubble wrap or blankets to secure your fragile dishwasher and decorative items. Use them to keep your glasses, vases, and bowls safe.
28. Take pictures of electronic setups – Take pictures of your electronics before taking them apart, so you will know how to put back the cords. This will make it easier for you to setup your TV or monitor.
29. Packing important documents safe – Keep all your important documents in one place in case of emergency.
30. Cleaning supplies – Set aside cleaning supplies to do a final sweep in your old home. They are also useful once you reach your new abode. So, set aside the broom, mop, dustpan, duster, sponge and other cleaning products in one box.
31. Loading heavy furniture – Load the heavy furniture first like sofas and sectionals and put lighter items over it.
32. Take photo of new place – Take a photo of your new home especially if you are renting before you start stacking the boxes to note any existing damage if there is.
33. Make your bed – Make your bed as soon as you move in. Certified professional organizer and productivity consultant Jennifer Lava recommends this, so you can just crash out right away when you have to because the whole day would be very tiring.
Conclusion
These moving hacks are tested and proven effective.
If you’re moving houses, you should get yourself ready and well-prepared for any setbacks during your transfer.
Also, get your things ready in packages but declutter first because that’s how to make a move easier.
And don’t forget to apply the practical packing tips when moving house as listed above because they can definitely turn the whole experience monumental without the unnecessary stress but pure joy.
Leaving an old home and transferring to a new house is a celebration and not a nightmare. So, be sure that you get all the stuff ready for a peaceful and enjoyable move because you deserve that.
Looking to move to NYC’s Upper East Side, see our guide for best upper east side movers. For a move to Upper West Side, we reviewed the best upper west side movers here.
