Moving Tips – Part I

Moving ain’t for sissies! I mean that in the nicest way! The older one gets, the harder it is. A person’s body just doesn’t have the strength or endurance as it once did. When you are a parent, the older your child comes to leaving the nest, the closer you are to helping them move all their stuff.

I used to work for a moving company, so I picked up a lot of tips that have become second nature. Little did I know, that these skills were going to come in handy later on. I have moved my mother twice, my father-in-law twice, my best friend twice and now my son along with roughly 100 people on the job. The best advice when moving is to get organized. If you are organized about the whole matter, moving becomes more efficient and smooth.

Tip #1 – Gather Supplies

The items you will need to properly and safely move your household items are:

• Wrapping paper
• Large rolls of packing tape
• Scissors
• Boxes of varying size
• Exacto knives/box cutters
• Bubble Wrap
• Hammer
• Flathead and Phillip’s head screwdrivers
• Picture hanging supplies

Paper for Wrapping – Don’t use newspaper. Go to Half Price Boxes or some other moving supplies company and purchase good wrapping paper. Good wrapping paper is the kind of paper that Hobby Lobby uses to wrap breakables at check out. They are sold in bundles. The amount of paper you need depends on the size of your move. If you are moving a two-story house, you may need more than two large bundles, but if you are moving an apartment, you may only need less than a half of a small bundle. Why not use newspaper? Put simply, It’s dirty. The black ink gets on everything: your hands, your clothes, your items. If you pack everything in newspaper, you will have to wash everything when you unpack it. If you pack it in good paper, you will not have to wash everything, assuming it was clean when you wrapped it.

Large Rolls of Packing Tape – The quality of the packing tape is important. The last thing you want to do when moving is to spend time picking at a roll of packing tape that has split. Buy a quality brand on a large roll. A dispenser is a nice item to have because it will help keep the end of the tape roll accessible, but this tool is not necessary. You could fold the end of the tape over and snip a length off with scissors, which works just as well. Do not buy the kind of tape that is sold at Dollar Tree. Although this tape is good for mailing packages, It is not good for moving.

Scissors – You need them! Scissors are invaluable! Don’t let yourself think you don’t need them. You do!

Boxes – You will always need more boxes than you think you will. Be cautious about getting boxes from a dumpster. Many times, these types of boxes do not provide the sturdiness that is needed when packing your belongings. You can purchase boxes from a storage unit facility in their office, UHaul and sometimes the hardware store. In my experience, the best boxes come from Half Price boxes and they may be cheaper. They have every size box imaginable. The most important boxes to get are wardrobe boxes. These are specially made boxes for hanging clothes and come with a metal bar. Wardrobe boxes are also good spaces to pack brooms, mops, vacuum cleaners, towels, shoes and many other awkwardly shaped items along with clothing. They are a little on the expensive side because they are very big, but worth every penny. Picture boxes are also a good buy. You can fit more than one picture in a picture box. If you have framed pictures with glass, picture boxes are a must-have.

Exacto Knives/Box Cutters – These are essential tools on the back end of your move for opening all the boxes that are packed. Keep all your tools in a small duffel bag or box so that everyone helping with the moves knows where they are.

Bubble Wrap – One large roll should do you if you buy it at a box store. Bubble wrap comes in gargantuan rolls at the box store. Of course, if you have some that come in packages delivered to your house, make use of that, too. Bubble wrap should be used to wrap anything fragile, like china, crystal, glass pieces, lamp bases, etc. You do not need to wrap your everyday dishes and glassware in bubble wrap. Paper is fine for that.

Hammer – Keep a hammer or two in your tool and supplies kit. You will need a hammer to remove nails and screws and also to hang curtains and pictures.

Screwdrivers – You will at least need 1 flathead and 1 Phillips head screwdriver. Even better, a variety of different-sized screwdrivers could be helpful because screw heads come in different sizes. A set of screwdrivers is nice to have. Keep the screwdrivers with the rest of your tools.

Picture Hanging supplies – A kit of picture hanging supplies is something that will come in handy forever. A kit will include all the molly bolts, screws, wires, etc. that you will need on the back end of the move. Ikea sells a kit in a compartmentalized case that is super handy to have on hand. Gorilla hooks are also useful to hang heavier items on the wall and do not leave large holes in the wall when taken down. White nails are essential for hanging lighter items on the wall, especially in apartments. When you move out of an apartment you do not need to remove the white nail from the wall. All you have to do is tap it lightly with a hammer until it is flush with the sheetrock. It will not be seen by maintenance.

Look for more moving tips beginning tomorrow, including:

Moving Tips Part II – The Pack

Moving Tips Part III – The Unpack