Planning a long-distance move? You may feel like you would almost rather have a couple of teeth pulled! Moving involves many decisions that must be made. Yaacovzon Movers has compiled a list of helpful tips for moving long distance.
Checklist & Tips for Moving Long Distance
• Declutter and purge before the big move. Accumulation of stuff is proportional to our length of residence. A good rule is if you haven’t used it in the last 24 months, you’re probably not going to. Some suggest 12 months. Get rid of all the unnecessary items. The less you got, the less you must pack, haul, unload and organize. Worn out, out of fashion, to small, to big or never used in the last year, ‘do you really, really need it’ not want, need. Be ruthless is getting rid of your junk. The bigger the purge, the less you must deal with.
• Sort belongings for packing. Organize your stuff by category, not room. Packing is different than categorizing your stuff. Sort through, let’s say the closet, if your lucky and disciplined after the purge, a bare closet. Sort your clothing. Some things will need to be readily available. Moving near summer’s end you need to make sure to have your fall and winter stuff available, especially if your moving to significantly different climate. Things like important papers need to be handily available, books not so much.
• Donate unwanted belongings before moving. Drop off all the junk or schedule a pickup and donate to the charity of choice.
• Sell unwanted valuable belongings before moving. Now the stuff you feel has value and you want to sell it. Ebay, Craig’s List and other venues are available to turn you unneeded items into cash.
• Research the moving companies in your area. Some are good, some not so good. Your moving company can make or break your moving experience. Spend some time looking. Remember that most big companies charge for a minimum weight for the move, it you don’t make the weight you’re paying their minimum regardless of how much you’re moving.
• Choose the best time to move. Timing is important, pick the best day. Moving companies tend to be the busiest on weekends, if your flexible enough to move on a Tuesday or Wednesday you may be able to pick up on some discounts.
• Plan your moving route. You’ll be glad you did. A well-planned route will be less frustrating if you’ve preplanned your route around highway construction, traffic patterns and preplanned detours if necessary.
• Make a moving to-do list. Cable or satellite TV boxes need returning. Locations to sell unneeded books or details of furniture parts or quick repairs needed. Write it all down. Keep track of date specific items on a calendar, you will have numerous things to be done and some are time sensitive. Keep list and schedule.
• Moving boxes. You know you can buy boxes or acquire them. A good source is your local liquor store for your light weight items. Many have boxes waiting breakdown and recycling. Check out hardware store for packaging and moving supplies such as boxes and tape and such items like bubble wrap. A basic toolkit can be assembled or purchased and kept handy. You need screwdrivers and pliers, pocketknife, measuring tap, some plastic ties, WD-40, the handyman’s go-to, duct tape. Some extension cords and power strips may aid in the transition. One item of importance is an industrial sized broom.
• Schedule disconnects like satellite, phone and other services. Be sure to fill out a change of address form. Some services may transfer, other don’t.
• Label moving boxes, by room and importance. Some items are packed early and are last unpacked. But, you want your necessary items set to be unpacked early.
• Pack properly. Heavy items into small boxes is better than creating a back breaking large box, like books. Pack dishes vertically. Insulate between items. If you have them, the original packaging is best for your electronics. Big screen TV’s can be fragile.
Local & Long Distance Moving Services in Silver Spring, Germantown, Gaithersburg, Chevy Chase, Annapolis, Baltimore, Rockville MD, Alexandria, VA & Washington DC
These are just some of the items to consider, about half of the list. Planning is important. Prior planning prevents poor performance so take your time do some research and start packing those decorative items first.
Yaacovzon Movers can handle all your packing and moving needs. Contact us today!
