Moving Without the Movers
You’ve decided to forgo the professional movers for the big move, eh? Well, you’re going to save some money but in order to still have friends after the move, you’ll have to be very organized and very grateful to those who give you a hand. Apartments.com has some tips to make the process a bit smoother. Moving doesn’t have to be a major pain if you follow some time-honored advice.
Get It Together
The first thing a self-mover should do (any mover, really, but this goes double for you) is to clean out the old apartment. Start out at least a month in advance and go room-by-room. Sort out, clean out and throw out (or sell or donate, the point is to get it off your hands) anything you don’t need or haven’t used in the past 6 months. At this time begin using up things like food and cleaning supplies. The less you have, the less you have to move!
You’ll also want to start collecting packing materials, so save newspapers, bubble wrap, tissue paper and boxes. When you go to the grocery store, ask for extra boxes or any other packing materials they may have on hand.
Get Ready to Pack
- If you are packing on your own, start at least a week in advance so that you have plenty of time.
- Start with items you won’t need in the next week and pack as neatly as you can.
- Carefully wrap breakable items, put a layer of packing material between each piece of glass.
- Wipe off items with a damp cloth to remove dust and dirt before you pack them. When you get to the kitchen, clean off your appliances and wash all dishes before packing. Use disposable utensils the last few days so that you don’t have to be packing at the last minute.
- Pack lamps with their cords and tape together loose parts of multi-part items. This will make it much easier for you when you unpack.
- Don’t waste empty space: fill up garbage cans, luggage and duffle bags with clothing or other unbreakable items.
- Get plastic coverings for upholstered items for protection.
- While you pack, you may find lots of instructional guides, receipts and other important documents lying around. Get a file folder and put all your papers inside so that you can easily find them later.
- Label each box so that you will know which room to put the boxes in when you get to your new home.
- Tape securely the top of each box, remove heavy items from drawers, tape or tie drawers closed and secure cords and other loose parts so that they can be easily moved.
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