Let’s face it — the excitement of moving to a new apartment immediately disappears when it’s time to pack. No matter how good of a planner you are, the process of packing, moving, and unpacking can easily take its toll on you.
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Except you’re willing to pay heavily for professional moving services, the stress of relocating is inevitable. However, you can significantly lessen the burden with our fast and easy moving hacks below.
Label Boxes
Are you guilty of shoving any item you lay your hands on in random boxes? While this method makes packing seem easy, it makes unpacking a nightmare. To make your packing organized and your unpacking stress-free, we advise that you keep similar items together by labeling your moving boxes.
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Whether you choose to label by room, item type, or any other criteria, you wouldn’t have to dig through multiple boxes to find an item when unpacking.
Put Your Suitcases to Good Use
Suitcases aren’t for clothes alone. Since they have wheels, they make it easier to transport heavy items when relocating. Trust us when we say that carrying the weighty stuff in boxes is no fun at all.
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When you transfer them to your suitcases instead, you can roll them away without a bother. Your hand and back muscles will thank you for this.
Keep Toiletries Sealed
Spilled shampoos and skincare products are a common problem during relocation. However, you can avoid this by properly sealing your toiletries before placing them in a box. This helps them withstand the jostling in transit, ensuring that they remain intact when they arrive at their destination.
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A good way to seal liquids is to place a little plastic wrap on the bottle’s lid before covering it.
Seal Your Drawers Too
Apart from toiletries, make sure to seal your drawers too when relocating. This prevents them from moving and causing a great deal of inconvenience during transit.
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You can do this by placing a tape or furniture strap around them to keep them securely in place. The good thing about this hack is that you don’t have to empty your drawers’ content anymore.
Keep Your Clothes Hanged
It seems like a no-brainer to take your clothes off the hanger and fold them neatly in your suitcases whenever you’re moving. However, a better idea would be to keep them on the hanger and wrap them in new trash bags instead.
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This makes unpacking easier as all you’ll have to do is hang them as they are when you arrive at your new home.
Use Your Laundry Baskets
The best way to move is to use every storage item to your advantage, including laundry baskets. So, instead of throwing them into the moving van empty, store essential or “first-use” items in them.
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For example, you can keep your cleaning supplies and kitchen essentials in your laundry basket. This makes them easily accessible if you need to wipe a dusty surface or whip up a quick meal as soon as you arrive at your new home.
Fix Handles in Your Moving Boxes
Many moving boxes don’t come with handles and that’s a terrible idea. Handless moving boxes are difficult to carry and easy to drop accidentally, making them risky for transporting fragile or valuable items.
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Fortunately, you can create a handle for your box by cutting a “V” on both sides. To be safe, ensure that you tape the boxes properly to prevent items from falling through the holes you’ve cut.
Roll Clothing
Whether you’re packing clothes into drawers or a suitcase, always roll them neatly. That’s because rolling clothes saves more space than folding them.
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Besides leaving room for more clothes, rolling your clothes also reduces the risk of creases and wrinkles. So, if you don’t intend to iron your clothes for a while, you already know what to do.
Keep Your Mattresses Clean with Fitted Sheets
Mattresses are one of the household items with a tendency to attract dust and dirt. So, to avoid starting your new life with a dirty mattress, invest in mattress bags when relocating.
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However, if you can’t get mattress bags before moving day, you can make do with fitted sheets. This way, you wouldn’t need to wash your mattress when you arrive at your new home.
Donate! Donate!! Donate!!!
If you’ve got stuff that you haven’t used in a long while, there’s no need to take them along to your new location. So, make decluttering an important aspect of your relocation.
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For example, you can donate clothes that no longer fit, toys your kids have outgrown, etc. If you have valuable items you no longer need, you can choose to sell them. Decluttering helps you pack efficiently and lessens your load.
Dress Appropriately
While this may seem insignificant, your choice of clothes on moving day can determine how efficient you’ll be. Since you’ll be moving and carrying items a lot, it’s essential that you wear comfortable and breathable clothes to reduce your risk of injuries.
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Pants, long sleeves, and sneakers will always be perfect relocation choices. You can also decide to wear heavy work boots as extra support for your ankles.
