7 Ways to Make Your Move Easier

A couple relaxing on a couch on moving day.

Moving can be one of the most daunting tasks, especially if you don't hire the help of movers. There's just so much to do--between packing, organizing, and cleaning everything. Make your move easier by thinking ahead, packing ahead, and creating an organized moving system. This way, your transition into your new home will be much easier and more efficient.

1. Start Packing Ahead of Time

While this may seem like a given and a simple task, it can be quite hard to do. Several weeks before the move, start sorting through things and packing items that you don't use frequently or won't need again for a few months. Some examples would be holiday decorations, sports equipment, board games, and extra blankets. Special items such as old mementos, photo albums, and knick-knacks can also be packed ahead of time, labeled, and set aside. This is also an easy way to go through your closets and get rid of any old clutter that you would rather donate than take to the next place you move.

2. Sort and Pack by Room

Moving can be one of the most daunting tasks, especially if you don't hire the h

When you start packing, sort items by what room they will be going to in your new home. Keep in mind how many bedrooms and bathrooms you will have in your new place, just in case rooms need to be combined or separated. This way, friends and others helping you move will know where the boxes need to go when you're moving into your new place. While it may be tempting to combine similar items in boxes, it can take more time to unpack and figure out where you would like things to go in your new place if you don't plan a bit ahead of time.

3. Keep What You Need Accessible

One trick to making your move much easier is to continue packing items you don't need in the next few weeks first. Things you will need right away in your new home should be packed into the same box or boxes and labeled for easy access. Things such as plates, silverware, paper towels, a few cleaning supplies, and toilet paper will need to be put out right away in your new home. Using this method when you begin to unpack all of your boxes will make things easy. The number labeling method also makes this a much easier task.

4. Label Your Boxes

While this may seem like a given and a simple task, it can be quite hard to do.

Choose a system for labeling your boxes. If packing everything in boxes, simply write on the boxes with a permanent marker. If labeling plastic totes or reusable containers, label them with duct tape, and then write on the tape with a permanent marker. Your labeling system can be basic or super organized, depending on what you prefer. A simple system would be something like labeling what items are inside a box or tote, or which room that box should be placed when moving in. A more intricate system could include color coding or numbering the boxes in the order you would like them to be unpacked.

5. Pack Breakables in Cloth

When packing starts to get serious, a way to save on packing materials and conserve space is to pack breakable items in towels, sheets, and clothes. Kitchen glasses, plates, and other breakables can be wrapped in any pre-washed clothing and material you have around the house.

6. Use Plastic Wrap

Get a large roll of plastic wrap designed for packing and moving, which can be found at your local packing and shipping store, hardware store, or box store such as Walmart or Target. Nearly anything can be wrapped in this plastic wrap, from picture frames to furniture, knick-knacks, electronics, kitchen utensils, and artwork. It protects surfaces from getting scratched and keeps items together that might otherwise get mixed up during moving.

7. Pack Hanging Clothes in Bags

Rather than taking all of your clothes off the hangers and packing them separately, save time by leaving them on the hangers. Take a group of clothes and hangers, and start by tucking the bottom of the clothes into a plastic bag. Pull the plastic bag up and around the clothes and leave the hanger hooks sticking out of the bag when you tie it closed. You can carry the bags of clothes by the hanger hooks, and when you arrive at your new home, hanging them up will be much easier.