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This post is all about my favorite moving hacks and tips for a smooth move.
Nobody likes moving. Absolutely no one. But at the same time, it’s just the way life is! Especially when you’re young and moving to and from college or into your first home or apartment.
A lot of the time, people complain about moving being hard and stressful. But in my young 20s, I’ve actually discovered many moving tips to make moving wayyy less stressful for everyone involved. These moving hacks that I’ve discovered can save so much time, energy, and money when it comes to moving any distance.
A great way to streamline the experience is by relying on professional movers who understand the ins and outs of relocation. Whether you’re moving down the street or across the country, professionals can help lighten the load and ensure everything is packed, transported, and unpacked safely. You can explore a variety of options on the Two Small Men services page to find just the right moving package for your needs.
With proper planning and time management, moving can actually be smooth and easy, believe it or not! In this post, I’ll be sharing 18 moving hacks to make sure your next move is easier and more efficient than moves you’ve done before.
Moving Hacks – Planning the Move
1. Start earlier than you think
Giving yourself plenty of time to organize a move and pack up all of your belongings will make the few days before a move so much easier. If you leave everything until the last minute, the day of moving and the week before are going to be so hard. Start packing up things you won’t need before the move early so that they’re ready to go when moving day comes!
2. Declutter your home first
I suggest going through closets, drawers, bins, etc. before packing for a move. For moving organization purposes, you’ll be so much more efficient if the things you’re packing you actually need. If you start packing up a bunch of clutter and things you’ll throw away when you get to your new place, then it’s just taking up space for other things and causing you to do more work.
3. Create a moving checklist
I absolutely swear by lists!! Especially checklist and to-do lists; they’re legitimately lifesavers to me. If you start making a moving checklist of things you need to do and things you need to buy before the move, your life will be a million times easier. I recommend starts lists weeks before a move so that you have plenty of time to get things done. The earlier you start, the earlier you can catch yourself if you forget anything, too!
4. Go to stores to get free moving boxes
There are places you can go to get free boxes or boxes for really cheap to use as moving boxes. I know Home Depot and U-Haul sell boxes that are sturdy and will 100% get the job done. Otherwise, lots of grocery stores will also give out boxes for free.
Packing Tips Moving
5. Use suitcases for heavy items
Whoever thought of this is literally a genius! It’s so simple yet so effective. Using suitcases to pack and roll heavy items to your new place will save energy, and maybe even an injury or two!
6. Color code boxes
This moving hack is especially useful if you’ve hired movers for the day. Assign each room in your new house a color and use sticky notes or tape to label boxes with the corresponding room color. This will save everyone some confusion and keep the move running smooth all day long.
7. Keep your clothes on hangers
When I first moved, I almost took all of my clothes off their hangers until I heard of one of the best moving tips and hacks. Use garbage bags to wrap hanging clothes so they stay on their hangers and they’re super easy to transport. You literally just take them from one closet to the next! Just make sure to rip a hole in the garbage bag so you can grab the hooks.
This is definitely at the top of the list for moving hacks for clothes.
8. Use towels and sheets as extra padding
Towels and sheets take up a ton of space, so they may as well be put to good use! Use sheets or towels to wrap things like kitchen ware and electronics that could break easily during the move. They’ll act like free padding and keep all of your belongings safe and intact! One of the best moving hacks for packing.
9. Pack a bag for the first night
If your move is far away or happening over the course of more than one day, it’s super important to be prepared for that first night in your new place. I suggest packing a bag with essentials for toiletries, clothes, snacks, etc for the first night. This will ease your stress of staying in a new place for the first time. Trust me, this is the BEST!
Moving Tips – Day Of
10. Take pictures of things before taking them apart
OMG how helpful is this?? Like how your tv or gaming system is plugged into the wall. Imagine all the time you’ll save by not having to figure out how to get your tv working that first day.
11. Pack the car/truck strategically
There’s actually a lot to think about as far as putting stuff into cars goes. Here are a few things to think about as you’re packing up vehicles…
- Where are the labels on the boxes? You should either label every side of every box, or make sure the label is visible from the back of the truck.
- What boxes are heaviest? Obviously put the heavier boxes on the bottom and lighter boxes on top so nothing gets damaged.
- What do I want to unpack first? Put these things at the back of the vehicle so that they’re easy to get to and can easily be unloaded before anything else.
Thinking these things through are great for figuring out how to move quickly and efficiently.
12. Keep small hardware in labeled bags
One of the worst parts of moving is reassembling furniture and anything else that had to be taken apart. To make this process just a tiny bit smoother, make sure you keep all hardware you’ll need in little baggies. You can even tape the bag to the piece of your furniture it goes to to make sure you can find it easily!
13. Protect your floor with rugs or plastic
The last thing you want is to scratch your floors on the very first day of ever living there. To prevent this, I recommend laying down rugs first, or getting plastic drop cloths to tape down before moving anything in.
14. Plan in advance what you’re having for lunch
Now this moving tips and tricks may seem really silly… but having a lunch plan and a designated person to bring or pick up lunch is going to make sure that the day keeps running along. If this is planned ahead of time and the responsibility is put on one person, the day doesn’t really have to stop and hopefully you’ll get done earlier!
Moving Hacks – Unpacking
15. Unpack the kitchen first
If you think about it, you probably use the kitchen the most in your everyday life. Your kitchen also probably has way more in it than you might think. Unpacking the kitchen first will free up lots of space and ensure that you have a kitchen to use the second you get hungry!
16. Assemble furniture early
I recommend getting your bed set up almost as soon as you unpack the kitchen. Getting your bed, couches, and chairs where they’re supposed to be helps so much. It immediately makes your space feel put together and gives you a spot to put all of your other stuff as you unpack.
17. Organize as you unpack
Even though this may seem like so much more work, it actually will save you tons of time. Instead of unpacking everything and then having to go back and organize, doing it at the same time will cut your unpacking time in half. It’ll also make you feel so much better moving on when you won’t have to come back to a room.
18. Break down boxes as you unpack
This will prevent clutter and junk from piling up in your new home. I also recommend having someone do trips to the dump or recycling center throughout the day to reallyyy clear things out.
