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The 5 Worst Mistakes To Make When You Move House
Whether you are living in a dorm, apartment, or house, the moving process can be very stressful. Of course, apartments and houses bring on the bigger issues, but all in all, all housing requires demanding work when it comes to the move.
Here are the five worst mistakes movers make.
1. Packing haphazardly
The first rule in packing: wrap up breakables. This means anything fragile. You can use bubble wrap, tissue paper, or even your own clothing to save money. In addition, after wrapping up your items, pack your socks around them to provide extra cushion — just to be safe. Also, regarding plates, place them vertically to reduce the chance of them breaking. Opening a box to realize all of your dishes are broken will not make for a happy day.
For those of you moving into a dorm and you are not bringing glass dishes or anything of the sort, this is the time to wrap up things such as perfume/cologne, lotions, shampoo, body wash; basically anything with liquid. Putting items like these in plastic, sealed bags is a good idea. That way if they do happen to leak (or explode) the contents will not ruin its surroundings. Or, you can cover the opening with saran wrap and put the cap back on.
A common rule, if you bring groceries, do not put your eggs at the bottom of the bag. Hopefully you did not actually pack eggs, but you get the point. Any breakables go towards the top of the load, even when placing things in the truck or car. Heavy items such as nightstands need to go below everything else. Your picture frames might not survive a car ride under a 20 to 30-pound nightstand. One pothole and it is game over.
2. “Losing” your items
Okay, they did not disappear out of thin air, so where did they go? First of all, make a checklist. It is easy to confuse everything you have already packed compared to what you have not. Creating a checklist allows movers to keep track of items.
In addition, it is helpful to label boxes or bags. Organization is the key to moving. Separating boxes according to different rooms will help you keep everything together. When dishes start showing up in boxes with hats, things can get complicated. Therefore, in a “kitchen” box, you would find silverware, plates, cups, etc. Color coding is also helpful when it comes to labeling.
Keep sandwich bags around for things like screws if you have to take apart a curtain rod or TV. Losing a simple screw can throw off the entire set-up. Label the sandwich bags as well according to what parts go to what.
If you do not want to waste your precious time writing down the name of the room, numbering the boxes is useful as well. Number in chronological order so that way you can easily tell when box seven doesn’t show up. Back to the checklist, if you are super organized, you can write what went inside each numbered box.
3. Forgetting to book a moving truck
Ladies and gentleman, it has happened before. You put it off again and again, then when it comes down to the last-minute, none are available. Remember, people are more likely to move during the summer so do not assume it is only you. Therefore, rent the truck a couple weeks in advance.
Furthermore, when renting a truck, you will need to present your license and a major credit card. No cards, no truck.
4. Thinking you have more time than you do
Procrastination is in a college student’s blood, so expect nothing less when it comes to moving day. When your move-in day is confirmed and set in stone, start packing at least a month in advance. This specially applies to those who will be going to school in the north. Since it will be summer, pack your winter clothes beforehand. That way you won’t have the issue of wanting to wear it, but it is packed away.
This also refers to the moving truck dilemma. Book it in advance. The safe thing to do is be early when marking off items across your checklist.
When you are rushed packing, that is when you get sloppy. Things are forgotten. Things get broken. A lot can go wrong. You might even realize you do not have enough boxes or bags to place all your stuff in.
5. Bringing too much
Over packing — we all do it. Before shoving everything you own into a box, consider if it will actually be worn/used. A good rule to go by, if you have not worn it in the last year, do not pack it. Same goes with any food you want to bring. Of course, you do not wear your food, but if you want to try out something new, now is not the time to overstock.
When you get to where you are going, there is such a thing as mail, or visiting home. So do not worry too much about packing everything.
