How to prepare for moving day?

The preparation for moving day is notorious for its palpable stress, hectic activities and somewhat characteristic moving day mistakes. Ideally, the relocation preparation should start the moment the residential move is confirmed and, under ideal conditions, it should end just before moving day itself knocks on your door.

Now here comes the key element that often proves to be the difference between a problem-free move to another home and a chaotic one where money, time and nerves are put to the test. And of course, that key element is organization. In fact, proper organization when moving house can save you a world of troubles and should make things go as smoothly as they ever can go.

To help you prepare for moving day in the best possible way, here are the 8 most important jobs you are strongly recommended to complete in order to have the perfect move you want.

#1: Decision time: professional movers or DIY?
The preparation for moving day checklist starts with arguably the most important decision you need to make in the very beginning: should you hire the professional services of a top rated moving company or should you try to move on your own? You should know that this essential decision of yours will ultimately determine how the entire residential move will play out. Therefore, you must know how to recognize the specific indicators that will give you a hint which way is best for you in terms of money, time, safety, and peace of mind.

SEE ALSO: Why should I hire professional movers?


#2: Set your own moving calendar
While getting ready for moving day, it’s important to follow a good schedule where the tasks you are expected to do are presented in a logical and sensible manner. With the help of your personal moving calendar, you will be able to organize your pre-move time in a way so that you don’t waste a single day. Now that you know whether you will move by yourself or use an experienced moving company, you are ready to start filling up your calendar with 1) personalized and 2) prioritized move related jobs that make perfect sense for you and you alone.

MUST READ: How to create a personal moving calendar?

#3: Inventory your entire home
To best prepare for moving out, one of the first tasks in your moving checklist should be to inventory your house or apartment. Now, before you ask why you should even consider doing that potentially time-consuming task, let’s quickly point out its benefits for you. A detailed inventory list will help you 1) sort out your possessions before the packing marathon starts, 2) create a packing list to know what each moving box contains, 3) keep constant track of your belongings throughout the move, 4) have your moving costs estimated by sending the ready inventory over to a cross country moving company.

READ ALSO: How to make a moving inventory?

#4: Get rid of unwanted stuff
While preparing for moving day, one thing should be perfectly clear to you – the weight of the overall shipment will have a great impact on the final relocation bill. In other words, the fewer items you decide to move to your new residence, the less money you will have to pay in the end. Which is not a bad thing, is it? Mark down in your inventory sheet all the household items that are not worth moving for one reason or another, and then just get rid of them. You have good options here – sell some of them online or at a pre-move sale, gift them to friends or family, donate them to charity, or simply throw them for recycling.

GOOD TO KNOW: How to organize a moving sale?

#5: Initiate the packing process
Here comes the most important pre-move task ahead of you – packing up your home for a move. If you don’t realize its tremendous important for the success of your own move, you will soon do so. The three most essential things to remember before you roll up your sleeves are 1) start thinking about packing as early in your preparation for moving day as possible, 2) the rooms you take care of first should be the hardest ones to pack, and 3) packing an entire household is not a job for a single person, so get help at all costs – from your good friends or from professional packers.

MUST READ: How to start packing to move out?

#6: Take care of your kids and pets
If you’re moving house with a child (baby, toddler, school-aged child, or teenager), things can suddenly get more complicated than you need them to be. In addition to worrying about their safety, you want to make sure than they are your allies and will cooperate with the tough preparation for moving day. And although there are many things to keep in mind when moving with children, their safety and well-being remains your number one priority. And of course, the same goes for any pets you might own – dogs, cats, birds, fish, rabbits, etc. After all, they are part of your family as well. The number one safety rule on Moving day is to keep both small kids and pets away from the relocation action.

#7: Get the friendly help you need
If you have reached the conclusion that the best course of action for you will be to organize and execute a self-move, then you’re going to need some assistance from your good pals – moving assistance either during the packing marathon, or on moving day itself, or even on both occasions. You might forget the most fundamental principle when asking friends to help you move in your attempt to prepare for moving day on time. And that principle states that your buddies are probably juggling busy schedules themselves, so 1) you need to reach out to them early enough, and 2) they are under no obligation to give you a hand, so treat the whole matter as delicately as you can.

ESSENTIAL: How to get friends to help me move?

#8: Prepare for moving day itself
Still not sure how to prepare for moving day? There are so many things to do on moving day that you will probably soon find yourself overwhelmed and partly confused. Make sure you familiarize yourself with this detailed moving day checklist to help you organize your time and guide your actions during the Big day. Also, you are strongly recommend to take a look at our extensive list of things you will need on moving day so that everything goes smoothly from start to finish.

What You Should Be Doing One Week Before Moving Day:

After months of planning, preparation and tough decisions, moving day is less than a week away! The few days before your move are often some of the busiest days, as you finish getting everything in order.  By tying up the final few loose ends the week before moving day, you can quell any feelings of uncertainty you may be having.

We hope you’ve been following our past posts on what to do throughout the moving process – if not, you can catch up by following the links below:

• What You Should Be Doing on Moving Day
• What You Should Be Doing One Week Before Moving Day
• What You Should Be Doing 2-4 Weeks Before Moving Day
• What You Should Be Doing 4-6 Weeks Before Moving Day
• What You Should Be Doing 6-8 Weeks Before Moving Day

Prepare your belongings for the move

With moving day right around the corner, now is the time to make sure all your belongings are ready to be transported.  Make sure your refrigerator and freezer are disconnected and defrosted in advance, so no water leaks onto your other possessions.  Washers and driers need to be disconnected from the walls, and things such as grandfather clocks need to be serviced before they can be safely transported.  Your mover can likely work with you to arrange a third party to handle many of these tasks for you.

Also, remember to take anything permanently mounted to your walls down before the movers arrive.  Things such as drapery rods, towel bars, or mounted paintings should be removed and placed on the floor.  It is also a good idea to unplug and pack the cables from your TVs, computers, and electronics in advance.

Finish up your packing

If you are packing yourself you will need to have all of your small items boxed up before the movers arrive.  Hopefully, you already have packed many of your non-essential belongings.  Now is the time to focus on getting everything remaining in order.

Go through your drawers one last time to remove anything that could spill or break. Leaving soft items such as clothing or blankets is fine—your mover can move your furniture with these things inside.

Remember to check all the closets, cabinets,  storage lockers, and the attic for any overlooked belongings.  Also, remember to bring home anything you are planning on moving from your work office, and gather any belongings you may have loaned out to friends.

Create an “Instant Aid” box

It is a good idea to put together a box of things that you might need immediately upon arrival at your new home. Unpacking can sometimes take a little while, so you will want to have some items set aside for easy access.  We suggest packing bathroom supplies including toilet paper, kitchen items such as paper towels and paper plates, cleaning supplies, a basic tool kit, and of course some snacks and easy to prepare food items.

It is often helpful to have your “Instant Aid” box in a clear plastic container in order to be able to see its contents and distinguish it from the countless other boxes that will be involved in the move.  If you don’t have room for this box in your car, ask your movers to load it into the van last—and unload it first—so you can get to it as soon as you pull into the driveway.

Once these last tasks are all complete you should be just about all set for the big move. Now the hard part is over and you can sit back relax. On moving day the movers will handle all the heavy lifting for you.