The BEST House Moving Tips (and Mistakes to Avoid)!

Another suggestion is packing the bedding separate and making the bed as soon as you set it up so at the end of the day when you are tired you can fall into bed and not have to make it first. 😃

As someone who's moved 38 times in 33 years, I strongly agree with ALL of these!! My additions: -use empty suitcases or duffel bags to pack clothes! I find this keeps them cleaner. Plus you have to move your suitcases and bags anyway. -people are ALWAYS giving away free boxes and bubble wrap online! Also, your workplace is likely to have empty boxes they'll be happy to let you take if you ask. -if you have camping gear, it helps to keep it handy in case by the time you get to your new home you're too tired to assemble a bed. We've been known to plop down on our sleeping pads and sleeping bags the night before and after a move :) -if you're too young/broke to hire movers and are asking your friends to help you, PLEASE feed them.

My father-in-law gave the best advice. He said to move the cars into the garage first (and keep them there). For over 30 years, our cars have had a home, and we have minimal clutter in the garage.

Don’t scrounge a bunch of randomly-sized boxes to save a little money. Uniform boxes made for moving in a few sizes will stack better and make the best use of space, and are more likely to be strong enough. Make sure the boxes have handles! When I last bought boxes a few years ago, the ones Home Depot sells didn’t have handles; the ones from Lowes did.

When I start packing, the first thing I pack is walls. There is nothing I need on the walls. I go room to room and pack everything on them. Since it is also decor it's the last you put back up. So first down last up. The bad thing about procrastinating is if you wait till the end then your going non stop packing then unpacking. Give yourself a few days at the end where you can chill a little bit makes all the difference!! I have moved so many times in my 69yrs it's crazy!!

Paper plates between plates and socks for glasses. mind blowing Makes so much sense

Another tip, avoid large grocery shops, just buy essentials and work through that pantry. Makes packing up the kitchen easier.

You’re right, there’s no time for gift baskets, but we left our buyers toilet paper in the bathrooms, hand soap, paper towel, a few trash bags, and some basic cleaning wipes and dish soap. Just some common sense kindness to pay forward, hopefully. I also recommend packing smaller and lighter boxes than you think; it’s so much easier on your back when the movers and helpers are all gone and it’s just you moving the boxes around as you settle in (for weeks on end…).

I have a priority plan for unpacking. First priority: The day you move into your new place, you first clean and set up your bathroom(s). Toilet paper in place, backups accessible, towels on the rods, shower curtains hung, and the basics of your everyday care stuff in place and easily found and used. With that in place you can take care of basic needs plus get showers and such to keep yourself going. As soon as that's done, start setting up the beds, with kids beds being the first priority and adults after that. With that done, you have a place to sleep. Once those necessities are taken care of, I tend to go on to a complete unpacking and setting up of the bedrooms, followed by the kitchen and then last, the living room. Last time my husband and I moved, which was around our 15th or 20th time, we moved into our one bedroom apartment and were completely unpacked, right down to pictures hanging on the walls, in two days. I love being a minimalist.

My mom always bought a new broom and mop when she would move. She I'm not bring the Dirt from the old house to the new house.

I always encourage people moving over a weekend, to first pack everything they will need to get ready for work on Monday in a suitcase so all they have to do is find the suitcase and it eliminates a world of stress if you know that you can manage getting ready for work. Bath towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush & toothpaste, deodorant , hair products, & toiletries. Also, set up and make your bed right away. When you’re tired, it’s the last thing you want to do. Everything else is gravy. I’m grateful I haven’t had to move in over 20 years, but I know I’ve accumulated “stuff” that needs to be purged. Sometimes I want to pack as if I’m moving for a good reality check. I’m certain I would be surprised at what I no longer need but am continuing to store/manage. Funny how packing makes you realize this.

Maybe the first mistake is not being in the right mindset for a move. I love packing and getting ready for a new adventure, so this was never a problem for me, but I have seen others struggle with it. I would definitely set aside time to get my head in the right frame of mind. Get excited! This is gonna be fun! A new and better life awaits and we want it to start as soon as possible. Like when we got upset that Col Blake left, but then we got Col Potter who nailed it in MASH. Just saying.

One of the best packing tips I have I got from a professional mover—when packing plates, put them in the box vertically not horizontally. I’ve done this for 33 years over seven moves and haven’t had one broken plate. Happy moving!

BEST Tip: You don't have to remove & box clothes from dressers!!! Just leave the clothes in the drawers. Most dressers have a 'lip' on the front. Movers have to remove the drawers to move dressers anyway. They take the drawers and stack them in the truck alternating back to front so the front lip of each drawer is wedged against the back of the one beneath it which keeps the stack steady as the truck moves. Place a layer of packing paper or cardboard over the contents of each drawer to keep contents (like underwear) from view and keep dust from settling. This is mostly achieved by one drawer stacked on another anyway except for the one that ends up on top. ALWAYS keep valuables (expensive jewelry, electronics, financial & ID info) and move it in your car yourself. If this isn't possible due to distance, etc., label the boxes with something obscure that you will recognize, or note the code in your phone. For example, 'Jess' for jewelry or 'Elmer' for electronics or 'PPR' for paperwork with sensitive info. If you have to stay at a motel/hotel in transit, always bring the valuables from the car in with you, even if they're hidden in the trunk. Having a suitcase of clothes is a good idea, but if you're going to include toiletries, make sure they're in a ziploc bag!

I'm ALL FOR hiring a cleaning crew to clean out the old house and also the new.

My favourite tipp: make freezer meals for the whole last week AND the whole first week in disposable pans. You can pack and unpack all spices, pots and utensils in these two weeks AND you don‘t have to worry about dinner while unpacking. You will be fine with oatmeal, fruit cups, sandwiches and a freezer meal for two weeks. And it is a Great way to use things up.

We know we are moving; we are in the "looking" phase. I'm going to start decluttering NOW. If I wait too long, I will run out of time.

This has to be the most valuable youtube comments section I've ever seen.

Other tips (because I am also in the middle of packing to move houses) : make a list of your frozen food and fresh food in your fridge in order to plan your meals to empty them and have time to clean them and unplug before you move + plan time to clean the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, and drain the exit water hoses (to avoid the risk of a mess aka flood on moving day...)

A tip for anyone who doesn't move with a truck/moving company but with cars: only use a few boxes for breakables (preferably packed with all your towels, sheets and throw blankets in between) and use sturdy reusable shopping bags for everything else. Borrow them from friends, if you live in EU everyone will have more than they need. Bags are way easier to squish into a car. We even skipped boxes for books and opted for ikea bags from family and friends.