Before The Move: Take Pictures of Your Property

Take pictures of your property before the move to prevent disputes about damaged items.

Imagine the movers have just left and you’re unpacking your belongings when you notice a huge scrape on the side of your bed frame. Or maybe your brand new computer monitor and the other items you packed with it are no where to be found. You file a claim with the moving company but they ignore you or even worse, deny any wrongdoing. What do you do at this point?

Well first off, any legitimate mover should inventory your property before the move to make sure nothing is lost. If an item ends up missing, there will be no question about its existence since it was inventoried before the move. To prevent disputes regarding potential damaged property, take photos of everything. Again, there will be no question about the source of the damage if you can prove that the item was undamaged before the move.

Professional movers go to great lengths to make sure all your belongings arrive safely and securely, so hopefully you’ll never have to file a claim. But preventive measures such as taking pictures never hurt and only protect you when certain situations occur.

How To Pack Dishes

Here is a useful video from Uhaul on how to pack your dishes for your next move.

Part II: Packing Tips For A Successful Move

Here are some tips for packing your belongings properly. The right pack job will keep your belongings safe during your move and will also help you stay organized when unpacking.

1. Pack a suitcase – For each member of the family moving, pack a suitcase as if you’re all going on a 3-day vacation. Keep your suitcases separated from other items to be moved and make sure they are easily accessible. This way, you’ll have everything you need to get by during the first few days without having to search through boxes.

2. Create “Open Me First” boxes – Designate one or two boxes per room as “Open Me First” boxes. Pack items you’ll need first at your new location inside and label the side of each box so it can be easily found.

3. Pack one room at a time – Wherever possible, focus on packing one room at a time (instead of several all at once) to keep things efficient and organized.

4. Less is more – Use packing as a way to clean out belongings for donations, a yard sale, and/or the recycling center. You’ll save time and money by getting rid of unwanted/unneeded items.

5. Stay off the floor – Instead of the floor, use a completely cleared-off table top or counter for packing boxes. You’ll find you get much more accomplished.

6. Keep track of small parts – When taking apart items such as tables, securely tape screws and other small parts to the underside of the item. You’ll always know where to look and you’ll save time when putting items back together.

7. Save space – Use towels, pillows and t-shirts as extra padding around fragile items. Not only will you save space, you’ll also save money on packaging supplies!

8. Criss-cross tape – Tape boxes along the seams where the flaps meet together. Then tape perpendicularly at the center of the first tape forming a cross.

9. Stacking – To prevent items from being crushed, stack boxes with the heaviest items on the bottom and the lightest on top.

10. The 30 pound rule – Whenever possible, keep each box at 30 pounds or less. Heavier boxes lead to injuries and are much more likely to fall apart or get dropped.

11. Scale – Keep a bathroom scale in the room you’re packing so you can keep the boxes below the recommended weight limit.

Moving Help Part I: Moving Plan

Here are a few tips for creating a moving plan from our Moving Connections team! Having a moving plan in place will help you manage your time more efficiently and will minimize those last minute surprises.

1. Start early – Almost everyone has more stuff than they think they do, and almost no one leaves enough time to pack it.

2. Room Lists – Start by forming two room lists, one for your current place and one for your future place. This will help you manage what has to go where.

3. Room Inventory – Go to each room and write down the types of things that need to be packed: furniture items, length of shelving, closets, etc.

4. Time Allotment – Make sure to leave enough time. The most common timeframe reported by people moving is that it takes a month to pack. One study reported that it takes 4-5 hours to pack an average dorm room, so that should give you an idea of what’s involved.

5. Calendar – Pull out a calendar and plan by day when each room will be completed.

6. Delegation – If you’re moving with family members, agree with them exactly which tasks they will be doing and the date they will be finished.

7. Track your progress – at least once per week track where you are against the date on the calendar. Revise your plan if you’re falling behind.

For help with your next move, please contact Moving Connections at (801) 532-6683 or Email Us

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