This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT. All opinions are 100% mine.
There is really no way to sugar coat it so I’m just going to keep it real. Moving sucks. The packing, the purging, the sorting, the lifting, the hauling, the unpacking… all of it. Sucks. Until our move into our house, I had been fortunate enough to be relocated for my job so I basically just had to show up at my new place, they packed and unpacked for me. It was ahhhmazing! So amazing that I forgot what a pain moving actually is.
Ok now that I got that Negative Nancy out of the way, let’s talk about some moving hacks to make it suck sooo much less! After our move, I learned a lot about what I should have done. The good news with that is that my pain can hopefully become your pleasure. 😉
Moving Hacks: Packing
1. Use Space-saving Vacuum Bags
These are genius! I discovered them when organizing our guest room and I only wish I would have used them for our move. Considering some moving companies charge by the box, these are perfect for fitting much more in your boxes than you ever could without them. These are especially perfect if there are items you won’t be using all the time, just keep them sealed so they don’t take up too much storage space (like extra blankets or off season clothes).
2. Press and Seal Wrap is Your Friend
This works great for placing over silverware organizers or any kind of organizer so that you don’t have to take everything out and pack/unpack it. It also works great for covering salt and pepper shakers or any other product that could leak during the move.
3. Multi-tasking Packing
Fill up suitcases with clothes, laundry baskets with laundry supplies and cleaners, crock pots with spices, colanders with small storage containers, and basically any empty vessel that can hold items within it.
Another key packing tip: when packing the natural instinct is to go through room by room and pack that way. Instead, think about where the item will be in your new space. For example, maybe in your current home you keep all of your cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, but in your new home you have a utility closet in the laundry room that will house these products. Pack the cleaning supplies with your laundry room items to make it much smoother when unpacking.
4. Wrap Fragile Items in Towels or Rolled Clothing
Rather than wasting a lot of newspaper packing perfumes or other fragile items, roll them up in towels or folded clothing to maximize space.
5. Label Cables and Hardware
We have definitely had an on-going game of musical cables and hardware since we moved. Is this hardware for the curtains or the mirrors? Is this the DVD or the printer cable? Is this hardware for the TV mount in the living room or the bedroom? If you were a fly on the wall in our house these are the kind of questions you would have heard. Lesson learned. Any and all hardware and cables are now labeled.
6. Place Trash Bags Over Hanging Clothes
This helps protect them from getting dirty and prevents the need to have to pack and unpack clothes and re-hang them. It also prevents the dreaded game of how many hanging clothes can I drape over my arm without half of them slipping out.
7. Number Boxes in Order of Priority
This will also make unpacking much more organized. Clearly mark on the sides what is in the boxes so that when the boxes are stacked you can still see the markings. Mark the boxes with a 1, 2 or 3 in order or priority for unpacking so that you can quickly unpack the items that you will need right away rather than digging through boxes.
8. Cut Holes on the Sides of Boxes for Easy Carrying
Bending down to pick up boxes from the bottom will lead to a very sore back the next day. This trick will make boxes much easier to pick up and carry.
Moving Hacks: Getting Settled
9. Rent Furniture and Housewares
Did you know that you can rent furniture and accessories for entire rooms? CORT Furniture Rental offers furniture on demand, arriving when you need it and gone as soon as you’re done with it. This is a perfect solution if you are in need of specific pieces of furniture or if you’re just starting out/transitioning and need total room ensembles; they even have housewares. CORT can make any home “move-in ready” with their huge variety of rooms and beautiful styles.
10. Make Your Space Feel Homey Before You’re Settled
I think that part of the tough transition in moving is that it can take some time to get settled and the house can feel sterile or cold… not lived in. Buy yourself a housewarming gift of some pretty flowers or put fresh fruit into a bowl to give a warm, homey touch while you work toward getting settled.
Do you have an upcoming move? Or have you recently moved? What was your favorite moving hack, or your biggest learning? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Yessi says
IKEA blue bags are Great for some of the lighter things and they even have zippered bags
Lydia says
That’s a great idea!
Angela Gaston says
Walmart has free boxes with handles from the meat department, they are clean, very sturdy 🤙**FREE** ~ yes FREE! Already made up so no tape and saves time 🤙
You can then offer them FREE on FaceBook Marketplace and help someone else when they need boxes!
Hope this helps 🙋🏻♀️
Lydia says
Whoa! Angela, that’s amazing!!! Thanks so much for sharing that tip! My mom is getting ready to move and she is looking for boxes now! 🙂
Derick Paula says
Moving is not an easy work but i got your blog about moving how to easy. Really great tips you share on this blog. Useful tips you share.Thanks!
Derick Paula says
Moving is very hard work and stressful. I am searching on google for moving tips and I get your blog. I am happy with your blog. You share the right tips for reducing the stress. Great work.
Unity says
I recently moved from a city I had lived my whole life to a new city with my husband and two of your tips i.e. labeling the cables and making holes in boxes for easy carriage helped us a great deal in our move. Based on our experience, I would like to add that taking photograph of the back of the printer etc where all the wires go is also a nice hack as you avoid a lot of headache if you know what goes where!
Lydia says
That’s such a brilliant idea, Unity! Thanks for sharing and good luck getting settled into your new home! 🙂
Steele Honda says
I loved the idea of making holes on the sides of boxes for easy caring! I am going to move to another state for work, and I hate the thought of packing all this stuff and caring it afterward! I want to hire a moving service, but I will still cut these holes so that the workers will not have a very sore back the next day. Thanks for this wonderful advice!
Grant Williams says
My advice is to use, rather than cardboard boxes, the 18 gallon plastic containers with tops found at many stores especially Wal-Mart. They also are available in larger sizes.
It has made my moving work a lot easier, and the containers are stackable out of the way when you’re done. No need to hunt down cardboard boxes, which are also prone to tear and require tape to seal.
My $.02. 🙂
Thanks! Nice post, Lydia.
PS: I also had a great experience hiring a guy off of Craigslist to help me move once I was packed. It wasn’t very much money (I think like $40) and REALLY sped it up – I mean so much faster/easier than when I did so alone! Was definitely worth the money, but you do have to be careful who you pick.
Lydia says
Thanks Grant! Great idea! 🙂
Catherine says
Great post! I would definitely add them to my checklist. I remember the time where I didn’t label the cables on my first move and it was really a hassle to sort them out. So grateful for the tips you shared Lydia. Thanks!
Lydia says
Hey Catherine! Thanks so much, I’m so glad you found the tips helpful!
Brian says
I love the idea of putting trashbags over your hanging clothes to move them! Seems like such an easy idea I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.
Lydia says
Thanks Brian, I wish I’d thought of it many years ago before I moved so many times! 🙂
Janie Maloney says
I like for this sharing ideas, i really need a crew who can organize my stuff and do proper packing my things because i’m planning move away my residence in a few month’s. Thank you for the good suggestion and tips guys.
Lydia says
Oh you’re so welcome Janie! I’m so glad you found it helpful. Good luck with your move!
Richard Bishop says
Your tips are very helpful and should be followed by everyone that needs guide and help with relocation. As we all know that it’s very stressful thing to move to a new place and every bit of help should be appreciated. I am surely going to share your post with my friends to spread all the helpful info you put out. Thanks!
Lydia says
Thanks so much Richard, I appreciate that and am so glad you found it to be helpful!
bassetthound7 says
Our offer was just accepted, so our projected closing is in about six weeks. You have some great ideas here. I’m going to search Pinterest for even more ideas. Thank you.
Lydia says
Congratulataions, how exciting! I’m glad you found it helpful, and YES! There are many ideas to be found on Pinterest I’m sure! Best of luck! 🙂
Starr says
Great ideas!! I will definitely put them to use when I move into my new house next month!!
Lydia says
Great! Thanks Starr! Good luck with your move. 🙂