10 Moving Life Hacks Everyone Should Know.
Last year, more than 37 million Americans moved —and while that’s a historic low, one thing remains constant: the stress this experience can cause can be overwhelming. Everything about moving, from packing to hiring movers and navigating utility bills, is accompanied by stress and anxiety. Even the most careful planning can lead to stomach ulcers and a looming nervous breakdown as you try to pack your entire life into a moving truck and ship it to another location.
There are many small ways to reduce stress and make moving a little easier. These life hacks can help anyone, regardless of the distance or living conditions, as each one makes the process a little less challenging without much effort. Whether your move is tomorrow or next month, take a moment and use a few of these life hacks to make the day a little less of a nightmare.
Get free boxes
Buying moving boxes can be expensive—for example, U-Haul sells kits that range from $150 to $460 depending on your family size. It doesn’t seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but after all the other expenses associated with a new home, saving a few hundred dollars is a worthwhile savings.
Luckily, there are several ways to get free boxes : from companies like U-Haul that connect their customers with other companies, to platforms like Freecycle , where people often post ads offering free used box pickup. And, of course, you can always check with local grocery stores and other similar businesses to see if you can find old boxes in their dumpsters. Starting your collection early can save you time and money.
Choose the size for your boxes
When collecting or buying moving boxes, most of us simply grab whatever’s on hand, ending up with boxes of all different sizes and shapes, like a Tetris puzzle. Whenever possible, choose boxes of similar size. This will significantly simplify and speed up loading into a truck or van, and will also allow you to place them more quickly and securely on a dolly or flatbed truck. Of course, there will be exceptions to this rule—boxes for clothing, boxes for televisions, etc.—but the more boxes you can make uniform in size, the faster everything will go.
Stretch film
Moving things like tables or dressers often means playing whack-a-mole with drawers and doors constantly opening, or having to make multiple trips because nothing fits snugly.
The solution is stretch wrap. You’ve seen professional movers use it, but you can easily buy your own . And you should—it makes it easier to bundle odd-shaped items into a single unit, can be used to securely close drawers and doors, and protects your belongings from accidental damage caused by energetic but careless friends who just want a free pizza.
Vacuum bags
Sometimes moving can be truly Kafkaesque in its torment. For example, you’ve gone to great lengths to find a bunch of boxes, only to discover that each one only fits about one fuzzy sweater. Sure, that’s easy enough to move, but now you have to find another 100 boxes—or start stuffing clothes into trash bags.
Or, invest in vacuum-sealed storage bags . The same laws of physics that allow you to store your entire winter wardrobe under your bed will make your move much easier by reducing bulky items to a more manageable size. Once reduced, you can roll or fold the bags to fit easily into boxes. Bonus: the plastic bags will also protect your clothes during the move, ensuring they don’t arrive dirty, dusty, or torn.
Doors with rubber bands
It’s a ritual of moving: propping the door open. You stand up, sit down, and walk out, but the front door keeps slamming and latching, forcing you to constantly reach for your keys or key fobs to open it.
However, there’s a simple solution: take several (relatively large) rubber bands (you may need more than one), place them on both handles , and press them against the latch until it’s pressed in. Now the door won’t latch, and you can simply push or pull it as needed.
Take an emergency kit with you.
Sometimes, packing for a move, you can fall into a trance-like state and become a packing machine, frantically stuffing everything into boxes and bags. And then, when you arrive at your new home, you can’t brush your teeth, find bandages, or find cutlery to eat your winning DoorDash order.
A great life hack is to pack a “go bag” with all the essentials. Imagine you’re staying in a hotel for one night and bring everything you need for a comfortable stay: toiletries, toilet paper, simple dishes, and cleaning supplies. Add anything else you might need: dry socks, fresh underwear, pet food, baby supplies, and a first aid kit. This way, when you get tired of moving, you won’t have to rummage through a pile of boxes looking for a toothbrush.
Hangers and garbage bags
Safely transporting your clothes can be challenging, especially if you’re moving alone. Clothing boxes can help protect your belongings during the move, but they’re also bulky and expensive, plus you’ll have to spend time unpacking your clothes from the closet and transferring them to the box.
There’s an easier way: separate your clothes into groups, then slide a trash bag underneath to wrap them all, and secure plastic ties to the tops of the hangers. In a few minutes, your entire closet will be packed and ready to use. You can use a clothing box for this if you have one, but if not, your clothes will be protected and your closet will be instantly organized and ready to be emptied.
Keep track of the contents of your boxes.
Moving can devolve into chaos so quickly that we often set ourselves up for misery down the road. What began as a relatively organized event turns into a frantic race to stuff things into boxes and finish the project, meaning you’ll end up with a pile of boxes filled with random items, and there’s always at least one valuable item that seems to have fallen through a portal to another dimension.
This can be avoided with a simple life hack: number each box and photograph its contents before taping them shut and stuffing them into the van. While you can be more meticulous and use a spreadsheet, color-coded stickers, or another more reliable way to track each box’s contents, the photo method works well in the chaotic chaos that characterizes many moves. Later, when you’re looking for something, a quick scan of the photos will show you exactly which box you put it in.
Take a photo of the wire connections.
It’s amazing how many cables pop up, like an alien race invading our world. Everything in your home seems neat and tidy, until moving day arrives, and you realize every TV, desktop computer, and device has at least one, and sometimes several, cables connected to it. Keeping them organized when moving can be a real headache. While cables like HDMI cables are typically interchangeable between devices, this isn’t true if your laptop uses a USB-C to HDMI cable, and sometimes your cables are just the right length—for example, a short HDMI cable between your Roku and your TV won’t dangle and ruin the look.
To ensure you’ve assembled everything correctly and without risking your life, take a photo of the back of your devices before disassembling them for transport. Being able to see exactly where each wire goes and how it was connected will save you a lot of time and stress after the move.
Clean up while you pack.
Cleaning is an essential part of moving. If you’re renting, it’s a vital step to getting your deposit back. If you’ve sold your apartment, it’s simply the right thing to do (and may even be stipulated in the purchase agreement).
A simple but effective life hack: don’t wait until you’ve cleared out everything to start cleaning. While it may seem like a completely empty house is perfect for cleaning, it can also seem overwhelming. An empty room is just as easy to clean, and if you clean each room as you empty it, rather than leaving everything until the end, cleaning will seem less overwhelming. Plus, alternating packing and cleaning will make both processes a little smoother, because at least there will be some variety.