Your Moving Day Checklist: What You Need and How to Go About It

Roy Berendsohn
·3 min read
Photo credit: Thomas Koehler - Getty Images
Photo credit: Thomas Koehler - Getty Images


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Moving can be exciting, a drag, or some combination thereof. One thing is certain, though, being properly equipped makes it easier than it would be otherwise. There are some key tools and materials you need to pull a move off successfully, and several key principles that will help.

Consider our must-have moving supplies below and then scroll down for our list of no-fail moving tips.

The Best Moving Supplies

Key Principles

A handful of pro tips will see you through any move, whether it’s down the street or across the country.

• When in Doubt, Throw It Out

There’s no sense moving something only to throw it out at the new location. Make the tough decisions before you move about what to ditch and what to keep.

• Develop a Plan

Objects that are first on the truck are the last off, and last on the truck are first off. That seems pretty straightforward, but all of this should be coordinated with where boxes and objects go. Be sure than anyone who is involved with the move understands what the plan is and moves according to the plan.

• Strive for Three Cycles

Ideally, think of moving in three cycles. Pack it, move it onto the truck, and move it off the truck to its location. The fewer times you pick something up and put it down, the better.

• Be Deliberate About Staging Areas

It’s inevitable that sometimes you will need more than three cycles to move something. That is, boxes, furnishings or objects will be put in a staging area and you will then transfer them to their final location. Keep staging areas to a minimum, be deliberate about using staging areas, and don’t intermix staging areas. If boxes are to be staged outside a room for the contents of that room, don’t add additional boxes for another room or use the boxes as a platform for stacking something like curtain rods.

Photo credit: Roy Berendsohn
Photo credit: Roy Berendsohn

• Mark Every Box

Write the contents of every box on a minimum of two sides; four sides are even better.

• Make Plentiful Use of Masking Tape

Masking tape forms a handy temporary label or the means to hang a sign. Write on it to convey needed information, and then stick it to a wall or floor to make clear what’s happening there and why. For example, tape up a sign to identify a specific room, such as Dining Room to let your team know where to bring furniture and related boxes. Tape can also hang a sign to communicate where boxes are stacked, Cleaning Supplies Here or Staging Area for Library, or Stack Nothing Here.

• Put the Tools on Last

You need tools to get furniture and appliances assembled, open boxes, and take doors off their hinges. Because you need tools first, they are the last thing to go on the moving truck and the first thing to which you need access.

• Ready the Bathroom and Kitchen Supplies

People need to eat, drink and use the bathroom while moving. Be ready. More than one move has ground to a halt due to a lack of toilet paper (at either the place you’re moving from or the place you’re moving to), hand soap, spray cleaner, paper towels, plastic cups, and disposable plates.

• Deal With Trash

Moving generates trash, everything from pizza boxes and burger bags to the moving supplies themselves. You’ll need to deal with that trash with contractor-size trash bags, pop-up disposable garbage cans, or regular trash cans.

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