Avoiding common moving day mistakes can make a huge difference between a successful and stressful experience. Since so many things should be done during the moving process, it’s easy to make mistakes that can impact your move. For this reason, it’s essential to be careful when moving.
Why Should You Be Careful During Your Move?
Moving to your new place can be an exciting chapter in your life, but it may also have many downsides if you’re unprepared for them. The biggest reason for caution once you decide to move is that moving can cause various unforeseen problems and stress without preparation. Such problems may range in severity, but they may all cost you valuable money and time when you’re trying to enter the next phase of your life.
While several common moving day mistakes are easy to avoid and predict, some are less obvious. So, learning about mistakes that have been made can be beneficial, especially for those moving from Oregon for the first time. Whether or not you’ve experienced moving a few times, you might be surprised at the things you might forget once the pressure is on, and the moving has started.
To make sure your moving day goes off without a hitch, remember these common mistakes homeowners make and learn how you can avoid them:
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Not Planning Ahead And Asking For Help
During your move, it can be tempting not to ask for help. However, it’s impossible if you have heavy boxes and furniture to move. Getting your family members and friends to help you out can be an excellent way to move, but never be afraid of planning ahead and working with professionals. Finding the best people to help you with your moving needs is always a wise decision.
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Leaving Your Appliances To The Last Minute
Another mistake homeowners make during their move is leaving their appliances to the last minute. If you’re planning to pack and move your kitchen appliances with you, there are various things you should do to avoid any inconvenience during your moving day.
First and foremost, hire a plumber or an electrician to get your appliances appropriately disconnected and ready for transport. Your movers won’t disconnect gas lines or hoses. If such lines aren’t disconnected, you won’t be able to transport your appliances with you.
The next thing you should do is dry out and defrost your freezer and refrigerator. Your refrigerator must have less moisture because too much moisture may result in mold buildup.
Before your move:
- Consider unplugging your fridge and drying it out.
- Place a box of baking soda in your unplugged refrigerator to absorb the odors.
- Then, use a dry towel to wipe the remaining moisture inside.
Doing those steps properly can ensure that your appliances will be ready for transport. Also, never forget about returning your cable box. In most cases, it’s the way to end your contract with your cable company. If you could get it out before your moving day, it’s one less thing to think about.
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Neglecting Self-Care
Your moving day will be busy, and it can be easy to forget to hydrate or eat. To prevent dehydration and maximize your energy, you should plan out what and when to eat and drink.
Whenever possible, make some sandwiches, put several snacks aside, prepare refreshing beverages, and keep some water bottles on hand for everyone. You may also set the alarm to eat your meals and spend a few minutes refueling your body. Just be sure to avoid drinking more energy drinks and coffee because such beverages could make you anxious and dehydrated.
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Schedule With Your Chosen Moving Company As Soon As Possible
It’s essential to hire movers to help ease your moving day. It’s essential to contact a moving service provider at least six or eight weeks before your move-out date. As a matter of fact, as soon as you’ve decided on your moving date, contact the most reliable moving company for a schedule.
Once you wait for too long to find movers, they might not be available on the day you need them anymore. This can force you to stick with another moving company that costs too much and doesn’t have the best reputation. Choosing an affordable and convenient day is something that you have to consider. It’s less pricey to move during weekdays. There’s also more demand for Fridays and weekends, so the costs are typically expensive.
Moreover, never forget to read the contract’s fine print before you sign it so that you won’t be surprised by any hidden charges. Sometimes, the most inexpensive quote doesn’t mean the cheapest. Therefore, try searching for a flat-fee company that assures no extra fees.
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Leaving All Utilities Behind
There’s nothing worse than moving on a day only to get to your new place and realize the lights don’t turn on. This might happen if you forget about transferring the utilities and don’t have an available utility company to help you.
To avoid this, consider setting up the utilities in your new home a week before your moving day. If you’re moving locally, some companies will allow you to transfer your account online from one address to another.
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Forgetting To Pack Your Essentials Or Survival Box Separately
The last thing you would want to do after a long day of moving is to spend time rummaging through several boxes to find your toothbrush and pajamas. Anything you need during your move or some necessities for the following days must be packed separately. Keep them in your car, and don’t forget to pack and put your valuable documents in a safe place.
Your survival box may include:
- Personal electronic devices, such as phones, laptops, chargers, and power cables
- Clothes
- Toiletries including toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, shaving supplies, body soap, shampoo, toilet paper, towel, and shower curtain
- Pillows and sheets
Aside from that, plates and utensils are the other crucial items to include in your survival box. Consider keeping cleaning wipes, paper towels, plastic ware, and paper plates in another survival box. This way, you won’t need to worry about your dishes right away. You may also need some tools, such as an adjustable wrench, pliers, and screwdrivers, especially if you have things to assemble during your move.
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Not Checking The Weather For The Moving Day
The weather may change quickly. Therefore, even if you checked it the night before, don’t forget to check it throughout your moving day. This is essential if there’s a possibility of rain or snow in the forecast.
The weather conditions may affect the traffic conditions, your safety, and some of your things may require extra protection from the elements. So, staying prepared and informed can be really helpful to experience a hassle-free move.
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Not Checking Your Insurance Policy
If your hired moving professionals break one of your things, who will pay for it? Well, if you won’t do your homework, you’ll end up being responsible for it. To avoid this, ask your moving company to explain the insurance policy clearly.
Most insurance policies of moving service providers use weight to value your things. For instance, the policy could reimburse you 50 cents per kilo of the damaged goods. It means your expensive and lightweight TV won’t be covered entirely.
If the liability policy of your moving company won’t cover your belongings, check your homeowner’s or renters’ insurance policy. Most of these cover moves, so you and your precious items will be protected in case of damage.
If your insurance policy doesn’t cover your move, it’s time to get better coverage insurance as early as possible. Or hire moving companies that’ll take responsibility for potential problems and will cover the damage for you.
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Not Creating A Moving Day Checklist
Packing and moving often revolve around executing a proper plan based on a checklist. It ensures that you do not forget even the smallest details during your moving day. The best moving day checklist includes various tasks, such as:
- Getting insurance
- Marking fragile items
- Color coding
- Numbering boxes
- Following up with the movers
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Not Doing A Final Walkthrough
It’s okay to get excited and finish your moving day as fast as possible. However, to achieve better results, don’t forget to do a final walkthrough of your house. If you prefer to clean it yourself, the final walkthrough is the best time to ensure that everything is cleaned adequately and thoroughly. Be sure to check attics, basements, sheds, closets, crawl spaces, cupboards, storage spaces, and garages for small items you may have missed.
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Not Organizing Your Boxes Properly
If you’re too busy with your move, it’s easy to forget about sorting out your boxes. But this may result in more stress once you start unloading the boxes in your new home. If you don’t want this to happen, ensure that every box is well-packed, appropriately labeled, and fragile items are wrapped carefully.
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Packing During Moving Day
When traveling for a vacation or business trip, it’s okay to do last-minute packing. However, it’s a different story when moving to a new home.
Last-minute packing for a move is never a good idea. In fact, it can be a recipe for chaos, making your moving day very stressful. So, avoid packing during your move. If possible, spend a few days disassembling your furniture, disconnecting your appliances, and packing your belongings. This way, you can ensure that movers can quickly load and transport your things to your new place.
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Letting Pets And Kids Roam Free
Imagine trying to pack and move an entire home with kids weaving in and out of your legs. This is even worse if you have dogs that run to the streets each time you open the door.
If you want to ensure a smooth moving day, make sure to avoid letting your pets or kids roam free. Give your movers a path that’s clear to move your boxes and furniture safely. It won’t only help you avoid any inconvenience, but this will ensure the safety and health of your pets and children in your house.
During the moving day, you can:
- Crate your pets or board them.
- Plan a play day out of your house for your kids.
While boarding your pets may seem extreme, some pets like dogs may get stressed when strangers enter your house to move your boxes out of your property. So, never hesitate to send them to a pet daycare during your move to help reduce their anxiety.
Keeping your pets and kids elsewhere during a move will surely lessen stress and improve the efficiency of your movers. Just make sure to plan everything ahead, and don’t forget about having the right documentation when traveling with your pets for a faster, easier, and less stressful move.
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Scheduling Cleaners During Moving Day
If you think it’s a good idea to schedule cleaners during your moving day, better think twice. Bringing them in before you can take everything out of your house can result in chaos.
There are some reasons why you should avoid it, and these include:
- Having a clear path is necessary for movers to take your things out of your property. If the cleaners want to work on your carpets in the hallway, it can be hard for moving professionals to get your belongings out of your home. If they need to use a side exit, it’ll only cause a delay on your moving day.
- Your movers might not be able to pack your things properly when the cleaners arrive. Keep in mind that your movers have to balance the weight of your shipment, so they might take some things from your bedroom and other items from your living room to keep the truckload well-balanced.
As a result, it isn’t as easy as you might think to find a room that’s done that the cleaners may start on. If they’re in your home at the same time, your cleaners and your movers will be in each other’s way.
Even if it may seem like an efficient way to move, never bring cleaners in until you’re done moving everything. Otherwise, it’ll only create additional problems and inconvenience for everyone involved during your moving day.
Conclusion
Keeping the above-mentioned mistakes in mind and having everything prepared before your moving day can ensure a stress-free and hassle-free experience. So, make necessary preparations as early as possible, particularly when packing your things. If possible, avoid rushing the process as you might miss some important things.
Feel free to share your observations with me in the comments section!
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