Getting Organized Before and After Moving Day

All Jersey Moving & Storage's moving experts understand what it takes to execute a seamless move. From packing and labeling before moving day, to unpacking without chaos, here are some insider tips. These will help you stay organized and ensure a successful move.

Tips for Getting Organized Before Moving Day

Have Materials Ready

You’ll need boxes, scissors, packing tape, and permanent markers. Make sure to have a few extra markers and pairs of scissors in case one or two get lost. The last thing to go in the moving truck should be your cleaning and moving supplies! You can even set your moving materials into their own ‘moving day box’ that you can access before and after moving. This will be the first box you look for when your moving truck arrives. You can’t open boxes if you don’t have your scissors or a box knife on hand.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Unless you’ve moved before, you never quite know how long it will take to pack all of your possessions. Sure, you’ve cleaned the house before or sorted through your closet, but moving requires reviewing every piece you own and carefully boxing it up. At All Jersey Moving & Storage, we offer complete and partial packing services to take the stress out of packing. Even when it’s a last-minute move and you’re in a panic without the time and hands required to make your move happen, you can count on All Jersey Moving & Storage. We try to accommodate last minute moves whenever possible.

De-clutter & Deep Clean

Don’t wait to deep clean the house until after it is empty. You can start cleaning before your home is empty and your possessions are moved out. Wash the windows, wipe down the walls, and clean to the areas you haven’t seen since you moved in (like under the fridge). You’ll still have some cleaning to do once the house is cleared out, but deep cleaning ahead of time will mean that there’s less to do on moving day. The less tasks you have on moving day, the better, as you’ll have enough on your plate.

And of course, moving is a great time to throw away or sell what you haven’t used or no longer need. Decide what items will be necessary in your new house. You can save some effort and de-clutter by getting rid of old, unnecessary possessions before you move.

Pack Non-essentials First

Save the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom for last. Start with seasonal items or the antiques that are sitting in your cupboard, then move onto other non-essentials that you don’t use in your everyday life. When you’re down to your last few rooms which you use regularly, begin by packing the items in those rooms you don’t need. For instance, in your bedroom, begin by packing away your winter clothes if it’s summer. When moving day is just a week away, it’s time to make sure that everything is packed away except for a suitcase of clothes and toiletries you’ll use during the move. Keep some snacks handy too if you’ve got a road trip to get to your new home.

Organize Your Electronics & Cords

Worried about all of those cords behind your TV or sound system? It can be frustrating to move into a new home with your cords tangled, without an idea as to where they might belong. The solution is easy. Simply wrap them together with a zip-tie, label the cords and fasten them to the equipment they belong to. You can do this for the TV, router, and other electronics.

Label Every Box

Labeling boxes is a crucial part of every move. With the right labels, once you’re moving into your new home, it will be easy to put every box in its rightful place, or at least in the right room. Each box should have the following pieces of information: what it contains and which room in the new house it should be set in.

You may also consider writing the number one, two, or three on the boxes, with one being the boxes you should open first once you get to your new home, and three being the boxes you can open last. Another option is to catalog the boxes, with each one getting its own number that corresponds to a list of the boxes and their contents. For example, box one contains kitchen plates. Box two contains silverware and napkins…

Don’t forget to label fragile boxes with big, bold lettering that no one will miss. If you plan on moving specific items on your own, be sure to set them aside and make it crystal clear that they should not be moved.

Color Code

If you really want to make your move organized, consider color coding! You can label each box with a color, and then use the corresponding colors in the new house to mark the rooms. For example, label the boxes from the living room with blue duct tape. Then, when you get to your new house, put a blue poster by the entrance to the living room to make it simple and obvious where the blue boxes go.

Stay Organized with Moving Apps

Have you thought about using a digital app to prepare for your move? Here are some helpful ones we recommend:

Letgo – Say goodbye to the belongings that no longer serve you and make some cash too. You may even be able to use this app instead of hosting a moving sale.

Evernote – This note app is the perfect place to keep track of your moving to-do lists, as well as archive important documents. You can share notes with your family members too. 

Sortly – This app amazes us! You can photograph important items, tag them with the room they belong in, and even add notes. This will enable you to remember which rooms your items were in and catalog them to ensure that everything arrived.

Moving Checklist – If you’re looking for a comprehensive moving checklist for your big move, use this app! Its suggested tasks will correspond with a countdown to your moving day.

Mint – To budget your move, download Mint! This app takes all of your bills and income into account and shares recommendations for how you can save money. You can also set budgets with notifications that appear when you’ve surpassed your budget. The app also tracks your expenses, making it easy to categorize and search for payments you’ve made.

Put Some Items into Storage

If you’re downsizing or not moving into your new home right away, you may need to store your items. Make sure to use storage facilities that have strong customer reviews. All Jersey Moving & Storage offers dependable, easy-to-use residential and commercial short-term and long-term containerized storage. Our storage facility is containerized, which means that your items are blanket-wrapped and secured in large, wooden containers.

Clean All Surfaces Once the House is Empty

After all of your boxes are in the moving truck and your house is empty, it’s time to clean all of the surfaces. Chances are that some dirt and dust was tracked into the house. Vacuum, mop, wipe down the kitchen, and make sure that the house is sparkling. The deep cleaning you should have done ahead of time means that the cleaning required on moving day should be minimal.

Consider Hiring a Professional

From professional cleaners, to expert movers like All Jersey Moving & Storage, consider getting professional help. This can relieve you of some of the major moving responsibilities, and enable you to focus on finishing up other responsibilities (work, school, family) before your move. From that big screen TV to your antique lamps, All Jersey Moving & Storage packing services can be customized from packing everything to just packing items too delicate or heavy to take care of on your own.

Tips for Getting Organized After Moving Day

Clean Your New House Before Moving In

If you’re provided with the opportunity, clean your new house before your items are brought in. This is the perfect chance to make the house feel like your own. Put out some air fresheners and open the windows to clear the air out. It’s amazing how a clean house can feel like home.

Label the Rooms

Hopefully you’ve labeled your boxes with the room they belong in. Once you’re at your new house and ready to move in, be sure to label the corresponding rooms. Grab some paper and pens and simply tape up some signs on the room doors. This won’t be necessary for the kitchen or living room, but may be necessary if you have multiple living areas or different bedrooms for different members of the family.

Set up Furniture First

It’ll be easier to arrange your furniture before unpacking, so make sure the couch, the beds, and maybe that grandfather clock you inherited are all in the correct place. Then, you can slowly fill in the rooms as you unpack your boxes.

Don’t Open Every Box Right Away

You may be tempted to open all of the boxes and start unpacking, but if you go from box to box, without emptying them individually, you’ll end up with a chaotic house full of half-full boxes and disorganized possessions. Instead, focus first on the kitchen and your bedrooms and don’t move on to another box until you’ve emptied an entire one. This will ensure that as the day goes on, you’ll have less boxes and more items in their rightful place. Don’t forget to flatten the boxes and put them away as they’re emptied.

Decorate Later

You’ll be tempted to hang up photos and carefully arrange your bookshelf, but when you have a whole house to unpack, it’s best to save the decorations for last.

Unpack the Kitchen and Bedroom First

It’s important that you focus on your kitchen and bedroom first as you’ll need a place to sleep, and ease of access to cooking. It’s also said that preparing your room first can bring good feng shui. If you have perishables, you’ll need to get those in the fridge again as soon as possible.

Your Key to an Organized Move: All Jersey Moving and Storage

For more guidance and tips on packing, unpacking, and moving, make sure to read our other blog posts. We’ve packed our decades of experience helping professionals and families move into articles with strategies and tips that will help you on moving day.

Plus, if you’re looking for professional services, All Jersey Moving & Storage may be the best moving solution for your needs. From our experience and friendly staff to our highly-rated equipment and materials, we have the know-how to ensure an organized move.

Additionally, our moving services can be customized to your needs, allowing you to decide if you need help packing the whole house, or just packing your breakable fine china and artwork.

You can also hire us for long-distance and short-distance moves, taking advantage of our vehicles, equipment, and expert staff.

Our reviews and awards will do the talking for us. Save yourself from packing chaos and headaches. Contact All Jersey Moving & Storage now for your moving needs.