Moving is never easy. All of the planning, packing, and loading/unloading of trucks is a lot to take on. While the most important thing is to recruit friends and family to assist (hint: providing food helps), there are also plenty of moving hacks that you can use to ease the burden. We’ve scoured the web and compiled some our favorites that we think will help save you time and money:
Best Moving Hacks: A Compilation
1. In need of moving boxes? Head to your local community college.
Yes, you read that right. This is a great place to snag some boxes, as they’ll usually have some to spare in their copy room(s). Paper boxes are perfect for moving purposes as they haves lids that don’t require tape and are very easy to stack. (Via lifehack.org)
2. Use ice cubes and a fork to easily remove furniture dents.
HomeAdvisor demonstrates:
3. Two-for-one special: Use your clothing to wrap up your breakables.
This one will save you some valuable time and space. Wrapping up your dishes and glasses using clothes will save you a trip to the store for bubble wrap, and allow to pack two things at once. (via BuzzFeed)
4. Use trash bags to make unpacking far easier.
No need to take your clothes off of its hanger. Simply use trash bags to cover them up while they’re still hanging in the closet. (Via updater.com)
5. Make the best use of your suitcases.
If you have any suitcases with wheels, take advantage of them. Load them up with heavy items to lighten your lifting load. (via popsugar.com)
6. Saran wrap to the rescue.
Saran wrap can be quite useful in securing odd-and-ends things, such as extension cords, pot lids, and silverware holders. (via valeriewritenow.com)
7. A little bit of color coding can go a long way.
Grab some colored stickers and assign a different color to each room of the house you are moving into. When you pack up your things, slap a sticker on the box that corresponds with the room it belongs in. That way there’s no guess work for whoever is unloading. (via zercherfamily.blogspot.com)
8. Contact your local charity for donation pickup.
If there’s no time for a yard sale (or if there leftover items from your yard sale), many charities will be happy to pick up those items that could find more use elsewhere. This allows you to have one less thing to worry about on moving day.
9. Rubber bands are your friend.
When you’ve got your hands full of boxes, the last thing you want to worry about is having to free up a hand to twist open the door knob. So take a rubber band and loop it around each handle so that it makes an “X” over the latch, keeping it open. (via goodhousekeeping.com)[
10. Pack items you’ll need right away in a clear plastic containers.
After a long day of moving, you don’t want to be having a scavenger hunt to find your essentials. Clear plastic containers will make them easy to find.