Oh goodness! Over the last few months, I have had a gazillion questions about moving. If every Shade of Shay is an aspect of my life, then this post should simply say this…
Shay hates moving.
But since that doesn’t make for a great post, I’ll elaborate just a bit more.
Some of you are moving pros…some of you enjoy moving, some of you move enough that you have mastered it, some of you are military families, some of you are just always on the move. Thank you so much to so many of you who have sent me unsolicited (and yet much appreciated!) advice on moving!
Here are some great pieces of advice that I received during this last move from readers…
1. Label every room by color.
I had several of you suggest that I label each room by color (so the kitchen is green, the master bedroom is blue, the living room is red and so on). I used big white labels (8.5 x 11 that I bought at Office Max) and wrote on them with a colored sharpie that corresponded to the room. I was very specific about what was in the box too. When we were unloading, it was easy to see what needed to go where just based on the color marker used. Several of you also said that using colorful duct tape was another way to do this (loved that idea too!).
2. Purge, purge, purge…and purge some more.
This is pretty self-explanatory but it needs to be reiterated. You should throw out (or donate) any and everything you do not absolutely love. We moved in February 2013 to our rental and I thought I had purged so much…but then in May of 2014 when I was packing up to move from the rental to the new house, I realized how much stuff I hadn’t purged and had moved from one location to the next. Don’t waste time, energy or space on things you don’t love and can’t live without…purge.
3. Put your clothes in a big sheet.
Sounds weird but works beautifully. If you’re moving within the same area (and not long distance), then instead of removing all of your clothes from the hanger, you just lay out a big sheet (like a king size) and lay as many clothes (still on the hangers) as you can on top of the sheet. Then you pull up the four ends and carry it out of the house. Once you get to the new location, you just open up your sheet and hang up your clothes. This idea saved us soooooo much time!
4. Have a processing area.
I loved this tip about processing your stuff first. We “processed” our stuff on the driveway before bringing it into the house. I didn’t want to just start unloading boxes inside the house that I was trying to organize, so instead we kept everything out on the driveway and brought stuff in and carried it to the room where it needed to be. I think this really helped make everything run more smoothly and kept us more organized. (Don’t just dump anything and everything in the living room and then start going through it…or you will feel very overwhelmed!)
5. Use paper plates in-between your dishes to prevent scratching.
As we were unpacking, my mom thought that this was the most brilliant thing I had done. When I packed up all of my plates and china, I used old paper plates (like old Christmas ones) and put those in-between each plate as a buffer to prevent scratching. Simple!
I know so many of you would love more tips! If you have tips, please, please, please leave tips in the comment area of this post so that others can sort through them and get ideas. Even if your tip seems small and silly, it will probably benefit someone reading.
Dinner tonight is super simple and very yummy…
Happy Tuesday everyone!
Anonymous says
Great tips! Will we ever get to see pics of the house you moved to?
Tab & Erika says
I have NO tips, but I loved all of those. I hope people keep giving you ideas. I'm going to need them. (for the future). Last year I was a HOT MESS!!
Cathy and Marshall says
Perfect timing for this post! We are moving at the end of the month. I love the idea of color-coding boxes and wrapping hanging clothes in a sheet.
Tara G. says
Well, rejoicing that you have the physical transferring behind you! Enjoy making your house your home and may it be one where everyone who enters senses Peace!
Denise Holthaus says
I wish I had read this a few days ago as I'm packing up my mom's estate. :). The paper plate idea in between plates is brilliant. I have one more set of China to pack and I'll be doing this!! Thanks! and I agree, I'd rather do anything else than pack and move stuff. Good luck!
Sheaffer {Pinterest Told Me To} says
The clothes on the sheet? That's brilliant. And I will definitely be color coding boxes! Great tips!
Melissa H. says
Have air mattresses and enough window coverings for one room with you in case your movers don't make it till the next day…this happened to us and the kids thought it was so much fun "camping out". Sweet memory for us!
Emilyhrousseau says
This may seem basic, but we use most of the towels in our house to wrap breakables in (crystal, stacks of dishes, etc.) instead of bubble wrap/newspaper.. you have to move all your linens anyway so may as well get double duty. Easy to just wash a big load when you finish unpacking.
Bonnie says
I had a box of stuff that I kept things that were of immediate use (kind of like if you were packing a suitcase for a trip–toiletries, toilet paper, towels for showering, paper towels, plastic utensils, etc.) Basically stuff that could get us through one day or one meal without having to find the box that had all the stuff we would need.
Place sheet sets for each bed also in that box. When we get to the new house, I immediately go to each room that has beds and make the beds. That way, when we are tired and ready to go to bed, I don't have to find the box with sheets and make everyone's bed! We're ready to go to sleep!!
Paula says
No tips…but excited about a virtual tour, especially the kitchen! I bet your home is beautiful!
Lauri says
I have moved over 20 times in my life. I have just a few tips. Use brown sandwich paper bags to put your glasses, silverware, etc into. Less messy than newspaper, no tape needed, and still recyclable. As for the clothes in the sheet. We do large trash bags, and pull them over hangers like a dry cleaning bag. You can fit tons into just 1 bag. Also, try to not grocery shop before the move so you are not transporting tons of food. And clean your fridge, microwave, etc, if you are moving them too.
Megan says
When moving clothes, leave them on the hanger then thread a strong leather belt thru the middle of the hanger. Secure the clothes by fastening the belt. Now all those clothes are still on hangers and you can just throw them over your shoulder and go. Done this many times!
Sarah E @ theteacherswife.com says
This is probably an obvious one, but making sure you put heavy items in small boxes. There's nothing worse than trying to lift a huge box of heavy books- needless to say I learned that lesson the hard way many years ago! 🙂
This Gingers Journey says
Love this Shade of Shay!!! We are currently building our first house and the thought of packing up all our stuff is overwhelming. Our plan is to start early and I will for sure be making my husband read this so we can use some of your tips 🙂
Melissa Kelly says
Love your ideas. The sheet is just brilliant, I bet that would work great for kids moving into a college dorm too. I have no moving tips but will keep all of yours for the future.
http://jasonandmelissakelly.blogspot.com
Anonymous says
Have a "parts" box…pack all the remotes (labeled for what it goes to), all the screws to items you had to take apart (also labeled for the item they go to) in one box. Label the box "parts". When you need to find remotes, screws, and anything else small you know exactly where to look! Saves a ton of time and keeps the little things from getting lost in the bottom of the box.
Clareio says
we have found collapsible plastic crates indispensable and cheap. crystal glasses wrapped in newspaper in a shallow crate, don't rattle and nothing gets put on top. Heavy books, cleaning stuff (at one point we just stuck the crate of cleaning stuff straight under the kitchen sink out the way! Also using tshirts, socks etc as packaging material saves on extra space… and DONT FILL BOXES WITH BOOKS. use smaller bags or boxes, it gets heavier than you think!
We still have 5 or 6 boxes left to unpack a month and a half later… I moved before my husband therefore he was left to pack and I keep unpacking things into the bin!
Ranisa says
Do not lay your plates flat. They need to stand upright in a box. They break easier when flat. I always pack a suit case for everyone with the things we will need over the next couple of days. Never lose toothpaste or a towel that way. Label label label. A list if what is in the box is so helpful.
kristenortendahl says
Love this – and I totally agree with all of your tips. I'm one of the lucky military wives who has had lots of experience with long-distance moves!
One addition – be strategic with how you pack the truck. Put the items you'll need first on the truck last. Might seem obvious…but take it from this girl who learned the hard way that when you put your bed on the truck first, you have to unload everything before you can make your bed and go to sleep. 🙂
Good luck with the move!
Dani {Adventures of a Pharm Girl} says
I hate moving too. Ick! But I love all of the great tips!
Liz says
I number my boxes as I pack. I usually start about a month before we move and so I know Boxes #1-#25 are generally things like decor, DVDs, books, and non-essential daily items. The higher the number, the more essential it is. When we move to the new house I look for the highest numbered boxes and unpack those first (kitchen dishes, linen, laundry detergent) before tackling the non-essential items.
Tracy says
Great post! I hope we get to see the house soon!
Elaine Welte says
With my husbands job, we have moved to 4 states in 8 years! (We've also lived in a total of 8 houses) Our best move was when we hired movers! I'll do that again the next time we move. In order to get the kids in on the move though, I let them work on packing their toys and coloring on the boxes! It keeps them occupied while I pack, and they see me write on the boxes and they want to get in on the "fun" too! We've also saved our moving boxes, bubble wrap, and tissue paper. It's saved us from buying it every time we move, which is obviously all the time! We have boxes for our clothes, that have the hanging bar, so that's super easy, and I fill the bottom of those with shoes!
Haley @ Cupcakes and Sunshine says
LOVE this post!! The paper plate and sheet-for-clothes ideas are GENIUS!!!
Grace Beacham says
Awesome tips! I will be moving out of a third floor apartment in a few months. :-/ I need all the little advice I can get. Can't wait to see pics of your new house!
Anonymous says
When we have moved, I always packed a #1 box. And labeled it #1 on all sides. In that box I put sheets for beds, towels, pj's, and any other essentials that we absolutely needed the first night. That way, we could find a way to get everyone comfortable and in bed. And as you said: Purge, purge, purge!
Charity says
Charity Hate Moving as well.
Which is unfortunate since I'm moving in less than 30 days. And have no idea where i'm moving to, but I digress.
Love the sheet idea I will be trying this!!
Darcy says
Such great tips! Instead of using a sheet (which is a fabulous idea!), I bought a $10 clothes bar for my car at our super store, and then took big bunches of clothes straight from the closet to my car and hung them up on the bar. Then at the new house, I just unloaded them from the bar and into my new closet. (And I still use the bar – now I just hang my dry cleaning on it for the trip home.)
Sally Lillich says
We are moving right now. Pack up one room at a time and keep all of your packing supplies together. I have a small tupperware box where I keep my scissors, tape, labels, and sharpies. After I'm done using them, they go right back into the box, so I always know where they are; no randomly lost scissors or tape because they got carried into another room and misplaced. The box comes from room to room with me as I pack.
I use 4 x 6 colored post-it notes to label my boxes. Each room is a different color and I list what is going into each box on the post-it. Then I use clear tape to fasten it to the top of the box. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/153192824799645273/
amanda says
Set your beds up first! After a long day of moving the last thing you will want to do is put sheets on everyone's bed. I also packed all our toiletries in one box so it was ready to unload and shower at the end of the day. We purged as we packed and then staged everything under the car port at the new house so we can purge more before it comes inside. We only moved 1 mile and it's still a much bigger process than I anticipated!
Megan @ ThefancyFlamingo says
These tips come at a perfect time as we're moving this month and Ive been packing everyday! Thanks for these I will definitely use them all.
Anonymous says
I love your blog!
I was wondering if at some point you will reveal more about your adoption?
I'm surprised moving in the middle of the adoption wasn't too complicated?
Best of luck in your new home!!
Christine says
We have moved more in our 14 years of marriage then I care to admit (5 times). We have relocated our hanging clothes in the same manner in which you mentioned. We jokingly refer to it as a "clothes taco." Works like a charm!
Amy Heinl says
Great tips…I am moving in 6 weeks and already have done some of the tips but the one with the paper plate was BRILLIANT…will definitely do that when packing dishes. I bought clothes box at UHAUL from a move 6 years ago and it comes with a bar across it (just like your closet). Just load up your closet and pull the lid down. Movers dolly it on the truck and then into the new house…easy peasy and no lifting and carrying clothes…but sheet idea is a good idea too. I am so glad you stressed purging…I have been doing that every weekend. Thanks for all the good tips
LuckyShorelineBride says
I love the color coded idea! We did this when we moved from our one bedroom apartment to our house – and it was a lifesaver! You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff you collect in a tiny apartment – and dividing it among our new rooms would have been totally overwhelming!!! Glad your through the worst of it 🙂
Erin says
Great tips!! We'll be moving in a few months right after we welcome a newborn baby.. I will definitely be using these. Thank you!!!!
sl says
My favorite moving tip is to use towels(bath, hand, kitchen and washrags to pack dishes. I love it. No dishes to wash from newspapers and they are protected so well from breakage. I love your idea on moving clothes in a bed sheet!
EMC says
Love the sheet idea for the clothes when moving locally. I am praying we don't have to move next summer for our 8th move in 10 years. Other ideas that have helped us when we didn't have an employer move us: Use diaper boxes for books, make sure you are good friends with someone who is engaged to get all of their sturdy boxes from all of their registry deliveries and lastly give a neighbor or friend whatever you don't throw out in your fridge or pantry if you are moving out of town. All of those condiments can be put to good use!
Anonymous says
Great tips! I've moved more times than worth remembering and have it down to a science. When I move my hanging clothes, I buy a box of contractor garbage bags and poke a hole in the bottom – then slide the bag over the clothes with the hangers coming through the hole. Then I tie the bottom in a knot and wrap a rubber band around the hangers to keep them from separating. Finally I tie a corresponding ribbon to mark hers, his, coat closet, etc. This seems to keep 99% of the clothes on the hanger, (though if they slip it's still in the bag) the bundles are manageable and the ribbons help keep order when hanging in the new closet! It's also an easy way to get ahead of packing as you can do almost everything in advance and just keep in your closet until the big day – and – no rumples!!!
Katie says
Please do a shade of shay on managing life with two young kiddos soon! I have a three week old and two year old and would love tips 🙂
As far as moving.. My biggest tip is what you already mentioned Purge! If fact, I am a big believer in being a minimalist.. Less clutter equals less stress and mess. 🙂
Richmond upon Thames home movers says
These moving tips you have provided are just awesome! While we do not really have future plans of moving out, these tips will definitely be of great help if ever we would have to. Thank you for sharing this post!