Read our tips on how to arrange your relocation process.
We know you can’t wait to move into the new house, but for everything to go smoothly and stay calm throughout this complex process, you need something more than pure enthusiasm: you need a list of what is strictly necessary and a moving plan, a kit with essential utensils, boxes, and bags and, of course, time and patience to be able to organize properly.
If you reserve one day for packing and one for moving, you will inevitably forget to check some important steps and you will notice only in the evening, when you are already tired, that you forgot your bed linen or espresso machine in the old house. You don’t remember in which box you put the child’s favorite blanket, which he declares that he is not going to sleep without it. Wouldn’t it be much more pleasant to be able to relax with your loved ones in your new living room on the first night, without rummaging frantically through dozens of boxes that you forgot to write what they contain?
In this article you will find everything you need to know when moving to a new apartment or house:
How to organize yourself before moving?
The organization of the move would be good to start two or even weeks before the big event. This way you will have enough time to plan the steps and sort things out.
How will you transport the furniture and the heavy objects?
The first thing you need to do before moving is to decide if you will use a company to help you transport and possibly handle the furniture or even disassemble / assemble it or if you will rent a truck. If you are not a very handy person or perhaps to busy, we recommend you contacting a professional company to do so. The next step is to decide what kind of services you need. Will you pack yourself; will you buy your boxes or order them from a moving company, do you need wrapping and safety services, do you take your furniture with you? Then you might need assembly and disassembly services. After moving there is usually lots of waste that has to be disposed, will you arranged that with the moving company as well? After moving into a new place, you have to make sure that the old place is clean and ready for the visit of the landlord, a potential buyer or perhaps the new inhabitants. Will you take care of the cleaning as well, or perhaps the moving company whom you have asked for help? Lots of things to keep in mind when moving, and these are just some examples.
Some specialized companies ask for a higher rate on weekends, so take into account the date when you want to move.
If you choose to rent a truck, know that it should be equipped with everything necessary for transporting furniture: simple and bubble protective foils, corrugated cardboard, strings, roller transport systems and fastening systems. If it doesn’t have something like that, you will have to take care of this aspect as well. Also, if you opt for the option of renting a truck, ask a few friends to help you on the day set for moving furniture, mattresses, and heavy appliances. This is always a memorable activity for your family and friends, however not very advantageous in term of time and quality, while hiring a professional company, is just as fun as do it yourself, however the advantage is that they are prepared for absolutely any kind of situation and can take care of unexpected issues and you can form new bonds with new people’s and there’s no back pain for you.
Shopping list for moving into new home
Another thing you need to do before the actual move is to buy boxes of various sizes, from the simple ones, from cardboard. If you do not have enough clothes covers, you can use large enough garbage bags. You can always require moving boxes from a specialized company.
Prepare enough paper for packing kitchen utensils, glasses, decorations, and other fragile ornaments (leaflets or old newspapers are very suitable for this purpose). If you’ve packed a few raffia bags over time, add them to your moving arsenal.
A particularly effective idea to take up less space when transporting winter clothes, pillows and beds is to use vacuum bags. If you are living in the Netherlands the best option is to buy vacuum bas from bol.com.
Sort things out of the house before moving
When you start sorting things out in your old home, be prepared to part with many of them. This is the moment of the decisions you have avoided so far: do you still keep the chipped plates, the clothes you no longer wear, the high school notebooks and the blankets you got bored of? Only if you are willing to pay for their transport and you are sure you have a place to put them in the new home.
Have you decided not to take them with you? Very well. It means you can donate or recycle the, if you have chosen for a professional moving service, they should have such services available for you. Find, among friends, those who want clothes that you don’t like anymore, and you can take the old ones to clothing stores that have a collection program; leave your notebooks from high school at a paper collection center, and you can donate the books to the village libraries; blankets, beds and blankets that will not match the new décor of the house can find new masters on the donation groups on Facebook or to a poor people association. It is important to bring in the new house only the useful things and the ones you really like.
Other purchases for the new house that will help you a lot are the organizers for accessories and cabinets, the sets of hangers, the trash cans in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom or the work desk and the laundry basket in the bathroom. Buy them in advance and take them directly to the new home
Useful tips for when you move into a new home
A trick that will make your work a lot easier during the move is to eat as much of the food from the fridge and pantry as possible. That means for a while to buy only the strictly necessary food and to give yam – finally! – in jars of jam made by your mother – think about how much you will save this way! Everyone knows that moving to a new home involves a lot of expenses, so it doesn’t hurt to balance the balance a bit.
Also, a very good idea is to take to the new home, the night before, an electric kettle, some coffee or tea, sugar, a few cups, and teaspoons, so that you and your friends who came to your aid can catch your breath the next day, after carrying all the furniture and dozens of boxes.
What and how do you pack to move into your new home?
For a start, pack the things you can live without the two weeks (at least) before the actual move: off-season clothes, books, decorations, festive tableware, etc. You can easily transport them by car to the new house every time you make a trip there. Don’t forget to label each box, even if in this first phase you still don’t feel overwhelmed and you think you can handle it without writing all the details on the packaging. Mention the room where the boxes will have to be placed, because otherwise you will waste too much time looking for kitchen towels in the kitchen, although they are, in fact, among the boxes in the bedroom, mention the level on which the box has to be brought (if the case) and place a fragile sticker if you have something precious and fragile inside. Try to make each level or room different stickers, that will make the job much easier whether it is for you or for the movers.
Then, three or four days before the actual move, take each room in turn and pack each item. It is assumed that you have already gone through the sorting stage and got rid of the things you do not take with you, so it will be much easier for you from the beginning to decide what and where to put. Leave the children’s room and the kitchen behind and place the boxes in such a way that they do not block the way. The packaging starts with the things in the cabinets and drawers and only at the end it focuses on disassembling and preparing the furniture or bulky objects.
Pack towels, cosmetics, and cleaning products that you no longer use until the day of the move in sealed boxes or bags. Of course, you will not take with you expired or almost empty products, nor the old toilet brush.
Prepare the washing machine for moving disconnect it from the sanitary installations and evacuate the wastewater before the ones from the transport company come, or you can let them do so if you have agreed upon that. Protect the cables and hose with duct tape and cover the washing machine with foil to protect it from scratches.
Bedroom and dressing room
Pack your shoes and clothes in boxes or storage bags. Put bulky clothing and fabrics in special vacuum bags. If you take the rug with you, roll it up and clean it before laying it in the new bedroom.
If you decide to take the furniture as well, make sure it is empty and ready to be disassembled.
Living room
Appliances such as televisions are preferably packaged in original boxes, otherwise you can put them in cardboard boxes and protect them with polystyrene flakes. The carpet in the living room, just like the one in the bedroom, must be washed before moving it to the new apartment, so take the opportunity and clean it. Most carpet cleaning companies sanitize them in a maximum of 48 hours. Paintings and works of art must be carefully packaged so that they are well protected during transport. Wrap the ceramic or glass decorations in paper before putting them in boxes, or if you have hired a company, they should have protection services as well for your paintings and other things.
Kitchen and pantry
Home appliances are best packaged in their original boxes. If you no longer have them, wrap them in protective foil and put them in simple cardboard boxes, then fill the free space with polystyrene flakes. Watch out for the fridge! It will have to be transported standing, in a slightly inclined position, but if you use the services of a moving company you don’t have to worry about it. You just have to make sure that you unplug it and defrost and clean it a few hours before moving, and that you protect it with a stretch foil, bubbles, or cotton beds so that it does not risk being scratched. during handling.
Cups and mugs must be individually wrapped in old newspapers or leaflets and placed in boxes. In order not to move the plates inside the transport boxes, fill the free spaces with polystyrene flakes or fix them with plates placed horizontally. Don’t forget to put some crumpled paper or bubble wrap on the bottom of the box, in order to attenuate the shocks. Mention on the boxes, in addition to the details about the content, the word FRAGILE, as obvious as possible. The last thing you want is to, once moved, discover a box full of shards that were once your favourite bowls for cereal.
You may be tempted to throw away a half-empty bag of spaghetti or a bottle started with tomato sauce, but before you do, think about whether you have time to go shopping the day after the move. Of course, you will be able to order food, but it doesn’t hurt to have some supplies at hand for a quick snack. Secure the opened bags with special pliers and try to transport all the perishable food in a refrigerated box.
Strictly necessary when you move into a new house
Besides all the above things, when you move into a new house you need a few more indispensable things:
- a “moving” luggage
- a tool kit
- a cleaning kit
- a first aid kit
The “moving” luggage contains a strict need for clothes, cosmetics, and bed accessories for the first evenings. Think of this strictly as luggage for a vacation. Put in your favorite trolley change clothes, underwear, cosmetics and hygiene products, toilet paper, a bed linen, two towels, paper and pen, the phone charger, and other things you will need.
The tool kit is absolutely necessary whether you move to an apartment that has had an owner before or to a brand new one and should contain the following:
- multifunctional patent
- wrenches, screwdrivers, and bushings of different sizes
- roulette
- lantern
- spare batteries and bulbs
- insulating tape and adhesive tape
- hammer & drill
The cleaning kit should be as close to you as possible when you have finally finished moving. Even if you have already cleaned before bringing the furniture and other things, you will definitely need the products below when arranging the new apartment, so it is preferable to prepare this strictly necessary for cleaning.
It will really make your life easier.
- products for cleaning parquet and tiles
- sanitary ware
- disinfectant
- clean cloths
- dish and dish sponges
- wire sponges
- a carpet brush
- protective gloves
- mop and bucket
- mature if you do
- spare parts for the toilet bowl
- laundry detergent and conditioner
- a few rolls of paper napkins
- room spray and air freshener for cabinets
Also, make sure the vacuum cleaner is in a labelled box and you can easily access it.
It is good to have a first aid kit on hand, because when you move it is possible that you or those who help you get injured. You must be prepared for such a situation, and a kit consisting of the following elements will be useful to you later:
- anti-inflammatory and analgesic medicines for headaches, back pain, or pain in case of sprains or other injuries.
- ointment for muscle pain
- leucoplast strips
- sterile compresses and bandages
- antiseptic wet wipes
What do you do immediately after you move into your new home?
To feel at home as soon as possible, after you have moved all your possessions to your new home, checked the window locking systems and made sure you can easily unlock and lock the front door, it’s time to get ready the sleeping space, so assemble the bed (if it was not done by the movers) and remove the bed linen from the “moving” luggage.
Then, install and check the appliances (refrigerator, washing machine, stove). Unpack your essential personal items and, because it’s probably too late and the family is starting to show signs of fatigue, and you can’t wait to rest, get ready to order something to eat. After a delicious dinner and a restful sleep, you will be able to face the unpacking with fresh forces.
The first item on the to-do list the day after the move is the organization of the kitchen. Next are the smaller rooms, like the bedrooms. In the bathroom, especially if you have moved into a new apartment, you don’t have much to do, just organize hygiene products and cosmetics in the closets. Leave the living room behind, because here the space is bigger, and the arrangement is a little more complicated; you probably need to mount the library body and shelves on the walls and make important decisions about arranging the paintings and decorations.
Try not to make major changes in the new home immediately after moving. To realize what kind of ambiance you really want, you have to live in the house for a few months and only after that you decide that you want to paint the walls of the living room or that you need a different kind of parquet in the bedroom.
Do not rush the moving process, neither before nor after transporting the furniture and other objects. Go through each stage (planning, sorting, packing, transport, unpacking, organizing, and arranging) carefully and patiently and involve the younger members of the family in this process. In this way, moving to a new home will go smoothly and – very important – without too much delay.
The new home is ready, what about the old one?
Now that everything is more or less ready within the new home, you probably feel peacefully, but do not forget about the old one. Have you moved out properly, have you checked for everything and made sure that nothing has been left behind, if yes, then congratulations, you have had a smooth relocations process. But the old home, has to be cleaned and made it look like new. You probably have to feel in the holes you made in the walls during your staying, perhaps have to take remove the lamps and even the floor or just make sure the waste is removed properly. Another hard battle is waiting for you, but you can always hire a professional company to do, usually a moving company with all in moving services should provide such services.
