18 Easy Moving Tips and Hacks (You Need to Know!)

Inside: Moving Tips and Hacks to make moving easier -across town or across the country these tips will help simplify your move.

Moving doesn’t have to be hard, while it will take time and work there are a lot of tips to make your move easier and less stressful.

Over the years we have helped several friends move. With each move I have been surprised to realized so many of the things I have learned from all of our moves aren’t common knowledge.

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I know this is an unpopular opinion but I really enjoy moving. I know that sounds crazy but I think it’s so fun. (Everything except the loading and unloading the truck that is.)

I love having a fresh new slate to decorate and organize that moving gives you.

Plus you get a new place to explore, more people to meet, and a chance to start over in a lot of ways.

How To Make Moving Easier

We all know that moving isn’t easy it requires moving all of our possessions from one place to another.

We have moved 10+ times since getting married in 2013.

Some of the moves have been small across town or to the next town moves, but several of them have been big across the country moves.

There are several moving hacks we have learned over the years will help make your so much smoother. They have definitely made our moving experiences easier.

Moving Tips and Hacks

Today I want to share with you some hacks and tips we have learned with all of our moves. I hope these simple tips help make your move easier.

#1 Start Packing Early

It’s probably because I have little ones but it takes a while to pack and it’s always nice to start early so you have plenty of time.

I like to start packing about a month before we move.

At this point, I pack things we aren’t really using such as the guest room, books, extra blankets and I start packing décor.

As we get closer to the moving day I box more and more.

I always leave a few toys for the kids to play with that we can just put in the car with us.

#2 Use Plastic Wrap

Investing in a huge roll of plastic is one of the best things we have ever done for moving.

Plastic wrap can be used in packing the whole house.

Using plastic in the Kitchen:

Leave all of your silverware in the tray just wrap it all in plastic then if the box gets stacked upside down the silver wear doesn’t move.

When your unpacking just take off the plastic and put it in a drawer.

Using Plastic To Pack in the Bedroom and Bathroom:

If you use baskets in the bathroom instead of putting everything in a box simply wrap the basket in plastic and move it.

If it’s a small basket wrap it in plastic and then box it with other bathroom items.

Wrap mirrors in blankets and then with plastic. This is the easiest way I have found to move a mirror without worrying about it getting broken.

Plastic for Furniture:

Takedown tables put pieces in a zip lock back and wrap legs and baggie to table base with plastic

#3 Packing the Kitchen For A Move

The kitchen is probably the hardest room to pack because we use it every day. There are also a lot of items in most kitchens.

Pack the stuff you don’t use all the time such as baking stuff a week or so before the move.

Have the whole kitchen other than the fridge and freezer packed up at least 2 days before moving day. Just Do It!

It’s such a stress reliever to have packing the kitchen off your list.

packing glass pans in the kitchen using towels between pans

If you are worried about eating try simple no-prep meals, freezer meals, eat out or invite yourself to some friend’s homes.

The days before we move cold cereal, pizza, sandwiches, and eating out are typical for our family. Make sure you have paper goods (plastic silverware, paper plates, bowls, etc.)

Moving Tips for Packing the Kitchen:

As mentioned above use plastic for the silverware tray.
Foam plates between glass plates and foam bowels or dish towels between bowels work really well at keeping the glass from breaking and hitting together.
Put spices in mixing bowls or pots with lids. Then if they spill the mess is contained to one bowl or pot and it’s much easier to clean up.
Have the fridge cleaned out and everything ready to box early the morning of the move. Then it’s a fast and easy moving day. Put everything in a cooler and put it in the car so it’s easy to unload first.
Clean as you go. For example, wipe down cupboards as you empty them then you don’t have to go back and clean them later.

#4 Box the Little Things…In Big Boxes

Instead of having tons of little boxes try putting things in medium boxes as often as possible to make moving the boxes faster.

Picking one or two sizes of boxes so that you have uniform sizes makes it easier to stack and fit boxes together.

Don’t get boxes that are to big. You don’t want them to be too heavy or to break when moved.

#5 Storage Bins Instead of Boxes

It took several moves for us to learn this hack but using plastic storage bins instead of boxes has made our moves so much easier.

All of the storage bins easily stack on each other and are the same size.

Plus after you move you can use the storage bins to organize things in your new home.

We use both clear storage bins and solid-colored ones.

The clear storage bins are great for things you’re not going to unpack right away. I like using them for decorations too so it’s easy to see what is in each bin.

If you don’t move often it might be hard to justify the expense of purchasing bins. But if you’re going to be purchasing boxes chances are it won’t be that much more expensive to purchase storage bins.

If you can get boxes for free then you can easily make moving with boxes work, we have just found that bins make the moving process easier.

#6 Label Boxes and Bins

Label boxes with the rooms you want them to go into in the new house, not your current home. This makes it easy for those helping you to easily put the box where it goes.

Labels like “first bedroom, master, basement, kitchen” are a lot more helpful than listing children’s names. Most likely those helping you move in won’t know which room is being used for what.

#7 Moving Hanging Clothes Hack

Leave clothes on hangers and cover them with a trash bag. Pull the bag up from the bottom of the clothes and wrap the ties around the hangers.

Then if something falls off a hanger it will be in the bag and you can use the bags in your trash can after you move.

Moving hanging clothes this way makes it easy to take clothes from one closet to another without as much work as boxing everything.

#8 Wrap Rugs with Plastic

The plastic wrap I mentioned above is great for wrapping around a rolled-up rug. This makes it so the rug doesn’t unroll and is easy to move.

#9 Use the Laundry Baskets

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people moving and carrying empty laundry baskets!

Instead of wondering how to pack baskets for moving use those baskets!

Shoes work great in laundry baskets so do blankets, pillows, sheets, and quilts.

Using a laundry basket for laundry supplies is also a great idea since it all needs to go into your new laundry room.

Use these 17 hacks to make your move easy. Even though the house will still be a mess.

#10 Use Your Suitcases

Just like you should use your laundry basket, use your suitcases.

Maximize your moving space by packing in suitcases instead of having them take up space and be empty.

Pack clothes, toys, books and many other things easily in a suitcase.

The suitcase will be your favorite box to load/ unload since it has wheels!

#11 Use What You Have

Use what you have instead of buying bubble wrap and packing material for everything.

While some packing materials will be needed you can use towels and blankets as cushions then boxing and moving fragile stuff.

Using what you have saves you from moving extra stuff and saves money.

#12 Prepare to Load the Moving Truck

You might be wondering how to prepare to load the moving truck. There are a couple of ways to do this:

Have things packed!

We have helped several people move and when we show up to help load the truck they are frantically trying to box things.

Not sure if they thought that things would magically be boxed when the truck showed up or what.

If you want the packing to start when the truck shows up hire movers!

Then you don’t have to worry about packing things and you won’t have frustrated moving helpers.

Put Packed Boxes in the Garage

As you pack boxes put all the boxes in the garage or one room that’s easy to move out of the house.

This will make loading the truck so much easier than having to go all over the house to get everything.

Even if you still have some boxes spread throughout the house having a lot of them in one area will be helpful.

#13 Split-Up the Moving Day

While it doesn’t always work splitting the move into 2 days especially for bigger moves can make moving a lot easier.

If you can load up everything one night except the mattresses and bedding then just load them the next morning.

Once the mattresses are in you’re ready to drive to the new house and unload everything.

This allows you to start early and have most of your day to travel to your new house and unload things (or keep traveling).

#14 Load the Beds and Couches LAST

Load beds and couches last. Then they will be the first things unloaded. You can set them up and put the other boxes around them.

#15 Unloading the Truck

If you have kids have a designated room for kids to play in before you start unloading.

Take a few toys into the designated kid room and use a baby gate to keep them in that area. This helps keep them safe and from getting in the way of everyone unloading boxes.

#16 Have an Essentials Box in Your Car

Have a box with scissors, toilet paper, screwdriver, hammer, and any other things you might need as you move in and start unpacking.

#17 Have Drinks and Snacks

Make sure you have drinks, snacks, and food so you don’t have to deal with hangry kids and helpers.

Making sure everyone eats and stays hydrated will make your move a much more enjoyable experience.

#18 Start the Move Early

If you can start the move early in the day, you will be able to get so much more done.

Local Moves – For local moves (short distance) starting early allows you to load the truck and unload the same day. Plus it’s a great way to avoid traffic.

Long Distance Moves – For long distance moves you still want to start early…but start your drive early. Instead of loading up and leaving the same day. Load as much as possible the night before and get started on your drive early.

While there are more easy moving hacks I could share (and I might add more if we move again) I hope these help you have a less stressful move.