Expert Advice: Moving Doesn't Have to Be Stressful If You Use These Tips
A new home is for many the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream, but it inevitably brings with it the chaos and stress associated with moving. Liven AS creative director Alina Kester shares advice on how to move in a way that settling into your new home is as smooth as possible.
Often what makes moving particularly stressful is that sorting and packing items is left to the last minute, and in the new home you first have to untangle the chaos that came with packing up the old home. For days or even weeks, it seems like all the essentials have disappeared somewhere, while moving boxes reveal only Christmas decorations, children's diplomas, or grandmother's prized tea set. To avoid this, Alina Kester recommends treating moving as a longer process and starting preparations as early as possible.
„A month or two before moving to a new home, you should start sorting things in the old house and getting rid of unnecessary items. There's no point in bringing things to the new home that haven't been used before and have only collected dust in cupboards. If you can take unnecessary items to a reuse center or find new owners for them before moving, there will be fewer decisions to make on the evening before the move and less stress that comes with them," said Liven AS creative director Alina Kester.
Items that are no longer in use don't have to be piled into waste containers; they deserve to find a new application. In addition to reuse centers or sharing with friends and relatives, you can, for example, sell nicer items online.
Idea: Old bedding and mattresses could be donated to an animal shelter, where the residents always lack soft items.
Only after all unnecessary items are removed from the old home can you begin packing the items to be taken to the new home. Alina Kester recommends starting with the things you use least in your home.
„Since there will likely be several weeks between packing and unpacking less frequently used items, it's especially important to write on boxes and bags what they contain. You might think you'll remember what's in this box or that one, but then you'll be faced with dozens of boxes in your new home that all look the same, and you'll be wondering where to start looking for a kettle or cups," explained Alina Kester.
For labeling, it's most convenient to use painter's tape and a marker; you can write the contents directly on cardboard boxes, while for reusable boxes or bags, paper painter's tape works well.
Idea: Mark boxes containing fragile items separately so they don't end up under heavier boxes in the moving vehicle. Be sure to use bubble wrap for packing them!
„A good idea is to also mark on boxes which room or floor they need to go to, so bedroom essentials or children's toys don't end up in the kitchen first in your new home, but in the room they're meant for. The most delicate items, such as houseplants, a television or vinyl player, and valuable vases or paintings should be moved without packing, so to speak, by hand. That way you can be sure that they won't be damaged if they end up among other things in the car," suggested Alina Kester.
Idea for the advanced: Write only a number and a couple of keywords on the box, but for a more detailed description of contents, use a table, for example Google Sheets. That way you can find what you need later using Ctrl+F search in the table!
„You should also keep in mind that moving shouldn't damage your new home, whether you're moving yourself or using a moving company. For this, it's worth covering the floors in rooms with construction paper to create so-called walkways before bringing boxes into the rooms, so that walking back and forth in shoes doesn't damage the floors. It also helps the moving company if you place directional signs on the walls showing where each room is located – that way every box gets to the right place faster and more safely," emphasized Alina Kester.
If you want to move quickly, Alina Kester recommends using a moving company. This way the backs of friends and uncles stay intact and you save time. However, when choosing a service provider, in addition to price, you should also check the content of the service and the number of helpers. Some companies also offer additional services, such as durable moving boxes or mattress covers, which can make moving more convenient and environmentally friendly.
„If you need to find moving boxes yourself, it makes sense to get sturdy cardboard boxes from building supply stores. You never know the number of boxes you'll need in advance, but it would be good to estimate for each room how many boxes that room's items could fit into, and add the numbers together before going to the store. When buying boxes, it's worth comparing prices online beforehand, but you should also pay attention to the fact that many building supply stores put empty cargo boxes by the registers for free – ask if you can use them," added Alina Kester.
If getting rid of unnecessary items proves difficult and deciding what to take and what to leave gets overwhelming in the general moving chaos, Alina Kester recommends putting one or two boxes with items you're unsure about—things you might need in your new home or might not. You could "forget" to unpack this box in your new home for a few months. If you don't feel the need for its contents during that time, you probably never will, and you can confidently let go of those things.
In addition, Alina Kester recommends involving children in the move so they learn to sort their own things and distinguish between what's necessary and what's not. Turn moving into a joint family endeavor and don't forget to praise the child, even if you would have packed better and faster yourself, Kester emphasizes.
A successful move begins with good preparation. Here's a checklist of things you need:
painter's tape
marker
bubble wrap
kraft paper
strong packing tape
moving boxes
trash bags
