Moving days are not be underestimated regardless of the type of move ahead of you. All your enormous efforts, dedicated work and genuine worries you’ve put into preparing for your particular make-it-or-break-it day comes down to just one short-lived period which will flash before your eyes before you even know it. Regrettably, the worst thing about the most chaotic and stressful period of a residential move is that even minor moving mistakes might prove to be costly in the end, while major moving day blunders can really punish careless home movers.
To avoid unnecessary complications come your moving date, you need to be really vigilant and extremely careful from the moment you open your eyes, or preferably even before you go to sleep the night before. And yet, to be able to notice and sense any signs of moving day troubles, you need to know what to look for in the first place.
Here are the 3 most common moving day mistakes to avoid when moving to a new home.
To wake up partly unprepared for the occasion
Generally speaking, to be unprepared for your moving day can mean too many different things to different home movers. In reality, it’s the degree of unpreparedness that will make the big difference in this case.
- If you wish to be able to function properly, make sure you don’t stay up until too late the night before so that you have the mental alertness and physical strength to make it to your new home without any major breakdowns;
- Any advice you get that urges you to expect the unexpected won’t help you much but it’s still a good idea to know that anything can happen on your moving day. Your mobile phone should be charged, operational and easily accessible as bad news tends to travel fast.
- Thanks to your moving calendar, you should have taken care of all your jobs prior to the Big day. It’s a common moving day mistake to leave “quick” tasks on the day of your move – a few boxes to pack up (including your open fist boxes), or even worse – a number of household items to still sort properly and box safely.
- Although not set in stone, the rule of waking up early and making sure that you are 100% ready for the challenge ahead is still valid. Go from room to room and check again that you have not left something important behind – check everywhere!
To fail to label your moving boxes properly
A moving day mistake you should definitely not make is to fail to label your packed boxes for one reason or another. Interestingly enough, such failure won’t affect the progress of your moving day much because your movers can still load your non-labeled containers into their truck problem-free. The issue will come later when your blank cardboard boxes get delivered and taken inside your new home. Then, nobody, including you, will know where the moving boxes should be placed nor what’s inside them. Therefore, your hired laborers won’t have a choice but to put down all the freshly-delivered moving containers into one giant pile which will inevitably prove to be a very serious problem for you.
To avoid much wasted time and many shattered nerves, don’t make the rookie moving mistake of not labeling your moving boxes properly.
- Get hold of a black permanent marker or even better – a set of colored marker pens to use the advantages of the color-coded labeling system. The markers should be of high quality and waterproof (optional).
- The instant you have finished packing a moving box, you should write on at least 3 of its sides the destination room of the container (KITCHEN, LIVING ROOM, BEDROOM), its contents (KITCHEN UTENSILS, BOOKS, BED SHEETS) and whenever necessary – any special handling instructions (FRAGILE, THIS SIDE UP).
- Assign a different color for each different room in your new home, and use colored markers, labels and/or stickers on your moving containers to make their identification even easier. When you arrive in your new residence, place a color card on or over the doors of the corresponding rooms so that your movers know exactly where to place the boxes.
To turn your back on moving day safety
As mentioned earlier, your moving day can and probably will be rather unpredictable. And this is exactly why you must do whatever is in your power to guarantee your safety and the safety of your family, including your pets. Of all the moving day mistakes to avoid, turning your back on safety may result in the costliest blunder you will ever make during a house move.
- Even in the course of your relocation preparation, you should be well aware that lost money can be earned again, broken material things can be bought anew, but certain injuries due to lowered moving day safety standards can stay with a person forever.
- If you have a young child or children, keep them as far away from the moving day madness as possible. Ask a trusted family member or even a close friend to take care of them while you keep your focus on the tasks at hand. It’s imperative that your kids keep their daily routine relatively unchanged and an extra pair of hands will contribute greatly to that.
- The same is true for playful pets because the last thing you’d want on your moving day is to have running little feet around your own. Consider leaving your animals friends with trusted friends or even in the cares of professional pet-sitters until the relocation safety reaches its normal readings.
- Keep the hallways in your home and the pathways outside clear of any obstacles that may endanger the safety of the whole relocation operation. Also, the walking routes should be free of any dust, water, mud, and especially ice.
- Choose casual clothes that will provide you with the freedom to perform unusual movements, and wear your most comfortable pair of closed shoes with good traction and anti-slip soles. Also, don’t forget to have your heavy-duty working gloves too to protect your fingers and hands against painful injuries.
