7 Most Common Problems Faced When Moving
Most people do not like to move, and in fact many people hate doing it. Uprooting your life by packing all your things up into boxes is traumatizing. Changing your residence is one of the most stressful situations that you can encounter in life. When things go wrong during a move, it ramps up the stress level and can quickly overwhelm you. To make your move as smooth as possible, try to avoid the following seven problems that commonly occur during a move.
1. Not Getting Rid of Things
It makes no sense to pack items up that have been sitting on shelves gathering dust for years without being used. However, people move things they don’t need across the country all the time simply because they don’t want to throw away things they own. You don’t need to throw them away, but use your move as the opportunity to get rid of anything you haven’t used in over a year. Give things away to charity or throw them away, but do not waste time, money and energy by packing up those items you will never use.
2. Not Labeling Boxes Well
The last thing you want when you are moving into your new place is to be forced to open up boxes to figure out what’s inside them. Make sure to clearly label all your boxes. Label the tops and a side of each one of the boxes. You should label your moving boxes with the contents as well as the room in the home where they go. This will allow you to quickly move all the boxes from the moving truck into their destination rooms without needing to look inside them.
3. Not Hiring Pros
While you may think you can save a lot of money by moving things yourself, it is not a great idea. Moving is tiring enough without having to haul all the boxes yourself. You will be much better off if you hire professional movers to take care of the heavy lifting.
4. Overfilling Boxes
North American Van Lines said, “Do not make the mistake of overfilling your moving boxes.” If the contents of a box spill out over the top, they can be easily damaged. In addition, overstuffed boxes are hard to stack. You could damage other items if a pile of boxes tumbles over because it leaned too far over due to an unbalanced stack caused by overfilled boxes. Make sure that every box lid you close lays flat for easy, balanced stacking.
5. Broken Items
Your possessions are easily broken during a move unless you take measures to give them an extreme level of protection. When you are packing your things into moving boxes, take your time to pack them securely. Bubble wrap is your best friend when you are packing. Wrapping your fragile items inside bubble wrap will protect them from breaking even if one of the movers drops a box. Make the effort to securely pack your things so that you can avoid the disappointment of smashed items when you are unpacking in your new home.
6. Hurting Your Back
One of the worst things that can happen during a move is if you hurt your back. It is all too easy to damage your back by using improper technique for lifting. When you are lifting, make sure you lift with your legs. Keep your back straight when you are lifting. Rounding your back during a lift can lead to injury. Using proper lifting technique will make lifting heavy boxes easier and prevent you from hurting your back.
7. Not Planning Ahead
The last thing you want to do is to scramble at the last minute to get your move done. Make sure you start planning your move as far ahead of time as possible. Planning ahead will save you money on your move and help you to avoid making mistakes.
If you follow these seven tips, you will avoid making the most common moving mistakes. Taking the time to make the right moving decisions will allow your move to proceed as smoothly as possible. While you cannot plan for every contingency, having a good moving plan in place will make the moving process much easier.
