Moving Hacks For The Hopelessly Disorganized

It’s hard to keep everything together while packing up your entire life and putting it all back together in a new location. With the big day looming in the distance, you may find yourself wondering if it’s even possible to achieve an organized, stress-free move. You’ve read all of the moving advice you can get your hands on, but none of those “tricks” actually seem to make the task of moving any less daunting. What you need are some major moving hacks to help you get through the moving process quickly, easily, and cheaply.

Check below for a list of foolproof moving and packing tips that are sure to make this move the easiest one yet!

 

PACKING HACKS

Packing is one of the hardest parts of moving. Keeping everything organized as you furiously throw items in boxes is nearly impossible, and too time-consuming to worry about. Who honestly has the time to delicately arrange pre-sorted items into boxes and keep track of every item in every box? Below are the best packing tips to help you get the job done and stay organized while you do it.

Packing Clothes

The Hack: Slide garbage bags directly over your clothes on hangers.

Imagine all the time and effort you’d have to spend taking all your clothes off the hangers and folding them, stashing the hangers in bags and boxes, and then reassembling it all in a new closet (plus the stress about having to remove stains like ink from clothes in case they get dirty). Save yourself the extra time and boxes by sliding garbage bags over groups of hanging clothes. To unpack, simply hang the bag of clothes in your new closet and take the garbage bag off.

Packing Shoes

The Hack: Wrap your shoes in pairs before packing.

Packing shoes is as easy as throwing them in boxes, but unpacking can be chaos. Turn your mess of unmatched shoes into rows of perfect pairs by matching up shoes and wrapping them in newspaper or packing paper before putting them in the box, starting with your heaviest shoes. This handy packing tip will also keep the rest of your shoes safe from the muddy hiking boots you never found time to clean. Read the full guide to packing shoes.

Bonus tip: Stuff pairs of socks inside your shoes to keep them from getting distorted during the move.

Packing Dishes

The Hack: Stack plates with styrofoam plates in between.

Dishes packing tip

Protect your fragile dishes and your wallet by using inexpensive styrofoam plates as padding. This moving tip is a huge time and money saver. Use t-shirts and blankets as extra padding around your dishes to save even more. Read our full guide to packing dishes and glasses for moving.

Packing Power Cords

The Hack: Use toilet paper rolls to contain and organize your cords.

Packing power cords

Packing all your cords in one box is sure to leave you with a massive tangle of cables. Avoid the stress by wrapping up each cord and securing it with a toilet paper roll. Label each roll and place them all in a box.

Pro Tip

Power cords are susceptible to electricity and temperature. Use bubble wrap or plastic wrap to prevent static and keep your cord box in a climate-controlled environment at all times.

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Packing Jewelry

The Hack: Recycle egg cartons by using them to sort your jewelry.

Keep your necklaces and bracelets from getting tangled by putting them in individual slots in an egg carton. Use jewelry cleaner to clean your authentic pieces and baby shampoo to clean everything else beforehand. Be sure to let it dry thoroughly, and then roll up each piece and nest them in the carton. Unpacking will be a breeze if you apply this eco-friendly packing tip. If you’re planning to store your jewelry long-term, be sure to take proper precautions to protect it.

Packing Makeup

The Hack: Put cotton balls inside your compacts.

How to pack makeup

Cotton balls will act as a cushion and protect your expensive powders from shattering. Nobody wants to open their makeup bag and find a rainbow coating of eyeshadow covering everything. Avoid disaster by protecting your compacts with the cotton balls you have on hand.

Packing Bottles

The Hack: Put plastic wrap over the opening before screwing on the lid.

Using plastic wrap to pack bottles

Gather all of your open bottles – shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, etc. – and put a layer of plastic wrap between the bottle opening and the lid. This clever packing tip will prevent messy spills and explosions.

Packing Heavy Items

The Hack: Put all your heavy stuff in suitcases.

Reserve your rolling suitcases for heavy items. This will make for much easier transportation than trying to lift heavy boxes. Your back will thank you for choosing a suitcase instead.

Bonus tip: Cut triangular holes on the sides of moving boxes. Having handles to grip will make the chore of unloading heavy boxes much easier.

 

SELF STORAGE HACKS

At some point in your moving process, you might need to invest in storage space. Self storage is a great option for storing boxes until they’re ready to go in your new home, but it can easily become costly and chaotic. Follow these self storage helps to get the most out of your storage space.

The Russian Doll Method

The Hack: Store items inside other items.

If you’re storing dressers, chests, and other hollow items, utilize the space inside of them to cut down on clutter. With this storage hack, you can easily turn a disorderly space into a tidy one.

Totes Instead Of Boxes

The Hack: Use plastic totes to keep items in storage protected.

If you are planning to keep items in storage for a long period of time, invest in some totes. Plastic totes will give your stuff more protection and hold up to stacking much better than cardboard boxes. When the time comes to move your stuff out of storage, it will all be boxed up neatly and ready for transportation.

Pro Tip
Totes are a great way to keep seasonal decorations organized and preserved year-round. Use a different color of tote for each holiday and keep totes of the same color stacked together.

Leave Extra Space

The Hack: Leave an aisle in the middle of your storage space.

This storage tip is a lifesaver if you actually plan to access any of the things you have in storage. While stacking your boxes, totes, and furniture, be sure to leave space between stacks. In a small storage unit, leave one aisle down the middle, keeping your stuff against the walls. In larger spaces, leave two or three aisles between stacks. You will be able to see everything you have in storage, access it easily, and have enough room to load and unload boxes.

Use Neighbor to Save

The Hack: Rent storage space through Neighbor at half the cost of other storage.

Don’t overpay for a storage unit with a stiff contract and high price. You can find storage space near you in minutes when you use Neighbor. On average, Neighbor prices are 50% less than traditional self storage, so you can get the same amount of space for less money.

 

OTHER MOVING HACKS

While you’re caught up in the whirlwind of packing and hauling, don’t let little details throw you into overdrive. Here are a few extra moving tips to simplify your move.

Make A Supply Box

Get all of your packing supplies together and haul them around with you in a box while you pack. Think of all the extra time you won’t have to spend wondering where you left the Sharpie or yelling for someone to bring you the tape.

Utilize Your Laundry Basket

Pick a few items that you will need immediately–coffee maker, toilet paper, soap, paper towels, snacks–and put them in your laundry basket. Keep the basket with you during transportation so you can have easy access to those items when you get to your new home.

Use A Rubber Band On The Door

Rubber band over doorknob

Nothing is more annoying than having the door latch every time you go in or out while you are moving boxes. Solve this problem by looping a rubber band around the doorknob, and then crossing it and looping it around the knob on the other side. This will prevent the door from latching.

Color Coordinate

Buy sets of colored stickers or tape and use them to keep your boxes organized. Assign each room of your house a certain color and make a list on your phone of which color coordinates with which room. Keep the stickers in your supply box and mark your moving boxes accordingly as you pack. Following this moving tip is easy, inexpensive, and could save you a lot of time later on.

Take Pictures

Don’t want to spend hours figuring out how your bookshelf was arranged or how the cords plug into your TV? Take a pictures of those areas for reference later. If you are moving to a rental, take pictures of everything before you move your stuff in for reference later on. You want to get as much of your deposit back as possible!

Use Baking Soda To Fill Nail Holes

Baking soda moving hack

Forget about spackling and putty knives, and grab some household items to fill those holes in your walls. Below is a guide to products you can use to fix nail holes without spending extra money.

  • Baking Soda & Glue – Mix baking soda and white glue together to form a thick paste. This mixture will be rock-solid when it dries, making it an ideal wall-fixer.
  • Bar Soap – Rub your soap over the wall until the hole is filled completely. Wipe away the excess soap with a rag, being careful not to wipe the soap out of the hole.
  • Crayons – In a pinch, just grab a white crayon and press it against the wall until some of the wax breaks off. Rub the wax until smooth and scrape off any extra around the sides.   

 

A few simple tricks can make all the difference when it comes to moving. Save yourself time, energy, and money by applying these surefire moving and packing tips. These hacks are sure to keep your move organized and stress-free.

Additional Moving Resources

Moving and packing guides

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