Checklist for Moving

The possibility of having to move always exists, however, when the time comes we never seem to be prepared. When having to pack we realize that we have a house full of odds and ends that we either don´t need or don´t use (have a garage sale, donate or throw away all the stuff you don´t need, use, or is in good condition).

If it´s in your plans to move it´s better to start preparing weeks in advance. For a stress free move it´ll be very helpful to pack slowly and get rid of the stuff you don´t need to move to a new house. If you´ve never moved before, a moving checklist will be very helpful. You can start by using the following one and adding to it as you see fit.

Moving Checklist:

• You will need: newspaper, bubble wrap, strong cardboard boxes, masking tape, big plastic bags, string, and you can also use sheets and blankets to protect your furniture. Have a notebook and a marker to label your boxes.

• Begin your packing by packing each room.

• Start packing the less used items like books.

• Pack your heaviest items in small boxes so that they will be easy to handle.

• In your notebook write a moving checklist of each box and it´s contents. For example: Box 1, baby´s winter clothes). Designate an area to place the boxes, and continue with every room in the house. Don´t forget to write everything in your checklist for moving. You´ll be packing a little each day and be able to keep everything organized.
  

• To pack items that are very fragile, wrap them in bubble wrap, make sure that they are snugly packed in the box.

• As you empty drawers and bookcases, you can tie pieces of cardboard to the corners for protection. Don´t use tape as it can harm the surface.

• Before packing a desktop computer, be sure you have backup files of all your important information.
  

• Check with your moving company as some articles cannot be moved: oil based paints, pesticides, aerosol cans and cleaning products.
  

• Label carefully all your boxes that contain fragile objects so that the movers are careful with these boxes.
  

• Prepare a box with a few kitchen supplies, soap, shampoo, towels, sheets and clothes for the first days in your new house.

As the moving van arrives in your new home, you can use your checklist for moving to tell them where to put the boxes. Having labeled the boxes you can find something you need write away, and save the least important boxes to unpack at the end. For a moving checklist in Spanish: lista de mudanzas.

If you need detailed information on packing a kitchen, visit: How to pack a kitchen.