Moving is more often than not a mixed bag of excitement and worry and seeking help from a professional is by all means a good idea. The moving experts at Official Van Lines have shared this list of 10 essential tips on moving safely amid a pandemic and will surely help you plan your next move efficiently.

1. Start early
It goes without saying that organizing, cleaning out, and packing takes more time than you think and that is why we suggest getting at it as early as possible! To make it easier, you can divide the number of rooms by the number of weeks until the big day to find out how many rooms you have to pack each week. Setting targets definitely helps!

2. Be aware of the terms and conditions of your lease or Sales Agreement.
If you’re renting your current accommodation, make sure you have met all the requirements to get the security deposit refunded. Know that many leases and some contracts for sale require professional carpet or professional household cleaning to be performed when you vacate the premises.

3. Stay organized.
Avoid procrastinating and get to organizing everything you were putting away!

4. Get rid of the unwanted stuff
Sell everything you don’t need any more or you feel won’t fit comfortably in the new place. You can either sell or donate the unwanted stuff. The money you make selling the things you can be used to do other things.

5. Make use of appropriate moving supplies.
Start with a few boxes in varying sizes and get more boxes as and when required. You can get your hands on good quality boxes, packing paper and tape either through your mover, or from your local moving and storage store. You will need a few small boxes for heavier items like books, but mostly you’ll want medium and large boxes. Keep a few dish barrels handy when packing the kitchen as they help protect glassware and fragile items.

If you plan on executing the move on your own, you are also going to need a dolly, furniture pads (old blankets are great), and something to throw across the floor.

6. Line up help
No matter how easy it might seem, moving is not a child’s play. You might want to arrange for babysitters if you have children at home. Designate one person to go to the new home well ahead of the movers and ask them to take their cleaning products, including a vacuum cleaner and trash bags, just in case it’s not in move-in condition. Designate someone to take the responsibility of arranging the meals and someone to stay behind and double check that all rooms have been totally emptied. In addition to that, ask at least 2 more people to come equipped with an assortment of tools, a few extension cords, batteries for the smoke detectors, and try to ensure that someone is bringing another step ladder.

7. Change your address
A postal address change forwards all regular mail but that can take up to 10 additional days and it is only good for six months. So things that come once a year, like your 1099, and other items that prohibit forwarding like vehicle registration, and driver’s license renewal forms, will be returned to the sender. So, in addition to that generic Postal Change of Address that will catch anything you’ve missed, do your best to have all address change requests submitted at least ten days before you move. It is important that you don’t forget to notify people such as your employer, your child’s school, your physician or any mail order items that come automatically, such as prescriptions, of your new address.

8. Schedule Utilities
You might want to turn on the utilities in your new place, and terminate the ones in your existing home. If you don’t order final bills, and the new occupant doesn’t set up service, you could be held responsible for their charges. Avoid having utility service turned off, both at the address where you moving from and the one you’re moving to as it can be costly, damaging, and difficult to turn back on.

9. Plan and pack for your NEW Home.
Take photos or draw the kitchen cabinetry layout. Decide what goes into each cabinet, mark the location of dishes, glasses, etc. on your photo or drawing, and pack your items according to where they will go in the new house, not where they are stored in your existing home.

The next step is to get the room sizes, including locations for windows, doors, and closets and draw a simple sketch of each room in your new home using inexpensive graph paper. That is an easy way to determine where furniture will be placed in advance. On moving day, give the sketches to the person who will be going to the new house ahead of the long-distance movers. Consider asking him/her to tape each sketch to a door or window or some other easy to see location in each room. That way one person can be putting away the items in your kitchen, while another can direct the heavy weights as to where to place that over-sized armoire you just couldn’t live without.

Last but not the least, make a list of any important items you will need to buy for the new house such as draperies, blinds, and shower curtains. Having these things handy on moving day will prevent unnecessary surprises.

10. Put one spare set of sheets for each bed in a box marked FIRST BOX TO OPEN.
You can keep the sheets clean by packing them separately in a plastic bag that is clearly marked. You can also add one bath and one face towel for each family member, at least two rolls of toilet paper for each bathroom and other bathroom essentials such as shampoo, soaps, etc. to this box.

On the moving day, have each family member strip their beds and place dirty sheets and any dirty clothes or towels in an empty laundry basket. Then have each member place all of their toiletries – separately packaged and clearly marked in a plastic zipper-type bag – inside this box which is going to be opened at the earliest.

Try to carry the laundry basket full of dirty items, and all the pillows in the back seat or trunk of your car. This simple step will prove essential, later on, when you’re exhausted after a hard day of moving and all you want to do is brush your teeth, find your pillow, and climb into a freshly made bed.

Official Van Lines has been in business for 17 successful years and has combined moving experience of more than 35 years. We take great pride in saying that as much as 70% of our business comes from recommendations and repeat customers. Thanks to our fully trained relocation staff on hand to assist you at any time, we assure each of our customers of receiving top-notch assistance from our caring personnel. For more information about the best moving services in New Jersey, feel free to dial (786) 364-3800, (888) 680-7320, or (786) 298-5040!