The Ultimate Moving Day Checklist

It’s finally here: moving day! You’ve planned, organized, found the perfect moving company, packed everything up, donated what you don’t need, and are ready to get out of your old place and into your new home or apartment! Awesome, right!? Well, we hate to break it to you, but there’s still a few things left to do before you can say goodbye to your old digs and start new. To help you out, we’ve complied a moving day checklist with a list of everything you need to get out in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Read on for more tips on how to have a successful moving day.

#1 Wake up early

No matter what time your move is, you’ll need to wake up early on moving day. Even if you packed everything and did all of the organizing, there’s always some last-minute thing to do. To avoid unnecessary stress, you want to make sure that you give yourself enough time before the movers get to your home.

#2 Pack any last-minute items

Even if you pack everything up before your actual move, there will still be a few items left. After your shower, pack up all of your bathroom items and then pack up your kitchen perishables. Consider throwing anything out that will melt or go bad during the duration of your move.

#3 Do a final sweep of your home

Before the movers arrive, go through your home one more time. Make sure that you visit every room, checking the cabinets, closets and storage spaces. If you have a large home, you want to make sure that you check the basement, attic, driveway or your guest house.

#4 Greet your movers

Once your movers arrive give them a walkthrough of your house or apartment, highlighting any fragile boxes or the furniture pieces that you need to have disassembled. Ideally, your boxes would be clearly labeled but it’s always a good idea to discuss what you want and not assume your movers will know how you want everything loaded. Make sure to also have water on-hand for them and show them where your bathroom is, which they might need during the moving process.

#5 Moderate the move

Plan to stay around as your movers load up the boxes. They might have questions about the move and it could give you a peace of mind to watch how everything is placed on the moving truck.

#6 Final sweep

Once everything is loaded up onto the moving van, look around your home one more time. You might have some garbage to take out, or in some instances you might have to clean your place before you leave. Consider hiring a cleaning company to do this part or if you have to clean it, enlist some friends to help you. Once everything is done, lock your door and head to your new home.

#7 Go to your new place

It’s time to head to your new place! Be in touch with your movers during this process. They might have traffic issues, took a different route or simply needed to stop for lunch. Being in touch during the process is crucial so that you have an estimated time frame for when they are heading to your new home.

#8 Guide the movers

Wait for the movers at your new home, then give them a walkthrough to your new home. Let them know what room each boxes should go in. During this process, you’ll also want to make sure that you have food and water for your movers.

#9 Tip your movers

After all of the boxes are in your house and your furniture is reassembled, it’s time to tip your movers. While this is optional, it is a nice thing to do after a long day of lugging, lifting and putting together your furniture. The movers also work as a team where the driver would divide the tip amongst the group. Consider this as you factor in how you felt that they did during the entire moving process.

#10 Unpack only the essentials

Once your movers leave, unpack some of the essentials that you will need that evening of the next day. This will likely include your bathroom essentials like your toothbrush, toothpaste, fast wash and soap, kitchen items, PJs and an outfit for the next day.

#11 Put your curtains up

You likely won’t be doing that much unpacking on the first day, especially if your move took all day. Consider unpacking and hanging up your curtains to help you to avoid the morning light. You’ll have a lot to do in the upcoming days where you’ll need as much sleep as possible to keep you energized and rested.

#12 Finally relax

It’s been a long and exciting day. Take the time to finally chill and relax. Consider getting takeout and relaxing with a book, or get some fresh air by grabbing a bite in your new area.

Moving can be a really stressful experience. One way to ensure that everything runs smoothly is to create a moving day checklist. This can allow you to streamline your moving day as you focus, making sure that you complete the remaining things left to do. It is also a huge help so that you don’t forget anything before you head to your new place.