They say moving is worse than a fire. They're lying. Moving is a real disaster. Especially if you don't know how to do it right. We have prepared a plan for you, following which you will be able to keep your thoughts clear and make the move less disastrous.
Moving can be done in two ways:
- Troublesome, but economical. That is, on our own. If not organized correctly, this is just a recipe for disaster. We'll talk about how to avoid this a little later.
- Conveniently and quickly – with the help of a moving company.
We take care of all the worries!
So in general view looks like the slogan of a moving company. And most companies try to stick to it.
What is convenient?
You enter into a transportation contract with the company. This can be either a turnkey move or several separate services. For example, you pack things yourself, and order loading and transportation from a moving company.
The moving company takes full responsibility for your move. You don’t worry whether the movers will arrive on time, whether the car will be late, etc.
Rely on a moving company, but don’t make a mistake yourself
Even if you order a turnkey apartment move, you need to prepare for it. Some things need to be folded yourself, and you also have to carry them yourself. Make a list of such things in advance and collect them in your treasured bag. Here you should find:
- All important documents. Passports, birth certificates of children, medical policies, real estate documents. We think there is no need to explain anything here.
- Keys from new and from old apartment. To calmly close and open the doors, and not remember that the keys were left in the jacket pocket, and the jacket was packed and taken away.
- Bank cards and cash. Make sure you have cash with you.
- Necessary medications and hygiene products. Wet wipes, small scissors.
Moving with the help of a moving company (read about this in our next articles) is minimal stress for both you and your family. But moving on your own is more difficult.
We are planning an independent apartment move
Planning and organization apartment moving start no later than two weeks before the expected date.
Start with the mezzanines and back closets - as a rule, the least needed items are stored here.
Place the books in boxes or collect them in stacks of 10-15 pieces, tighten plastic film or wrap in hard paper (not newspaper!).
Large items such as pillows, blankets, mattresses or winter clothes can be conveniently packed in large plastic bags.
Place clothes in suitcases and travel bags.
The night before your move, pack your kitchen utensils. Pack fragile and breakable dishes separately from durable ones, first carefully packing them in bubble wrap.
Advice. Place packed items in zones: large boxes closer to the exit, fragile items further into the corner.
Advice. If the area of the apartment allows, leave one room free of boxes. This way you will be able to fully relax and will not be constantly stressed.
Moving is not as scary as it is made out to be
In fact, if you approach the organization of your move wisely, most unpleasant moments can be avoided. And then, moving is after all joyful event, the beginning of a new stage in life.
The main thing is, don’t leave the move to chance, plan everything in advance, stick to your plan - and everything will work out for you!
We asked professionals to tell us how to prepare for a move and give advice on how to proper collection and packing things. We also found heroes who moved a lot and often: among them there are those who have moved more than 20 times - alone, with family and a small child. It turned out detailed instructions, which will help you survive the move without problems.
How to plan your move?
Start with an inventory
I advise you to sit down in a calm environment with a notepad and pen a week or two before moving and take an inventory of your things. Decide what you will take with you. Distribute things into less important and necessary ones. Among the essentials, I would highlight the seasonal clothes that you are wearing now, hygiene and cleaning products, as well as furniture and appliances.
Less important things that you will not need in the near future: furniture, clothes for another season - do not take them with you immediately to a new place, but give them to friends or acquaintances for storage. Or send by mail.
INMYROOM Tip: If you're moving, moving all your belongings at once can be quite problematic. What to do if there is nowhere to leave them? Take advantage of special services.
Any items will be picked up from you at a convenient time, taken away and placed in a warehouse, and photographs will be uploaded to your personal account- virtual “attic”. You can select what you need and order a return directly on the website. All items will be returned to you immediately or separately to the desired address.
Think about how you will position yourself in a new place
Make a plan of the new room so you can immediately understand what to put where. This will help to immediately distribute boxes and bags between rooms and reduce the time for subsequent sorting of things.
Calculate your moving options
Will you be moving on your own or with friends? Will you hire movers? Solve these questions and then you will be able to calculate the budget.
Estimate your approximate budget
It needs to include the cost of services of the company that helps you, or private individuals. Calculate the cost of fuel that you will spend if you travel in your own car or in the transport of friends. Don’t forget to set aside an amount for food - for a trip or for a snack after arriving at a new place. And make a small financial reserve in case of breakage and damage to furniture, equipment, and property. This may not happen, but it's worth preparing financially.
INMYROOM Tip: When choosing a moving service, pay attention to reviews and cost of services.
In "Attic" Moving" employs not just movers, but experienced movers - specialists who independently and carefully prepare furniture and other things for transportation: they select suitable packaging for each and carefully deliver it to a new place. With them, you don’t have to worry that your favorite mirror will break or the varnish on your dresser will be scratched.
In addition, “Attic. Moving" offers a fixed cost of services. Specialists will calculate it immediately after communicating with the customer. The price will not change during the process. Packing, crew time, transportation and unpacking of things are already included in the price. Now on the market this is the only company that can immediately calculate and fix the price.
Decide where you can save money
If the budget turns out to be disproportionate to the possibilities, you can find ways to save money. For example, on the packaging. So, at IKEA, where you can pack things yourself, you can “get hold of” free craft paper and rope. And in large hypermarkets - in boxes.
Don't forget about cleaning the apartment
I believe that old housing should not be left dirty. It is also necessary to clean the new place of stay in advance.
Think about who to leave your children and animals with
For small family members and pets, moving can be stressful. Perhaps you should leave your children with their grandparents for a while or hire babysitters. And place the animals for a day or two in a special hotel - look for one in your city.
How to pack things and not forget anything?
What will you need?
- Boxes of different sizes.
- Packaging film.
- Bubble wrap.
- Durable trash bags.
- Vacuum bags.
- Bags.
- Scotch.
- Stationery knife.
- Scissors.
- Markers, black and colored.
- Glue stick.
- Colored stickers.
- Paper.
- Rags.
How to pack things?
1. Pack by room and by category within each room. Each room in a new house needs to be assigned its own color. To do this, stick multi-colored tape on the door. And so that the movers understand what things to carry where, mark each box with the appropriate color.
2. Prepare a list of things for each room. For example, Vanya’s toys - box 5, yellow (room color). My husband's T-shirts - box 7, blue.
3. Pack dishes in durable bags. Place the pots one inside the other without lids. You can put some little things inside. Wrap plates/cups and other breakable items in paper/newspaper, line them with paper or cardboard.
4. Label the boxes with colored tape on all sides.
5. Start packing from unnecessary to necessary. That is, if it is winter now, then start with summer things.
What to take with you in the car, and not give to the movers?
A box with documents. Place all the documents you have in folders, label them and put them in one box.
An “essentials” box. In this box, when you move, you can easily find what you need on the first day. Focus on this list of things, but you can adjust it to suit yourself:
- hygiene products;
- pan, knife, plates, mugs, forks, spoons;
- towels, bedding;
- change of clothes;
- chargers;
- travel first aid kit;
- the most necessary products(sugar, salt, coffee/tea), baby food and pet food.
A box with valuables. Place all valuable items that are expensive or otherwise valuable in it.
Personal experience: how to move?
Vika Moiseeva, designer. Moved 24 times. And he says it's not over yet
How do you prepare for moving? I plan all moves in advance, about a month in advance. Therefore, I take unused things to my parents’ garage.
How do you pack your things? I pack most of my clothes and dishes in boxes, and I don’t skimp on paper and fabric for fragile items. I put bulky items in large polyethylene construction bags. I almost always take furniture and equipment with me - I cover them with sheets and blankets to avoid chips and cuts.
Do you understand? On the very first day. My goal is to fall asleep in a clean apartment, where everything is in its place. I accompany the analysis with good music and food. First of all, I do cleaning - washing all surfaces, refrigerator, cabinets. Then I sort out the food and dishes. Then - what will be in the living room. And lastly, I start the bathroom.
Try to do everything in advance and beautifully. Label the boxes. And don’t be shy to ask your loved ones for help - for example, my parents often help me.
Alina Kalmykova, mother on maternity leave. Moved 19 times. The last one is in Sochi with a small child
Tell us about your experience of moving to another city with a small child and give advice. First of all, don't be nervous. Plan everything in advance. For example, we first sent my husband to Sochi, and then we arrived together with our daughter. It was easier this way, and the apartment was a little more lived-in.
How to collect things if there is no one to help? Keep your child busy with the tools at hand. Give him any bag of things and complete freedom of action. Or adjust the preparations to coincide with his sleep. I advise you not to bring all your things at once - at first only for one season. And do not take children's furniture with you. A crib and high chair, for example, can be bought on the spot - even if it is used.
How do you sort things out? First of all, I sort out the child’s things and put them in their places. Then - bedding. I always leave the kitchen for last, since in a new place you can eat out for several days.
Polina Bakhareva, pastry chef. I moved 4 times, to different cities and countries. One of them is to Serbia, Belgrade
Tell us what to take with you on long journeys? When we moved to Belgrade, we sold a lot, sent some to our parents, and took only two suitcases with us. I think that on such long journeys it is really better to take as little as possible with you and fly light.
How are you settling into a new place? During my first moves, I took things apart right away, but then I stopped doing that. I leave my suitcases, go to the shower and to the nearest cafe to relax, drink coffee and eat delicious food. Then I take a walk and then enthusiastically set about sorting things out and putting “my own order.”
Give advice to those planning to move. I think this is a good reason to get rid of unnecessary things. And yes, I don’t recommend moving on your own or by car. At least, this experience did not work out for me - we could hardly fit into the car with all our things and drove in complete discomfort.
- Secure cardboard boxes with tape.
- Mark containers with fragile items so that movers are more careful with them.
- When loading things, the most unnecessary things should be in the first row. Then it turns out that first of all you unload the necessary items.
- Don't make any major purchases in the week before moving. This also applies to food supplies.
- Prepare food the night before your move - you won't have time to cook afterwards - and pack it in a cooler bag.
- Buy disposable plates/forks to easily remove all utensils from the kitchen.
- If you don't want to roll things up, use cardboard "cabinets" to transport items directly on hangers.
Necessary clarification: unfortunately, we are not going to talk about how it is easier to run over a person. These are tips for those who are moving to a new home and don’t know where to start. Sorry if you disappointed.
Alexander Kanygin
If you ignore the hassle, the eternal lack of time and movers stuck in traffic jams, moving is just the movement of things from one point in space to another. In a way, drinking beer with friends is the closest analogy to moving: you simply move it from your mug to your stomach. Let this thought calm you down when it turns out that you left the TV in your old apartment.
Two months before moving
Time is the main enemy. Due to its lack, something can be forgotten, lost, broken. Therefore, you need to prepare for migration to a new place in advance.
█ Buy a large folder and a notebook for notes (maybe with a unicorn on the cover). You will write down all the information about the move in a notebook, and in a folder you will store business cards, checks and other documents related to the move, as well as telephone numbers and names of workers, drivers, realtors, tenants and buyers of old things. Even if the contacts of a painter or electrician now seem superfluous, let them also be in the notebook. What if everything is not so perfect in the new place?
█ Get 20 cardboard boxes. When folded, they will not take up much space, but this amount should be enough for the entire move. Boxes suitable for carrying and storing things are found in the following places:
grocery stores- this is the most budget option, you just need to come up from the back door and ask to sell you the extra packaging;
IKEA furniture stores- here are durable cardboard boxes cost 40–50 rubles per piece;
moving companies- found there special people, ready to take on all the difficulties of moving for a certain amount. As a rule, quite a big one. But you will find boxes of all possible shapes and color sizes.
█ There should be plenty of bags, newspapers, packaging film with bubbles and colorful stickers, especially since they can be useful after the move. Also buy two or three markers so you can write on different surfaces.
█ Don’t skimp on tape! It can be used to secure everything under the sun (our experts, who have been glued to chairs and walls at parties more than once, will confirm this). And stock up on a dispenser for adhesive tape - it will make packaging go much faster.
A month before moving
Moment of truth: you want to take everything with you. However, there suddenly turns out to be an indecent amount of things, as if they had been saving them not for 30 years, but for ninety years, and even borrowed from neighbors.
█ Use the rule that we have already written about: if an item has not been used for more than a year, most likely it is not needed. Take a photo of the item and place an advertisement on the website for sale or gift on a pick-up basis.
█ It is better to disassemble furniture for transportation. It turns out that old chipboard cabinets are unlikely to survive this procedure and it will definitely not be possible to assemble them in a new place: the screws will not want to fit tightly into the holes. It would be better to offer this junk to your neighbors - let them take it to their dacha or feed it to the beavers.
█ Collect documents in one folder and put it in the same folder where you put checks, business cards, etc. If you still have instructions from home electronics, this is a chance to throw them away, they are still available on the Internet.
█ Start packing your things. Remember that heavily loaded boxes have a habit of losing their bottom at the most unexpected moment, so it’s a good idea to add bulky but light blankets or pillows to heavy books, for example.
Two weeks before moving
█ It is tempting to invite friends to help. This, of course, is great, but the move risks turning into a fun drinking session with a random ending, and you will have to blame yourself for a broken iron. We recommend using the services of professional carriers (available on the Internet). And in general, after you have said goodbye to student life, inviting friends for repairs, moving and meeting at the airport is a shame.
█ You will have to enter into an agreement with the moving company, according to which it bears full financial liability for items damaged during transportation.
█ On the websites of some carrier companies there are convenient calculators for calculating all services, including packaging, delivery and rental of transport. But the final cost will still need to be clarified: non-obvious factors may arise, such as “lifting a piano to the 15th floor without an elevator.”
█ If you already had experience communicating with the carrier company, you should have kept the telephone number of the team leader. Call him and try to agree to do the work bypassing the cash register. In this case, the money will go directly into the pockets of the movers and the price will be approximately 50% lower, but you will not enter into a formal contract.
█ Prepare stickers for all areas of the home: kitchen, bedroom, operating room. Each one will require stickers of a different color, on which you will write down the contents of the boxes.
Moving to a new apartment, even within the same city, is a troublesome and exhausting task that can unsettle the most organized person. With the help of our checklist, you will be able to organize your move correctly, and you won’t forget or miss anything.
You can move either independently or with the help of a moving company. Let’s make a reservation right away: if you order the “turnkey moving” service, professionals will take on some of the checklist items. For example, you can save time and effort by entrusting movers with packing property, dismantling/assembling furniture, choosing a route, unpacking things, etc. Read more about the benefits of working with professionals.
So, for convenience, we have divided all the items on the checklist into stages - this will make it more convenient for you to mark what has been completed on a printed to-do list.
What to do in advance before moving
- Decide how the move will take place - whether you will involve a moving company in organizing the work, limit yourself to hired cars and loaders, or plan to handle it on your own.
- If you plan to cope on your own, enlist the support of friends and acquaintances who will help you with packing things and, most importantly, with loading and unloading work.
- Select a date and time for your move. Balance your moving plans with your family's work and school schedule. Consider the transport situation. Traditionally, the most popular time to move to a new apartment is weekends, especially Saturdays. If possible, try to avoid peak hours; it is optimal to schedule your move at the beginning of the work week. Do not neglect the weather forecast either - snowfall or rain will complicate the already troublesome transportation.
- Compose detailed plan actions indicating deadlines for each item: buy packaging materials, sort things, disassemble furniture and pack property, decide on a contractor (car and movers).
- Conduct an audit of things and furniture. Don’t take unnecessary things with you - “extra” things should be given away, sold, or simply thrown away. If there are things that you are not ready to part with, but there are places in new apartment No for them - they can be assigned to storage in a warehouse.
- Consider labeling the boxes. For example, by room (bedroom, living room, kitchen) or by type of thing (dishes, clothes, documents). It’s better to further sort things in advance and indicate on the boxes the frequency of use (daily, regularly or rarely). This will make the search much easier necessary items in the first days in a new place.
- Take care of your packing materials. Professionals know how many boxes, film or adhesive tape are needed, but you can determine the quantity yourself. After counting it yourself, feel free to double the number (our experience shows that it is quite difficult to objectively estimate the volume of things). Or immediately use a convenient online calculator to find out the exact numbers.
- Separately collect boxes containing essential items, a first aid kit, chargers for all gadgets. Are you afraid of missing out on something? There is a convenient list in this article.
- Walk along the corridors and flights of stairs in the entrances of the new and old house - make sure that all things and furniture will “go” through the openings and fit into the turns. Please note door blocks, corners, walls in narrow spaces - they need to be additionally protected or be mindful of the finish so as not to damage it.
- Disassemble furniture that will definitely not fit through the doors and openings of the apartment.
What to do before moving
- The day before your move, prepare meals and snacks for the whole family, including breakfast at the old place and dinner at the new house.
- Do you have small children or pets in your family? It is advisable to protect them from the stress of transportation. If at least for a day they find themselves “on neutral territory” (with grandmothers, other relatives, friends), there will be much less worry and hassle.
- Prepare a “moving” set of clothes for all family members (non-staining, comfortable, and not interfering with free movement).
- Place a stationery knife or other cutting tool to open boxes.
- Make sure there is parking at both the old and new addresses truck, the elevators are working.
- Think over the route of the car so as not to get stuck in traffic jams. Please remember that truck traffic into the city center may be restricted.
- Prepare several sets of “cheat sheets” - you will probably find them useful full list property, a plan for arranging furniture in the new apartment, as well as a separate sheet with contacts of all involved workers and services.
- Be sure to get enough sleep. Tomorrow you will need strength, so don’t put off getting ready until the last night.
What is important on moving day
- Start the morning of your move with good mood and breakfast.
- Important: essential items should be loaded into the car last. This way, after transportation, they will be unloaded first, and they will immediately be at your fingertips.
- Once all the furniture is loaded into the vehicle, check that it is securely secured (moving companies should use vehicles with van mounts).
- Inspect the premises - carefully check that you have taken everything. If you leave furniture, open the drawers, doors, look behind the cabinets and cabinets.
- Protect walls and doorways in your new apartment. Often when furniture or large household appliances are brought in, there is a risk of damage to the finish. This is especially true when entering a newly renovated building.
- When bringing items into place, follow the labeling principle. Place items that are rarely used further away, and items that may be needed soon are closer. Immediately move furniture and boxes into the rooms indicated when marked, or make sure the movers follow your plan.
- To make it convenient for your assistants to navigate the room, place a plan indicating the rooms in a visible place near the entrance to the apartment. Also leave a note on the door of each room whether it is a bedroom, a nursery or an office. Of course, this advice is especially relevant for multi-room apartments, private houses and cottages.
- Make sure furniture and other belongings are moved safely. A detailed numbered list of all property is very useful for this.
- If you use the services of movers, do not rush to sign documents without looking after the move is completed. It is important to competently accept the work in the presence of company employees and ensure the quality of the services provided. We have compiled a simple 10-step checklist - follow it to avoid misunderstandings and controversial situations.
We hope our article will be useful to you and help you move without any problems. However, no matter how well you prepare for transportation, it is impossible to foresee everything. The support of professionals will simplify the moving process as much as possible. With “Delicate moving” it will go quickly, without unnecessary hassle, and in the evening you will be able to relax in your new, cozy home.
They say that one crossing is equal to two fires. A lot of nerves are wasted, and some things get lost or broken when moving. You can entrust all this to professional companies or try to do it yourself. Both methods have pros, cons and pitfalls. We will tell you how specialists work and how the apartment residents themselves usually organize the move, and then compare these options.
How do specialists work?
Those who organize apartment and other moves are called moving companies. They not only move things, but can also come to your home and pack everything, and then, in a new place, put everything in its place. If you have no place in your new home to store a bicycle, stroller, or boxes of seasonal items, companies can provide storage services in their warehouse. That's what the experts do.
They disassemble and assemble furniture from IKEA to antiques. The specialists have everything necessary tools, wrapping film to prevent damage appearance. And they know where to put the bags with screws so as not to lose them.
They pack clothes, toys, a Murano glass vase and a box with family jewelry. The company always has different types packaging: film, tape, cardboard, plastic and so on. Therefore, household appliances and fragile items will be packed securely and firmly.
All property is transported to the new apartment. The company has vehicles of different capacities. For one move, a regular 3-meter gazelle is enough, but for another you will need a long truck. After all, it’s not always possible to throw something heavy on top of sofas or beds.
They put everything in its place, lay out the toys, hang the curtains and connect the plumbing. Of course, first they find out the clients’ preferences and draw up an apartment plan. Then they put all the things in their places. Connect the washing machine and dishwasher, secure cabinets and chests of drawers if there are small children in the house.
When you hire specialists from moving companies, you simply move from one apartment to another. Don't carry heavy objects, pack dishes, or put toys away. But you need to be present when assembling and disassembling furniture, packing things, opening and closing apartments.
What do you save?
Strength. You don’t have to put things away for several days, remembering what is in which box, and you don’t have to pack it either.
Time. In order to have time to put everything together, you sometimes need to start packing a couple of days in advance. In one day, put away what you won’t need: seasonal clothes, bedding sets, blankets, curtains. In the second - basic necessities. Or devote one day to it and get terribly exhausted.
What do you spend on
To pay for the services of a moving company. In different companies different conditions. Some offer turnkey moves with a fixed price, while others will provide movers and transportation at an hourly rate.
For example, payment for a mover (loader and packer) costs from 400 rubles per hour. Payment for a van, depending on the volume, is 300-700 rubles per hour, possibly more.
For example, transporting things from two-room apartment A turnkey project by 4 specialists for 4 hours of work in one of the moving companies will cost from 11 thousand rubles.
How to move on your own
You can pack your things yourself, and then hire movers and a gazelle. Or two. In this case, the expenses will be slightly different. Here's what you'll have to do.
Prepare furniture. It can be disassembled completely, partially, or wrapped with stretch film for safety. Remove the drawers from the chests of drawers and seal the doors so that they do not open during the transfer process.
Pack small items. Clothes can be folded in soft bags, toys - in boxes. Place the dishes with paper or cloth to prevent them from breaking. Household appliances pack in boxes and be sure to check the bottom so that the multicooker does not fall out at the most inopportune moment. You can stick colored tape on the packed items, for example, blue - kitchen, green - living room, yellow - children's room.“We packed clothes directly into dresser drawers in small bags. Then they threw these bags into a 120-liter bag and taped the “daughter’s chest” sheet with tape. Curtains and blankets were also packed into bags and signed. Shoes in boxes, books in plastic and small boxes, otherwise it’s hard to carry. and during the packing process we tried to throw out unnecessary things: cracked plates, broken toys, unnecessary shoes.”
Tamara Gerasimovich, moved 6 times
Hire transport and a team of loaders. Usually, when ordering a car, specialists ask how much body space is needed. There is a Gazelle with a body length of 3 meters or more. If you are afraid of ruining the upholstery of the sofa or the surface of the table by throwing it there flower pots or boxes, it is better to order a car with more capacity.
Transport and monitor the dragging of things. At such moments you mentally thank the creators freight elevator and you kind of hate the new neighbors who are trying to drive away with it. You need to keep the doors at the entrance. Therefore, it is better to turn off the door closer and prop it up with a brick.
You need someone to tell you where to put things. It is better to immediately spend time arranging furniture according to the right rooms than to puff on your own after the movers leave. Boxes and packages, if they are marked, can also be asked to be brought directly to the place.
Unpack and put everything in its place. This process takes a long time. You need to open boxes, arrange things, dishes, toys, clothes, shoes. Something may get lost during the moving process.
What do you save?
You don't pay any money to the moving company. And this is about 10-20 thousand rubles.
What do you spend on
For packaging material. You will need boxes, bags, film, tape. You can buy bubble wrap to pack fragile items. For example, one 120 liter bag contains approximately 2-3 dresser drawers or 4-6 blankets. More will also go in, but the bag will tear. There are 10 packets in a package, it costs about 200 rubles. Construction film comes in different thicknesses and lengths: 135, 255 meters and so on. Price: 200-00 rubles. To wrap one refrigerator in 2-3 layers you will need approximately 30 meters of film. This means there will still be washing machine and a kitchen set.
“We were transporting a refrigerator, washing machine, a stove, a sofa, a kettle, a slow cooker, a bread maker, three children's beds, a chest of drawers, a dressing table and two shelving units. In addition, there were several boxes with books, toys, shoes, and dishes. The bags contain clothes, bedding and towels. It took 1.5 rolls of film, two packs of wide tape, 2 packs of garbage bags for 120 liters and 1 for 60 liters. We spent about 1,000 rubles. Plus 3000 was paid for the gazelle and the movers. In total, the move cost 4 thousand, several hundred meters of nerve cells and 4 days of unpacking things.”
Tamara Gerasimovich
Nerves and strength. According to the law of meanness, as soon as you have safely packed an item, you will immediately need it. Suddenly the kids just want a Teddy bear, and the husband gets hungry and wants scrambled eggs. In addition, bags are torn, tape is running out, children have taken markers somewhere to draw. And after the move, it may turn out that the handles from kitchen set and a favorite silver spoon.
