In A DIY Move, Learn From Professional Movers' Strategies
In a perfect world, you would be able to hire professional movers, and they'd handle every aspect of your move from packing to unloading the truck. But sometimes, hiring pro movers is simply not an option, and the best approach is to DIY your move. If you're in this situation, it can be helpful to learn lessons from the way professional movers do things. Here are some things professional movers do that you can also do to simplify your moving process.
Wrap Everything
When movers pack for you, they want to be entirely confident that nothing is going to break. So, they tend to wrap absolutely everything that has any potential for damage. Follow their lead. Don't just wrap up your valuable china and dinnerware. Also wrap your mugs, your photo frames, your artwork, and your electronics. Use bubble wrap, as it offers more protection than tissue paper. Don't be afraid to secure the bubble wrap with a little tape, too. It's worth spending this time wrapping your items if it prevents something from breaking in transit.
Take the Assembly Line Approach
Assuming you have a couple of people helping you move, you want to take the assembly line approach to loading the moving truck. In other words, have a few people stay outside at the truck, and have the others in the house. The people in the house should bring boxes down and hand them to the outdoor people, who will carry them and load them into the truck. This is the way that many moving teams operate. It keeps people from having to take their shoes on and off as everyone stays either inside or outside. It also puts a smaller number of people in charge of loading the truck, which generally helps keep the truck more organized.
Plan Your Route In Advance
When you're driving a moving truck, you don't want to come across any low bridges. You probably don't want to take any narrow, bumpy roads, either. Movers tend to pre-plan their route so they can be sure to avoid undesirable roads. Do the same. Sit down, look at the route presented by your GPS, and adjust it as needed. Know exactly what way you are going to drive before you start driving.
In a DIY move, it can be helpful to take similar approaches to professional movers. The ideas above are good ones to get you started. For more information, contact a moving expert near you.