What to Do 1 Week Before You Move

This is it. Just one week left before you say goodbye to your home and neighbors and say hello to a new beginning. At this point, you’ve already accomplished many of the more difficult tasks involved in the moving process. What is left now?

Visualizing Your Home

This is a good time to sit down and visualize what your new home is going to be like with your belongings in it. Is your piano going in the family room or in the large hallway off the foyer? Which child gets which bedroom? Is the favorite TV going in the family room downstairs or the bonus room upstairs? By deciding where your furniture is going before it gets there, you avoid the unpleasant task of having to move it multiple times to get it right.

Start Labeling and Separating

Once you’ve made your decisions on item placement, you’ll want to get your permanent marker and labels ready and start making these decisions known to all. Be certain to place labels where they can be easily read. When applying labels do NOT place tape or sticky items directly on wood or fragile items as it may cause damage. Instead, make sure to place the labels on a part that has been wrapped first. At this point, you’ll also want to decide which items you are carrying with you during the move, which items are being left for storage, and which ones are being packed and transported by the moving company. This may sound simple, but it is likely that you will be able to carry only so many items yourself. Therefore, you need to make certain you have adequate packaging supplies for delicate and fragile items.

Prepping Your Appliances

For your appliances that you are moving with you, there are several important guidelines to follow to ready them for transport. With your refrigerator, you will need to give yourself at least 24 hours to clean and defrost this before moving it. For your washer, you will want to do the same, as you will need to give it ample time to dry. It is also a good idea to place towels between the drum and the sides of your dryer and washer in order to control movement.

You will also want to remove any racks in your stove and tape down any movable parts, such as coils and knobs. Lastly, with any small appliances you plan to carry, remove all batteries before packing. If there are accessories with these appliances, store them in a labeled plastic bag. And, for any items with cords, after wrapping around your appliance, secure with tape so the cord does not get caught and damaged on other items.

Packing Your Suitcase

The final thing on your list now should be packing your suitcases. Make sure you have plenty of weather appropriate choices easily available, as well as any items you would want handy upon arrival. With these things taken care of, your upcoming move should be a snap!