Survival Kit For Moving Day

Set aside the items that you may need immediately upon arrival at your new home.  Pack all of these items separately and mark the boxes by content:

Cleaning Supplies:
Glass Cleaner
Lysol
Detergent
Kitchen Cleanser
Paper Towels
Dish Cloth
Sponge

Bathroom:
Razor
Facial tissue
Toilet tissue
Bath towel
Shower curtain
Face cloth
Soap
First-aid kit
Asprin

Children:
Video/VCR/TV
Coloring books and crayons
Favorite toys
Books
Puzzles
Blanket

Kitchen Supplies:
Plastic wrap
Trash bags
Aluminum foil
Paper plates, cups, napkins and silverware
Dish Towels
Plastic pitcher
Small saucepan
Tea kettle, Coffee pot

Food:
Instant coffee, tea
Sandwiches
Drinks
Snacks

Miscellaneous:
Tool Box
Several light bulbs
Flashlight
Extra batteries
String or twine
Old newspaper

Moving Checklist

Send change of Address to:

1. Utilites: Electric, Gas, Water, Telephone, & Garbage
2. Professional Services: Doctor, Dentist, CPA & Attorney
3. Publications: Newspaper & Magazines
4. Established Business Accounts: Dry Cleaners, Drug store, Diaper Service, Credit card companies & other lenders
5. Insurance: Life, Auto, Home, Health, Fire & other
6. Miscellaneous: Relatives, Friends, Clubs, School, Landlord, Tenants & Church

Before the move:

1. Empty/defrost freezer and refrigerator
2.  Clean rugs
3. Disconnect gas, electric, water, phone, garbage, Cleaning, Paper & etc. for the last day you will live @ the residence
4. Arrange for child care if necessary
5. Plan for pet transportation

On Moving Day:

1. Carry money, jewelry and important documents with you
2. Bring a small tool kit
3. Double check closets, drawers and shelves to make sure that they are empty

For out of Town Purchasers:

1. Let a close friend or relative know your route and schedule
2. Transfer insurance on household goods and personal possessions to ensure coverage enroute
3. If your car or other possessions are not paid for, notify creditors and obtain permission to take property out of state
4. Notify schools
5. Gather records or have transcripts forwarded
6. Obtain: Medical records, medical prescriptions, birth records, dental records, inoculation records and eyeglass prescriptions
   

Packing Tips

This document was prepared to give you some valuable and helpful tips on packing your possessions so that they can be safely moved on a truck or a moving van.

Small articles such as dishes, table lamps, pictures and other fragile bric-a-brac must be thoughtfully and carefully packed in boxes if they are to arrive at your destination in as good condition as they were prior to being backed and moved. 

Much of the secret of packing, however, is having the right materials with which to work, and the application of some good common sense.  If you are going to do your own packing, these tips should help remove some of the mystery.

Materials You Will Need:

1. Wrapping Paper:  You are going to need plenty of wrapping paper.  Many people save and use their old newspapers.  Keep in mind, however, that the ink on newsprint never thoroughly dries.  Consequently, the goods you wrap in newspapers are most likely going to be soiled and will require cleaning after unpacking, and before you put them away.  For items you prefer to keep clean it would be best to purchase some packing paper from your mover.
2. Cartons:  you’ll need many boxes in assorted sizes.  All boxes should be in good condition, and must have covers on them in order that they can be closed up and sealed.  You can purchase cartons from your mover, a store or online.  Don’t expect your mover to provide them for free. 
   
   You might start collecting cartons from your local grocery and liquor stores.  All too often grocery store cartons have the tops removed, but if you have a talk with the store manager he/she would probably be willing to save you some cartons with the covers still intact.  Liquor cartons are excellent packing cartons.  They are sturdy, and contain dividers that make them ideal for packing glasses, goblets, vases etc.  You can also ask friends or coworkers who’ve recently moved if you can have their old boxes. 
3. Sealing Tape:  The best tape for this purpose is plastic (packaging) tape.  Your rolls of tape should be at least 1.5 to 2 inches wide.  Don’t use tape directly on wood or painted furniture, because the sticky residue can ruin the finish.  Instead wrap these items in mover’s pads and tie them with rope to secure the pads.

4. Magic Marker:  This is for marking your packed boxes with such information as the contents of the box, “FRAGILE” “THIS SIDE UP” & etc.

Some Things to Consider:

1. Start collecting boxes early.  An easy way to store cartons so that they won’t require a great deal of storage is open both ends of the cartons and flatten them out.  You can open them up again and re-seal the bottoms with your plastic tape as you are ready to use them.
2. Pack on a room-by-room basis.  That is, don’t pack articles from the living room in articles from the kitchen.  This will save much confusion later when it’s time to unpack.
3. If possible, start packing early.  Remember, if you were to pack only a couple of boxes a day, in thirty days you would have sixty boxes packed.  You could start in areas where the goods are not in frequent use – such as the basement, attic, garage, closet, shelves & etc. 
4. It will probably be necessary to have your mover do some of your packing for you.  At very least, it may be necessary to purchase some of his specialized cartons that will be impossible for you to find elsewhere.  This category would include such cartons as mattress cartons, wardrobe cartons, containers for large pictures and mirrors and possibly some large cartons for tall table lamps. 
5. Dresser drawers need to be empty.  Movers usually do not move chests of drawers with the contents of the drawers left intact.  Too much weight in the drawer could cause damage to the drawer while your furniture is enroute.
6. Use small boxes for heavy articles such as books, CD’s/records, canned goods, VCR tapes/DVD’s, canned goods & etc.
7. Use larger boxes for bulkier, not so heavy articles such as pots & pans, linens, small kitchen appliances & etc. 
8. Use the largest boxes for very bulky, lightweight articles such as blankets, pillows, toys, large lampshades, shoes & etc.
9. Do not pack any flammables, combustibles or explosives.  The safety of the shipment is the primary concern.  Movers are not supposed to transport aerosol spray cans, paint thinner, gasoline or anything else of a flammable or explosive nature.  If you suspect something might be dangerous, use your better judgment and don’t pack it.
10. Make sure to drain the gasoline from lawnmowers, blowers, weed eaters and any other gasoline-powered tool. 

There are a lot of good moving companies to choose from.  One of the ones that my customers have been really pleased with is Changes in Latitude.  If you would like to connect to their web site you can Click Here