Common Moving Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The experts in local and long-distance moving at All My Sons Moving & Storage have over 30 years of experience helping companies and families make a seamless relocation. After three decades of packing, loading, and lifting, we’ve seen all manner of moving mistakes. 

All My Sons wants to empower movers with the tools and tricks that will keep moving efficient and safe. Here are several common mistakes that people make while moving, and what movers can do instead that will keep their moves on track.

You just bought a new home or signed a new lease, and now your move is on the horizon. Getting adequately prepared for your move can mitigate a whole host of problems before they become significant. 

Mistake 1: Not Creating a Moving Checklist

Winging it might work for simple moves, but if you’ve got a whole house, office, or apartment to relocate then you’ll be working with a number of complicated logistics. The best defense against forgetting something important is to write it down, and keep that list of items handy until everything is safely checked off.

How to Avoid: As soon as you know you are moving, sit down and create a detailed moving checklist of all the items you need to get accomplished for your move. Start your checklist with items like researching movers, getting quotes from moving companies, gathering packing supplies, crafting a moving budget, and packing the non-essentials. Write a date down next to each item that will serve as your deadline for getting the task done. If you are moving with young kids or moving with pets, be sure to include their attentive care in your detailed checklist. 

Need a checklist to get you started? Look at All My Sons Moving & Storage’s checklists for first-time homeowners, renters, or a last-minute move.

Mistake 2: Waiting Until the Last Minute

As humans, we all have a tendency to put off things that seem overwhelming. This might protect you from experiencing hard emotions in the now, but it also makes the process of moving more difficult when we finally get around to it. 

Waiting until you’re down to the wire might mean you have to take a more expensive moving company as you hunt for movers with any availability. Items might not get properly packed, which increases the likelihood of damaged items or injuries while moving. 

How to Avoid: Stomp that moving procrastination as soon as possible. This might mean identifying and coping with moving emotions like anger, sadness, or anxiety. If you’re procrastinating because the task seems too overwhelming, try to break the entire process down into simple, manageable steps. Set a timer and work on moving tasks until the timer is done, and then reward your progress with a task that you look forward to.

Sometimes making a last-minute move is unavoidable. If you have to move without much time, make sure to find adequate help and give yourself five minutes to jot down a quick moving checklist to make sure everything is in order for you to leave.

Mistake 3: Falling for Moving Scams

Every year, 35 million American households make a relocation. They spend roughly 19 billion on moving supplies and services when they do. Nefarious companies with ill-intent want a piece of that 19 billion, and every year thousands of Americans fall prey to moving scams.

Don’t get lured in by a scam moving company. Vet your professional movers carefully.

How to Avoid: Watch for the five ways to spot a moving scam. Reputable moving companies should have their own physical company address, a fair rating with the Better Business Bureau, and a U.S. DOT number if they are interstate movers. Beware of any company that offers a quote that sounds too affordable to be true, and never pay a large deposit in cash. 

Mistake 4: Neglecting to Declutter

When you’re moving, every piece of furniture, beloved book, and precious children’s memorabilia item costs money to get to your destination. The last thing you want to do when you open your boxes at your new home is discover you brought something along that you’re not going to need anymore. Letting go of items before you leave is the fastest way to save time and money during your move. 

How to Avoid: Declutter and downsize as you pack. Some moving companies will make a donation run on your behalf if you’re on crunch time. You can also call a same-day junk removal company like Junk.com to get rid of bulky unwanted items the sustainable way. 

You made a moving checklist several weeks before the move, and now you’re down to the business of packing. With a full-service moving company, you might have the option of paying for professional packing so that everything you own is secured for the more by expert hands. If you are performing your own packing, there are a few common packing mistakes to avoid.

Mistake 1: Overloading Boxes

Books, pots and pans, vinyl records, and photo albums are all items that add up in weight very quickly. Inexperienced movers might try to cram a bunch of these items in a large box. That creates boxes that are oppressively heavy. Overloaded boxes are a recipe for damaged items and injured movers.

How to Avoid: Heavy items should go in smaller boxes. Always check the weight of a box before sealing it and declaring it done. If a box is too heavy to lift, then repack it with some heavy items removed and lighter items replacing them. 

Mistake 2: Not Separating Essentials

With so many of your possessions going into boxes, it’s possible you might pack something you desperately need far too soon. Don’t get caught without critical medications, your beloved coffee-maker, or the book you’re currently reading before move day has arrived, and don’t let these items get lost in boxes for weeks after you arrive at your new home. 

How to Avoid: Make a list of your essential items in each room and pack those items separately in clearly labeled boxes. These boxes will go on the truck last to be unloaded first at your destination. Keep a bag on hand that contains your most essential items like IDs, medications, rental contracts, and a boxcutter to open your legion of boxes when you reach your destination. 

Mistake 3: Not Properly Packing Fragile Items

Dishes, glassware, and your computer will require extra packing material to keep them safe during the journey. If you stuff items into boxes haphazardly, you run the risk of cracks, breaks, tears, and other unreversible damage. Before you pack away your more fragile items, stop and consider what they might need to stay in good condition. 

How to Avoid: Practice proper packing techniques for your fragile items. Always use the smallest box that can comfortably accommodate your fragile item. Limit empty space in your boxes by packing towels, linens, and hot pads around your items, or use extra packing material like packing paper, bubble wrap, or packing peanuts. Put the heaviest fragile items in the bottoms of your boxes and the lighter items toward the top. Mark fragile boxes so you and your movers remember to be cautious with them.

Mistake 4: Failing to Properly Label Boxes

There’s nothing quite as nerve-wracking as knowing that an item went into a moving box somewhere, but not having any idea which box that is. Families and businesses making a move might lose precious time or resources searching for items when boxes are not adequately labeled.

How to Avoid: In lieu of a full moving inventory, always label your boxes with as much detail as possible. Keep the inventory of rooms together by labeling boxes with the room they belong to, or use special colored tape to be able to differentiate moving boxes at a glance. If you have the time to create a full moving inventory, then write out the contents of each collection you own and which numbered moving box they went into. 

The truck is packed, and you’re on your way. Most of your moving checklist is now complete. Surely you couldn’t make any mistakes while unpacking, could you?

As it turns out, you can. Some of these mistakes can be nixed before the boxes start getting opened with a little extra planning on your part, but you’re bound to notice them at some point after you arrive at your destination.

Mistake 1: Forgetting to Measure Furniture

Don’t get to your new home with a couch too big for the space you need to put it. While you’re evaluating all your furniture for the move, make sure to measure your larger pieces and compare those measurements to the rooms and doorways in your new home before you declare a piece fit to move. 

How to Avoid: Downsize your household inventory before the move, and make sure to get rid of or replace anything that can’t fit in your new space before you take it on the truck with you. If you have moved with an item too big for your current space then call the junk removers or ask your movers to make a donation run after the move.

Mistake 2: Unpacking Non-Essentials First

Your essentials need to go on the truck last to be unloaded first. If the first boxes you open up are your photo albums, decorations, and holiday items, then you’re going to find yourself in a bit of pickle when dinnertime rolls around. 

How to Avoid: Your first goal of unpacking should be to make your new home livable. This starts by separating your essentials when you pack so that you can unpack them immediately upon arrival. Make the beds, get the everyday cookware, and make sure that coffee maker is ready to brew come morning, and your new place will definitely start to feel like home and not an ill-equipped hotel right off the bat.

Mistake 3: Neglecting to Set Up Utilities Properly

Most rental properties will require you to set up the utilities in your name before you move in, but if you don’t then you might be in for a nasty surprise when rent is due. Ensuring that your old utilities are scheduled for transfer or disconnection is equally important. You don’t want to pay additional bills long after you’ve moved out.

How to Avoid: Make a list of all your providers for services and call them to inform them of your upcoming move. Some services, like internet, you might be able to transfer to your new location. Some services, like electricity or gas, you might be scheduling for disconnection. Give your providers your new address so that you can be reached with any final bills.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Update Your Address

Your utilities aren’t the only ones who need your new address to reach you. Don’t get caught one-click buying an item at your favorite online store only to realize that it just went to your old address. Update your address with the USPS and your government ID, and then go down the line of providers to make sure everyone knows you’ve moved.

How to Avoid: Check All My Son’s checklist of Who to Notify of Your Move and make sure you’ve updated your address with every provider you can think of. Watch out for one-click buy online stores and apps that have your address saved.

All unpacked with every last family member notified of your move. Moving can be simple and efficient when you have the professionals at All My Sons Moving & Storage on your side. Trust us to handle your relocation and click the quote button below to get started on your move.