The internet is full of moving hacks. Some are great. Some are a fast way to break a lamp. These are the ones that hold up in real homes with real kids, the small tricks that save time on moving day and sanity on unpacking day. No gimmicks, nothing that puts your stuff (or your back) at risk.
Packing Hacks
1. Photograph the Wiring Before You Unplug Anything
Before you disconnect the TV, gaming console, router or home office setup, take a quick photo of the back. At the new place, you just match the picture. Put each device’s cords in a zip-top bag, label it and tape it to the device or pack it in the same box.
2. Color-Code Your Boxes by Room
Give every room a color: blue for the kitchen, green for the kids’ rooms, yellow for the office. Use colored tape or stickers on every box. At the new house, put a matching piece of tape on each room’s doorframe. Your crew can unload without asking “where does this go?” 200 times.
3. Number Every Box and Keep a List on Your Phone
Write a number on each box and jot down what’s inside in your phone’s notes app (“14: kitchen, baking pans, mixer”). You’ll know exactly which box has the thing you need, and you’ll know right away if one goes missing.
4. Leave Clothes on the Hangers
Grab a bundle of hanging clothes, pull a trash bag up from the bottom and tie the drawstring around the hooks. At the new house, hang them up and pull off the bag. Wardrobe boxes work the same way and stack better on the truck.
5. Put Plastic Wrap Under the Lids
Unscrew shampoo, lotion, soap and cooking oil, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over the opening and screw the lid back on. Then pack them in a sealed bag. One leaky bottle can ruin a whole box of towels.
6. Pack Heavy Things in Small Boxes
Books, canned food and tools go in small boxes. Pillows, bedding and lampshades go in big ones. A big box of books is heavy enough to blow out the bottom or hurt someone’s back. Rolling suitcases are perfect for books, too.
7. Bag the Hardware and Tape It to the Furniture
When you take apart a bed frame, table or crib, put the screws and bolts in a labeled bag and tape it to the piece it came from. No more hunting for one tiny bolt at 10 p.m. when everybody wants to go to sleep.
8. Lighten Dressers Instead of Emptying Them
You don’t have to empty your dressers, but full drawers make them heavy and can strain or crack the frame. Pull out the heavy stuff, leave the light clothes and wrap the dresser in stretch wrap so the drawers stay shut. Skip tape directly on wood, since it can pull the finish.
9. Pad Breakables With Your Linens
Towels, dish towels, blankets and even clean socks make good padding for glasses, vases and picture frames. You save on bubble wrap and pack two things at once. (Plates still do best wrapped individually and packed on their sides, like records.)
Moving Day Hacks
10. Pack an Open-First Box for Every Person
Give everyone a box or bag with what they need for the first night and next morning: chargers, medications, toothbrush, pajamas, a change of clothes, sheets and a pillow. Add a family box with toilet paper, paper towels, soap, snacks, a box cutter and a screwdriver. Mark them “OPEN FIRST” and keep them in your car.
11. Give Kids Their Own Moving Day Bag
Let each kid pack a backpack with snacks, water, a tablet and charger, headphones, a favorite stuffed animal and a book. Kids who have their own stuff and a job to do (“you’re in charge of your bag”) handle the day better. For little ones, a sitter or grandparent for the day is the best hack of all.
12. Set Up a “Do Not Load” Zone
Pick a bathroom or empty closet, put a big sign on the door and stash everything that rides with you: valuables, important papers, medications, laptops and your open-first boxes. Tell your crew during the walkthrough. Nothing important ends up buried in the truck by accident.
13. Give the Pets a Quiet Room
Close pets in one room with water, their bed and a sign on the door that says “PET INSIDE, KEEP CLOSED.” Better yet, let them spend the day with a friend. Our guide to moving with pets has more ideas.
Hacks for the New House
14. Take Photos of Both Homes
Before you hand over the keys, take photos or a quick video of every room in your empty old place. It helps if there’s ever a question about your deposit. Do the same at the new place before anything comes off the truck, so you have a record of how you found it.
15. Line Up Your Utilities to Overlap
Schedule service to start at the new place a day before you move in, so the lights and water are on when the truck pulls up. Then stop service at the old place the day after. In Omaha, OPPD and M.U.D. both let you handle start, stop or transfer requests online.
Bonus: Skip the Box Hunt
Tired of collecting boxes from every store in town? Ask about renting plastic moving bins. We partner with Monster Totes, and the price depends on how many bins you need and how long you keep them. Read more in our eco-friendly moving guide.
A Few “Hacks” We’d Skip
- Strapping a mattress to your car roof. It can shift or catch the wind on the highway.
- Garbage bags for anything breakable. Bags are great for clothes and bedding, not dishes.
- One giant box for heavy stuff. If you can’t lift it comfortably, nobody else can either.
- Packing propane, gas cans or paint thinner “just this once.” Flammables can’t go on a moving truck.
For the week-by-week version of all this, grab our complete moving checklist. And for the mistakes that trip people up on the big day, read our moving day tips.
Moving Hacks FAQs
What’s the best way to pack clothes for moving?
Leave hanging clothes on their hangers and cover them with a trash bag or use wardrobe boxes. Folded clothes can stay in a lightened dresser or go in suitcases.
What should go in an open-first box?
Everything you need for the first night and next morning: chargers, medications, toiletries, toilet paper, pajamas, a change of clothes, sheets, snacks and a few basic tools.
How do I keep kids busy on moving day?
Give each kid their own moving day bag with snacks, a tablet and a favorite toy, and a small job to do. If you can, have a friend or grandparent watch younger kids for the day.
What’s the fastest way to pack for a move?
Start with the rooms you use least, pack one room at a time and label as you go. If time is short, hire packers for the slowest rooms. Our packing service has no minimum, so you can hand off just the kitchen.
Want the Biggest Hack of All?
Let someone else carry the heavy stuff. Easy As Pie Moving Co. will reassemble the beds, put the furniture exactly where you want it and even put the sheets back on. Your moving agreement arrives when you book, with no stair fees or surprise add-ons.
Request your free estimate or call us at (402) 200-4661.
