With peak moving season just around the corner, Vancouver’s stress levels will also be at an all-time high. With that in mind, we’ve partnered with Advanced Self Storage to offer some creative ways to help make your next move as easy, organized and stress-free as can be.
1. Don’t just label boxes, colour-code them
Labelling boxes is good practice in a move, but actually being able to read your messy handwriting in the back of a dark moving truck can be a serious pain during the chaos of unpacking. By using a simple colour system, (Ex. blue for the kitchen and red for the living room), you’ll be able to instantly recognize where things go and when things are out of place. Try using large strips of coloured tape so it’s easy to spot at a distance.
2. Pack an “open me first” box
Unpacking always takes longer than you’d think, so rather than wasting time trying to find something like a phone charger, pack all your day-one essentials in one box. This includes chargers, toilet paper, important documents, keys and maybe even some snacks.
3. Create a moving day supply kit
You might want to include this in your “open me first” box… A moving day supply kit should have everything you need to make the actual packing, moving and unpacking portion of your day easier. This includes extra tape, box cutters, measuring tape and first aid supplies. Pro tip: if your tape isn’t sticking to your boxes, you can try microwaving it for a few seconds to reactivate the roll’s sticky residue.
4. Use sandwich bags to keep small accessories together
Just unscrewed your IKEA bed frame? Keep these components together in clearly marked sandwich bags to ensure nothing goes missing in your move. To make things even easier, take photos or videos of whatever it is you disassembled, “favourite” them in your phone, and refer to those again when it’s time to put things back together in your new place.
5. Consider a storage unit to ease your moving pain
Storage facilities are a great option for long-term storage, but they also have more immediate benefits, particularly during a big move. Consider moving your essentials like large furniture into your new home first while keeping some of your packed boxes in a short term storage unit. This way you’ll be able to keep your home nicely organized and unpack everything completely before moving on the next round. For example, you can move all the kitchen boxes in your new space, unpack, clean and sort everything, then bring more boxes and items from your storage unit. Your home will be less cluttered, which is particularly important for families, and you won’t have that dreaded pile of unpacked boxes sitting in the corner a year later.
6. Spring clean, no matter what season it is
By decluttering your home before packing you’re ensuring you’re starting your next chapter with a little less baggage and a little less lower back pain. Look into local charities that might be willing to pick up your unwanted items for free, or, if you’re looking to move with less but aren’t quite ready to part with some of your beloved valuables, self-storage is a great option too.
Best of all, you can transport those items well before your moving date, to save a little extra stress on the day.
Advanced Self Storage provides flexible, tailored storage solutions for people in the midst of big life changes whether that be buying your dream home, downsizing, or decluttering. Self-storage is a quick, easy fix when you’ve run out of space. Advanced Self-Storage rents fresh, clean and secure storage units in various sizes with terms as flexible as you need them to be.
With state-of-the-art facilities, security and eight locations in Metro Vancouver, you can move and get organized knowing your valuables will be kept safe until you need them next. Hey, why not save some of the unpacking for later?
To learn more about how Advanced Self Storage can help you, or to book your unit now, visit advancedselfstorage.com.
