Moving Guide
Moving can be hectic. There is a lot to do to successfully relocate your life and one misstep could cause serious problems, costing you time and sanity. American Self Storage wants to help so we have compiled a moving checklist that you can follow to make your move an easy one.
An American Storage Guide for Movers
Utilities
Call your gas, water, electricity, trash, and/or cable company and schedule a time a date to switch services to your new address. You can do this around a month in advance in most cases so get this done early.
Change your address
You can schedule a change of address with the post office which will reroute your mail to your new address for about a month. You should also call, email, or mail address change notifications to interested parties.
Sell and/or toss unwanted items
Consider getting rid of a few things. You can easily sell unwanted items of value on Facebook. Be safe and smart when selling items to strangers. Go through toys, papers, dishes, etc. and toss broken or unwanted items.
Organize
Whether you hire packers or pack yourself, consider which items in your house should go together, both for item safety and ease of unpacking. The easier it is to unpack, the better.
Hire & recruit help
Be sure to make the time to do some research if you are going to hire a moving company. Check online reviews and review multiple companies. Request information on who is responsible for providing the moving truck and estimated hours based on room count. If you aren't hiring professionals then you should probably look to your friends and family. Ask for help in advance as a move can take several hours or days.
Pack it up
You can stop by one of our locations to purchase packing supplies. Pack you house in sections using protective material around your items as needed. Ensure the bottom of box is secure against the weight of the items inside, tape the top closed, and label the box with any important information for delivery and/or unpacking. Start with rooms closest to the door you will be carrying to boxes from, and use the space you create from moving items to stack and organize the rest of your items as you pack them.
Make sure to pack some supplies for your family and yourself in a bag or suitcase. Depending on how long the move will take you might need snacks, extra cloths, medicine, etc
Plan your route & schedule
You can find the distance between your current location and the new one on google maps. You can use the distance to find out the cost of gas and the cost in time per trip. You can also organize your route. If you will be packing all of your items into pickup truck(s) then you may need to drive slower, take wider turns, and may not be able to see out of your mirrors. This might required a longer route that is off of any main roads.
Try to schedule your move for a day, and time of day, that you and anyone helping has completely or mostly free. Expect delays where possible.
Load the trucks
When moving day comes you should be ready to roll. You should try to move your items based on size, from biggest to smallest. It will be much easier to carry large items that block your line of sight into the new place if the ground isn't littered with boxes and other hazards. Put your largest items closest to the unloading zone of your vehicle in destination order from back to front of the new place.
Unpack
Unpack your items by room. Use a box knife or scissors to break boxes down, making it easier to throw the boxes away.