Anyone who has ever moved will tell you that it is a tiring and stressful experience, and this is particularly true for people who don’t take the time to plan for the various stages of the move. A lot of the stress associated with a move can be minimized if you are as organized as possible and think ahead.

The pre-move stage involves a number of critical decisions like choosing whether to move yourself with a rental truck or hire a professional moving company like Premiere Van Lines. Then, you need to decide if you are going to do some or all of your own packing or have it done for you by the mover. If you choose to do your own packing, then it is imperative to think ahead to the final stage of the move; the dreaded unpacking of tens or even hundreds of boxes that will be stacked and littered about in your new home.

Learning How to Label Properly

Learning how to label moving boxes properly will pay huge dividends in terms of your time and energy when it comes time to unpack all those cartons. Remember when the moving truck arrives at your new home, everything will be unloaded. Some items will go in through the front door, others may be taken in through patio doors at the back of the house, or even through the garage. Obviously you can’t be everywhere at the same time to direct where each box should be taken to, and your movers will need to know which rooms each box is to go. Otherwise, they will be placed anywhere there is space and that will make your unpacking job more difficult.

Getting settled in your new home can also benefit by labelling your moving boxes properly to assist in unpacking in stages, with priority being given to those items that you need first. Most of us will have packed items that we use infrequently or are intended for storage in the basement. If this is the case then those boxes can be set aside to be unpacked at a later date.

The secret here is knowing what is in each of your boxes so you can decide which ones to unpack first and which ones can be dealt with after you get things set up for comfortable day-to-day living.

Labeling Boxes – Insider Tips

Here are a few tips on how to properly label your moving boxes to make unpacking easier.

  • Colour code your cartons. Choose a colour for each room to make it easier to identify where the box should be placed when unloading the truck.
  • Prepare a chart for the movers that provides them with the room designation by the appropriate colour.
  • Consider purchasing colour-coded labels for this purpose. Movers like Premiere Van Lines can provide you with these labels at a reasonable cost or if they are doing your packing for you, their packers will be using them.
  • Labels should be affixed to the side of the box instead of on the top.
  • An alternative to coloured labels is coloured markers. If you decide to go with markers make sure the lettering is large so that it is easily spotted.
  • Create an inventory list of the contents in each carton on the label that is affixed to the box or written on the side of the carton with a coloured marker.
  • Be quite specific about the contents. This will be of great assistance to you when trying to prioritize which cartons should be unpacked immediately.
  • If you have boxes containing items that can be unpacked at a later date or are intended for basement or other storage, indicate this information on the carton. This way you can have these cartons moved to another location until such time as you decide to unpack them.

For more advice on packing for a move or for a free no obligation cost estimate contact your local Premiere Van Lines office.