Miscellaneous Hints for Moving

Avoid waxing or oiling wood furniture before the move, because some products may soften the wood, making it more likely to incur damage to the finish.

Don’t move the dust
Put aside a few old cloth diapers or other dust rags for the moving days, because you’ll inevitably see surfaces you normally can’t get to, which you’ll want to wipe clean before things are moved and put together again.

Address labels?
Don’t worry about ordering address labels. Unless they’ve moved on to another giveaway idea, charitable organizations will find you within weeks and supply you with enough address labels to last at least a decade. If you’d like a small quantity to use in the meantime, office supply stores carry blank return address labels which are fairly easy to print, using your computer. If you don’t have access to a computer or a friend who will do it for you, you could also order a stamp at your local office supply store. This will only take a week or 10 days, as opposed to 4–8 weeks for personalized labels you order to be shipped to you. You can always order those in addition, if you prefer them; but you may need something to use in the meantime, if you’ll be moving before they will arrive.

What should we leave in the house?
You are expected to remove everything from the house except those items included in the sale, and things such as extra keys, garage door openers, owner’s manuals for major appliances (and information about anything else which is part of the sale, such as ceiling fans, carpeting, security system, etc., if you have it). It will be helpful to leave a note about trash day, and what items are collected for recycling. If you have wallpaper, carpet remnants or paint which matches what’s currently in the house, your Buyer will appreciate having them. What will not be appreciated is trash, cans of old paint, or anything else which the new owners would have to dispose of. There are laws about disposing of hazardous materials, including paint, so check with your community to find out how to handle these items for everyone’s safety.

Any special advice for those of us with children or pets?
YES.

Medications
Prescription medications should travel with you, rather than in the moving van or even in checked luggage. If you have drugs which need to be refrigerated, plan on bringing a cooler with you, whether you fly or drive. There are no refrigerators on board commercial aircraft, so you’ll need to use ice or blue ice in your cooler, which should be as small as possible (like the size of a lunchbox). Full-size coolers are too large to carry onto a commercial airplane. If you use needles or syringes to administer prescription medications (such as insulin), be sure to have appropriate documentation with you for the folks at airport security.

Selling large appliances or equipment
If you’ll be using a lawn mower, snow blower, clothes dryer or other large appliances or equipment up until the move, you may be able to sell the item ahead of time, and possibly collect a down payment, with the understanding that the balance will be due and possession take place right before the move. If, by some chance, the purchasers back out at the last minute, it’s often possible to have a charity pick the item up within a day or 2, and you’ll at least have a tax deduction and be released from the responsibility of disposing of the item.

We once had someone agree to purchase our washer and dryer, but the day before the move they didn’t come to complete the purchase and we weren’t able to reach them. Fortunately, we were able to locate a nonprofit organization which helps battered women and children to get set up in apartments. They were thrilled to send a couple of men with a truck to pick up the donation. We got a thank you note from the recipients a couple of weeks later (they sent it to our old address and it was forwarded to us) and we were really glad it had worked out that way.

Moving Expenses
These may be deductible from your taxes, if you moved due to your job. Check with your accountant or the IRS to see if your move meets the requirements. If so, you may be able to deduct costs including the movers and packers, hotel, transportation costs, meals, automobile registration, and driver’s licenses. Be sure to save your receipts!

Plan to use disposables the last couple days
We know it’s not “green”, but there’s a time and place for everything, and when you’ve got to get your dishes and glasses and cutlery packed, this is the time for paper plates and plasticware. You might want to keep out one pot and one microwaveable container until the end, for various needs.

Use it or gift it but don’t waste it
Check coupons and gift certificates for local establishments, so you can be sure to use them or share them with friends rather than move them and have them be worthless. Gift certificates or gift cards for businesses which have locations in other cities are often usable at any location.

Don’t lose sleep over the details
You’ll sleep easier if you keep a pad & pen by your bedside, so when you think of things you can write them down and then clear your mind for sleep, instead of worrying that you might not remember it in the morning.