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Moving can be one of the most stressful events anyone can deal with, even if it’s a move you wanted and planned for. The trick to reducing the stress, however, is effective planning. Here are packing moving and storage tips to make your move as uneventful as possible.

The minute you know you are moving is the time to start planning. Even if you are moving next door, there are things to do that can’t wait till the last minute. Collecting boxes is only a small portion of what needs to be done, yet it’s one of the most important tasks that never seems to be given the importance it deserves. It maybe a good time to think about using public storage or even self storage to reduce stress.

First thing ‘ clean out the junk! No sense packing and moving things you don’t even use. Spend a few days if necessary to get if of old clothes, broken tools, unused toys ‘ anything you haven’t used in a year should be either donated to charity or sold.

Decide how you will move. If you need a professional moving company, get references, check with the local Better Business Bureau, and read the fine print in any contract they want you to sign. Moving companies have many ways to overcharge you at the last minute. You don’t need any unexpected surprises at your new home because they are holding your furniture hostage in a truck until you pay for fees and services you are sure you never asked for.

If you plan on moving everything yourself, only ask for help from friends who are reliable. Hanging around and wasting hours on the big day while your friends are sleeping late or forgot to show is a common nightmare told over and over by families who wanted to do it themselves. Also, forget about providing beer. Too many valuable antiques and expensive furniture has been dropped because friends were drinking beer. Save the beer and heavy refreshments for after everything is in the new home.

Start packing early on. Don’t wait till a week before the move. There are plenty of things you can pack away for a few months without missing them. Books, extra dishes, off season clothes, extra bedding’pack them up and put them to the side.

There’s no need buy boxes either. Free boxes from your local grocery store will do just fine, and many are even sturdier than the cardboard boxes you pay for. For some items such as special clothes or fine dinnerware, it’s recommended that specially designed boxes should be used. These can be purchased at either moving companies or storage facilities, and even sometimes can be found used online.

Stay away from huge boxes. They tend to get overpacked and almost too heavy to pick up. If someone can pick them up, the bottom usually falls out. Use boxes that anyone can carry and stuff accordingly.

Mark boxes the right way! Large letters, on every side, for each box. Label them according to where they are going, not where they were. ‘Basement’ won’t help if your new home doesn’t have a basement! Labels should be clear to everyone involved in the move; you don’t want to find piles of stray boxes that need to moved ‘ again.

Relieve the stress of moving by having an easy place to store your extra things. We have multiple locations, from storage unit Toronto, storage unit London, both long term and short term rentals, and storage for personal or business use.