Six Moving Day Must-Dos

As moving day approaches, you might be wondering what, exactly, you should be doing on the day that you move. Even the best Orange County moving company won’t do all the work for you. Sure, they can pack, load, and move your stuff to your new home. But you’ll still have plenty of work to do on moving day, including these six essentials:

1. Put important items in your personal vehicle.

The first thing you should do on moving day – before the movers even arrive, if possible – is to set aside important personal items in your own car. Think of the things you use on a daily basis – personal care items, your coffee maker, a special pillow, particular toys or books for the kids, etc. Also, consider things you might need if something goes awry – insurance cards, paperwork from the moving company and your new home, prescriptions, etc. Pack all these things in boxes or suitcases, and take them to your car so they don’t get mixed in with the sea of boxes in the moving truck.

Why? Well, for one thing, you never know if something might go wrong on your moving day. Even the best Orange County moving company can’t predict everything and could have a problem with the truck, for instance. You don’t want to be without your most important personal items if this happens.

And even if your move goes smooth as a clear, glass lake, you still won’t have time or energy to dig through lookalike brown boxes to find your toothbrush or sheets before you turn in for the night. So having these items set aside in your own personal vehicle will make your first night and morning in your new home go that much more smoothly.

2. Check for issues in the new home.

If possible, check out the new house before the movers get there. Look for things like working locks and proper keys, and be sure that the appliances that are supposed to be there are there and are working properly. Also, check to see if the plugs on the appliances you’re bringing with you fit the existing outlets in your new home. If they don’t, you can stop by a hardware store to get replacement cords.

What if you do notice problems with your new home? Call your landlord or realtor right away. The sooner you get someone to look at the issues, the better. Otherwise there could be questions about whether those problems popped up before or after you moved into the house or apartment.

3. Be there for the movers.

You’ll definitely want to be at your current home when the movers arrive, just to be sure that they have everything they need to get started. Different moving companies will have different requirements about how available you need to be.

But if the movers are doing most of the work, you can just be around to answer questions. Plus, you’ll want to double-check before the movers leave that they’ve gotten everything from every nook and cranny in your home.

4. Clean up.

It’s just common courtesy to leave your old home clean for the buyer or new tenant, even if that’s not explicitly required. At the beginning of moving day, set aside basic cleaning supplies, a broom, and a vacuum cleaner.

The most efficient way to get the house clean is to do it as the movers finish with each room in the house. Just follow behind them with your supplies and do a quick clean of each room. Be sure to clean the major appliances – especially the fridge – as well.

5. Be reachable.

Before the movers leave to drive to your new home, be sure they have your correct contact number. Sometimes it’ll take the movers longer to get somewhere than it’ll take you, or they may need to make a stop for some reason. So be available by phone, just in case something goes wrong.

6. Give some direction.

Once the best moving company in Orange County arrives at your new home, be prepared to direct furniture and boxes to the proper rooms. Getting everything in the right room from the start is the best way to make unpacking as easy as possible.

Also, as items come off the truck, check to be sure that everything is accounted for, and that nothing is broken or damaged. You might even quickly open up any boxes marked “fragile” to see that nothing in them is damaged. It’s much easier to solve problems like this on the day of moving, than when you’re finally unpacking Grandma’s china three weeks later.

The best moving company in Orange County will have processes in place to make the moving day as easy for you as possible. Their professional workers will help smooth out any issues so that you might not even be aware of them. But, still, there’s plenty that you’ll need to do on the day that you move, including these six things.