Seven Tips for a Fast, Easy Move

Take the stress out of your move-in day with this list of best practices from Bill Powers of Action Moving/Bekins Van Lines in Burnsville, Minn.

1. Protect delicate plants from damage by making funnel-shaped cardboard protectors. If you're moving in cold weather, be sure to seal the plants in plastic as well.
2. Make sure all the rooms are clean before placing furniture into them. Dust the baseboards, and vacuum and wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. Clean storage spaces before filling them as well. Paint them if you have the time.
3. Before moving furniture into a room, decide how you want it arranged. The best way is to make newspaper cutouts of the furniture. To do this, measure the dimensions of the item, and tape together newspaper pages to match the "footprint" of the furniture. This allows you to easily try out several floor plans before hauling in all the furniture. 
4. To prevent items from being misplaced, draw up a floor plan of the house and label each of the rooms on the plan. Put the name of each room on its door. Label each moving box with the name of the room it goes in. Place the floor plan near the entrance so that people helping with the move will be able to find the rooms quickly and easily.
5. To keep helpers from tracking in dirt during their many trips into the home, lay down packing blankets or drop cloths over carpeting or floors. It's unrealistic to ask them to remove their shoes each time they come in and out of the house, and this method will prevent unnecessary cleaning later.
6. When moving a large or heavy piece of furniture upstairs, lay it on its back on the stairs. Have two people underneath push it and one person above to steady it. If the piece could potentially be damaged, wrap a packing blanket around it before you move it.
7. Air rooms out by opening all the windows. If it's cold outside, keep them open just long enough to freshen the air, then close them and turn on the heat. This will be a good opportunity to make sure the furnace is in good working order.