Category Archives: Moving & Packing Advice

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29
Aug, 2019

Six Ways to Prepare for a Move without Harming the Environment

Isn’t it great how more and more people are increasing their focus on improving our environment? It all comes down to how each of us manages our carbon footprints. And, it applies to every aspect of your daily life, including when you are moving to a new home. Here are six things NYC movers suggest doing to protect the environment when moving:

#1 Use Green Cleaning Chemicals

It’s probably one of the least enjoyable parts of any move because you not only have to clean the house or apartment where you’re moving from, but you’ll also want to clean your new home as well before you move in. Some cleaning chemicals, and especially aerosols, are harmful to the environment. But you can easily find eco-friendly products for all of your cleaning needs.

And if you’re planning on hiring a cleaning service or a professional carpet cleaner, you’ll find that many of them are realizing their global responsibilities and advertise greener methods of cleaning.

#2 Limiting Emissions

Emissions are a huge consideration when you are planning for a move. Emissions are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution that is plaguing our atmosphere. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Any friends or family that may be helping could carpool together to reduce exhaust emissions.
  • Try to avoid moving items in cars. You’ll be saving gas and reducing emissions.
  • If you’re renting a truck, while it might be cheaper to get a smaller one, you may end up making more trips, using more gas, and releasing more exhaust fumes. A larger truck is a more eco-friendly option.
  • Professional movers are also available who specialize in environmentally-friendly practices.

#3 Seek Out Recycled Packing Materials

You’ll be using a lot of boxes, packing material, tape, and other moving supplies. Luckily, you can easily find items made out of recycled materials. You could even take the move as an opportunity to buy long-lasting storage boxes or totes, made from renewable sources of course, for items that tend to remain in storage for longer periods.

#4 Minimize Garbage

You’ll be sorting through a lot of stuff as you are packing everything. And, you will usually find yourself with a few things that you either forgot you even had or realize that you no longer need. Donating or selling them rather than throwing them away will help with our ever-growing landfill problems.

#5 Plan Eco-Friendly Snacks

You’ll need beverages and food for you, anyone helping you, and even professional movers on moving day. And, if you’re not careful, all those drinks and snacks can create a lot of garbage.

You could have some sandwiches or other grab-and-go food ready for everyone to munch on instead of buying take-out. And, to minimize the use of plastic water bottles, you could buy everyone a reusable beverage container they can keep.

#6 Recycle When You’re Done

Have a plan in place for what you will do with all the boxes and moving supplies after you finish. Of course, you could recycle everything. Or, you could use your social media outlets and give the supplies to someone else that’s about to move, helping them to reduce their carbon footprint a little by not purchasing new supplies.

 

21
Aug, 2019

Moving Guide: How to Pack Delicate Glassware, Plates and Fine China for Moving

Whether you or your family are moving to New York State for the first time or just to another neighborhood or borough, there are various things to worry about. The biggest problems most people face is how to move their items and whether to all the work themselves. Whichever route you choose, however, you will need to worry about how you pack your things. Most families have at least one set of dishware that is extremely delicate, but others collect many sets and display them. Either way, when you are moving them, it can be terrifying. A slight bump in the road could cause them to clink together, chipping or even unexpectedly breaking them. While there isn’t a completely foolproof way of transporting the fine china, you can attempt a few different methods to lessen the chances of any damage that could occur.

Use More Paper

When packing anything that is highly valuable, make certain that all sides are protected as well as the bottom and sides of the box. This means consuming a lot more packing paper or newspaper than you might think. You should crunch up the paper after you are finished and put it in every hole you can find so that the dishware is not touching at all. This makes sure that if you hit a bump or two on the way there, your dishes will not be clanking together at all.

Invest in Dish Boxes

While they may sound like a waste of money, investing in dish boxes could prove beneficial in the long run. This could be a good precaution to use if you are not transferring your dishes. Dish plates have two layers of cardboard protection, instead of the standard one layer that normal boxes are made with.

Packing Glasses

When packing glasses, avoid laying them flat. They will be more structurally sound and have less of a chance of breaking. It is also important to roll your glasses in one to four layers of newspaper or packing paper before placing them in the box. If you are placing them next to each other, putting a few extra layers of paper over the open end decreases the chance of the edges being chipped if they get knocked around a little too much.

Do Not Stack Plates

When most people think of packing up their plates, they think that they should stack them on top of each other. This is not the safest way to do it, though. When plates are stacked horizontally, there is a higher chance of them breaking because of the weight they put on themselves. When they are stacked vertically, this minimizes the chance of damage that could be done.

Make Sure to Label

When you are unpacking your things, there could be a chance that you miss an extra plate or dish because of the amount of packing paper that is in the box. Make sure to always label things that could be looked over, before you put them away. Remember if you’re using a moving company to also label your dish boxes with the words “fragile” “this side up” and even “plates” should tell your movers that they need to be extra careful.

Keep the Boxes Low

When you are putting in your dishes, try not to ever put them in a high place. There is always a chance that boxes could topple over in the back of a moving van, and your dishes would crash to the ground. To prevent this, place them as low to the ground as you can.

16
Aug, 2019

5 Strategies to Beat Procrastination When Preparing for a Move

According to the Harvard Business Review, the human mind is programmed for procrastination. Instead of focusing on the potential rewards associated with completing a task, your brain is fixated on how stressful or difficult that task is.

Maybe you’re leaving home for the first time, or your move is the result of a breakup. You might have memories that you aren’t quite ready to let go of, or maybe you hate the idea of packing. Whatever your reason for putting it off, these simple strategies from Imperial Moving and Storage NYC will help you beat packing procrastination.

Visualize

Imagine how accomplished you’ll feel when all your belongings are organized and stored in properly labeled boxes. Think about how much time you’ll save when you’re unpacking and know exactly where everything is. Imagining the positive benefits of completing a task can remove any negative connotations associated with it.

Stop Catastrophizing

Moving is stressful, and packing everything you own into boxes is boring, but don’t convince yourself that the task at hand is unbearable. Experts from Psychology Today found that many people procrastinate because they make a big deal out of nothing.

Packing may be monotonous, but monotony has never killed anyone. Treat packing the same way you’d treat a phone call that you don’t want to make. Take a deep breath, focus on what you’re doing, and enjoy the relief you’ll feel when it’s over.

Accountability

People who publicly commit to doing something are more likely to follow through. Announce on social media that you will finish packing by the weekend. Promise to post a picture of your empty apartment. You might tell yourself that you don’t care what others think of you, but nobody wants to look lazy or incapable online.

Eat the Frog

Eat That Frog is an entire book about procrastination based on a quote from Mark Twain. Twain said that if you eat a live frog when you wake up, the rest of your day will seem bearable because nothing you had to do could be worse than eating a live frog.

What does eating a frog have to do with beating procrastination when you’re preparing to move? Decide which task you’re dreading the most, and do that first. Once you get the hardest part of packing out of the way, the rest of your move will go smoothly.

Treat Yourself

Set goals and reward yourself when you reach those goals. Treat yourself to an ice cream sundae after you finish packing your kitchen or watch a few episodes of your favorite Netflix series after all your clothes are packed.

Positive reinforcement can gradually change the way your brain works. What started as a way to stop procrastinating during your move could make you a more productive individual in the long run.