Over the years, My Divine Concierge has helped plenty of clients pack, move, and unpack their homes. We have seen many cases of clients facing an unpacking nightmare because boxes were not labeled well enough. As such, we go to great lengths to make sure box labeling is approached in such a way as to facilitate the most efficient unpacking process possible.
Whether you use My Divine Concierge to move or not, we want to help make your next move smooth and efficient. We encourage you to employ the box labeling tips listed below. You will find that each of these tips helps to eliminate the headaches of not knowing what to unpack and in what order.
Departure and Destination Rooms
Label all your boxes according to both departure and destination rooms. In other words, write on the box what room it came from and what room it is destined for on the other end. Why do this? Because the rooms in your new house may not correspond 1-to-1 with those in your old house. Listing both departure and destination rooms makes it easier to connect the dots regarding what possessions are where.
Number Your Boxes
In addition to listing both departure and destination rooms, number the boxes that come out of each room in your home. If you have packed up 10 boxes of items from the kitchen, for example, the first box would be labeled 1 of 10. The second box would be 2 of 10, and so on. Numbering your boxes makes it a lot easier to keep track of them. After all, you don’t want to lose anything.
List the Contents
We generally advise clients to pack similar items in the same boxes so as to keep things together room-by-room. However, we know this is not always possible. Therefore, we advise listing all the contents of a box on its side. Labeling a box with its inventory makes it easier to find key items you might need access to immediately. It also facilitates more strategic loading and unloading as well.
Use Color Codes
Color coding your boxes is a great way to ensure that you get to the most important ones first when unpacking begins. You can buy colored stickers at your local pharmacy or big-box retailer fairly cheaply. Choose one color (let’s say red, for example) to designate boxes containing critical items. These are items you will need access to immediately upon arrival. Then you can instruct everyone who helps the move to set red boxes aside so that other things are not stacked on and around them.
Use Special Markings
Do not be afraid to use special markings to protect the contents of boxes where necessary. Use phrases like “this side up” and “fragile” to instruct your helpers to be careful with certain boxes. The one caveat to this is that you do not overuse the special markings. Otherwise, your helpers may assume you are crying wolf and stop paying attention to them.
Label Your Rooms
Last but not least, create temporary paper signs to label the rooms in your new home. Why? Because while “Johnny’s room” means something to you, it probably means nothing to your movers. They don’t know one room from the next – with the obvious exception of the kitchen, bathroom, etc. Labeling rooms tells your helpers exactly where to leave boxes.
Labels are one of the most helpful but underutilized tools on moving day. Labeling your boxes is one way to minimize the hassle of moving by giving you and your helpers necessary information for making the move go smoothly. The more information you can include on box labels, the happier everyone involved will be.