24 Essential Moving Tips

You have successively found a new place in Chicago to call your home! It’s all perfect and exciting until you realize about how much much you have to move. Below are 24 Essentials Moving Tips by The Professionals Moving Specialists.

Label the Outside of Your Moving Boxes with Not Just Inventory, but the Room the Items Are Likely to Go:

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Stay ahead of the game!You can save yourself a lot of time and headaches by simply indicating on the outside of your box what items are inside and in what room these items will be going.

Pack an Overnight Bag with First Day Essentials:

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The day that you move in, there will be items that you will likely need right away (food, toothbrush, soap, toilet paper!)Make sure you pack an overnight bag that you keep on you so that you are prepared for that first day.

When Packing Silverware Such as Plates, Pack Them Vertically Rather than Horizontally:

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Packing plates vertically can help to prevent any kind of damage as opposed to horizontal placement, where plates are more prone to moving around in transit.

Try to Clean the New Residence before the Move:

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This is something most people forget to consider, and they just move in without realizing that they will in fact be spending the night.Make sure to clean all rooms, especially bathrooms, to make sure that it is decent and ready for your arrival.Don’t wait till after the move, as you will only be exhausted and will hate yourself for not thinking about it sooner!

Use a Garbage Bag for clothing :

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This might sound absurd but I have friend that moves many times that swearby the garbage bag for packingkeeps your clothes on their hangers, for much faster unpacking.

Label Any Small pieces and Parts and place in a small press and seal bag:

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This one is also sort of a no brainier, but still many people make this mistake.If you had to disassemble anything, make sure that you keep all of the screws and other items together, and label them so that you know what they belong to.The best thing to do is place them in a plastic bag, label them, and tape them together, so that you know what goes with what.

Take Photographs of Hard to Assemble Items:

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Keeping photos of hard to assemble items is an effective way of reminding yourself how something fit together before you disassembled it for your move.This can apply to furniture, electronics and hardware.

Use Reusable Plastic Moving Boxes as Opposed to Cardboard:

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Reusable plastic is much more efficient than standard cardboard for moving.It is more durable, water proof, and contributes no waste products to the environment.Essentially you’ll be going green, and making things easier for yourself in the process.

Vacuum Seal Clothing For Easier Packing and Transport:

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This is an ingenious maneuver to make packing a lot easier.Simply vacuum seal your clothing before packing, and you can maximize the amount of storage space you can use for your move.HOWEVER, always remember that while you may be conserving space, the weight is still the same, so don’t think that by vacuum sealing and packing clothes it somehow makes it weigh less.It does not.Always consider the weight!

For Fragile, Antique, and Piano Moving, It’s Best to Hire a professionals moving company:

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Moving can be a very difficult process and if you are inexperienced you could end up damaging your valuable and antique belongings.In regards to moving these significant items, its within your best interest to hire a professional mover that deals in antique, fine art and piano moving.Some even offer climate controlled vehicles and storage facilities.

Hire a sitter for your pets or kids:

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Living in the city of Chicago, IL and moving without any help from neighbors or friends or family. Hire a sitter on your moving day, last thing you need to worry about on moving day is where your kids or pets.

Make Sure Everything Is Packed Before You Begin Moving!:

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I don’t think this one needs to be explained

Make Sure You Inform the Post Office of Your Change Of Address Prior to Moving:

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Be sure to inform the post office of your change of address, otherwise your mail will be sent to your previous address, and this can be potentially harmful when you consider the bills that you will not be receiving because you forgot.

Bring Dental and Medical Records With You Or Have Them Transferred Along With Any Other Important Documentation:

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This one is also pretty straightforward, just keep in mind these items are important in your new residence.

Enroll Your Children in Their New Designated School Before Moving:

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Make sure that you know what school your child will be zoned to attend, and be sure that you have them enrolled before you begin your move.It is important that you don’t have you child miss any necessary amount of time from school!

Sell Or Donate Your Unused Items:

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If you know that there are items that you will not be taking with you, properly dispose of them, sell them or donate them.Any perishable items must be either recycled or disposed of in the proper manner.And if you are having a tough time selling any unused items, and they are still usable, simply donate them to charity.Organizations such as The Salvation Army will take your unwanted clothing and donate them to those less fortunate.

Give Yourself Enough Time to Manage All the Various Aspects of your Move:

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It’s recommended to begin planning your move roughly a month to two weeks before the move is scheduled to take place.Give yourself plenty of time so you are not stressing it!!

Do Not Purchase Grocery 2 weeks prior to Your Move:

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You cannot effectively move the food in your fridge during the move day, as you run the risk of leaks, spills and spoiling.It is recommended that you do your last bit of grocery shopping at least 2 weeks prior to the move so that the majority of your food is at least consumed before you begin moving.

Defrost Your Fridge before Moving:

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Pretty self-explanatory.

Remove Trash and Hazardous Materials:

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A mover, by law, cannot move any hazardous materials or perishable items.Therefore, it is your responsibility to properly dispose of trash and to not include items such as propane, or gas along with your moving materials.

Take Care of Your Movers/ Helpers:

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Whether you hired professionals or bothered your friends, show some appreciation to the people who are helping you move out of your house.Offer them water, refreshments, and make sure that they are properly cared for (after all they are the ones carrying your personal belongings!)

When Hiring Movers, Make Sure They Are Professionals:

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The Better Business Bureau keeps a listing of all accredited business that are deemed legitimate in accordance with government regulations.You can check this site when hiring a mover to make sure that you are not taken advantage of by fraudulent moving companies.

Prepare Your Children for the Move:

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Make sure your children are well accommodated during the moving process, and make sure they are kept well informed during the process.Children can become anxious moving into a new place, away from their friends and the places they were familiar.Simply reassuring your child or children can go along way in easing them into the transition.

Don’t Stress It:

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Most people let the prospect of moving stress them out, worrying about their new neighborhood, their new neighbors, and the quality of their new residence.Simply remain calm and remember this is not the end of the world!The best advice would be to have friends or family assist you throughout the entire moving process so that you are not constantly worrying about the state of your belongings.Also its always cool to throw a housewarming party, invite neighbors and family so that you can make new friends, learn about your neighborhood, and not feel like a stranger in a strange land.

20 Things People Forget When Moving

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Through the course of your move, while you are rushing to get organized and get your things in order, your belongings can occasionally be misplaced or forgotten altogether. Amidst all of the chaos, it is therefore important to remain organized, and make sure not to forget critical things that you will need in your new residence. At The Professionals Moving Specialists, we want to make sure that you stay well coordinated in your move so that you don’t leave anything behind. Past moving experience of helping clients move from one location in Chicago, IL to another, we have unfortunately heard individuals have forgotten key items that they have needed later on. Below is a list of the top Items Regularly forgotten during moving process.These items include:

1. Personal Records - Often times during the moving process, one of the most significant and forgotten items are personal records. Personal records take a decent amount of time to accrue, and should be gotten weeks prior to your move. These include dental records, medical records, veterinarian, and birth certificates.

2. Valuables - Jewelry and other valuable items are sometimes forgotten as they are usually placed in hidden or well protected areas. Make sure that you have all of your expensive and valuable items packed before you begin your move.

3. Library Books - This is one is also one of the most forgotten items on the list. Typically people tend not to forget to pack their bookshelves and books, but they do forget that some of these books are library books and are, in fact, due to be returned. Make sure to return all lent and borrowed library books to their proper library.

4. Dry Cleaning - Dry cleaning is also a very common thing that most people tend to forget while moving, as people leave their clothes at the dry cleaners and forget to pick them up. Make sure that if you have laundry or dry cleaning tickets around you make sure to recover all your clothes and not leave them behind.

5. Plungers and Toilet Bowl Cleaners - This is an example of another item often forgotten that people forget is theirs and not apart of the home. Plungers and toilet bowl cleaners as well as all other bathroom appliances are necessary in your new home.

6. Phone Books - Other typically forgotten items are phonebooks and address books. Be sure that you remember to bring your phonebooks with you as you don’t want to leave behind all of your contacts.

7. Keys - Keys of all kinds can be forgotten during the moving process. This can include old house keys, new house keys, car keys, cabinet keys, safe keys etc. Make sure to recover all of your keys as it will cause you difficulty later on.

8. Household plants - Household plants are another very common item that is often forgotten. Do not forget your household plants as they will not be properly cared for and watered and will likely wither away in your absence.

9. Coffee Makers - Often forgotten as if a piece of the abandoned kitchen themselves, many people forget their coffee makers in their old house. Pack you coffee makers or else how else will you wake up in the morning!!!

10. Gardening Tools - Gardening tools are typically located outside of the home which explains why they are typically forgotten. Hoses, lawnmowers are among the most forgotten items, so be sure you do not forget them when you are preparing for your move.

11. Microwaves - Another kitchen appliance often thought of as part of the kitchen themselves, and the main reason why it is left behind. A microwave is a significant part of your home and home dining, so be sure not to forget to pack it.

12. Medicine - Often left in cabinets and closets, medicines are a very important and should not be forgotten. Some prescription medication is needed regularly and forgetting them can be an extreme detriment to your well-being. Be sure not to forget your medicines.

13. Tools - This refers to all kinds of household tools such as hammers, nails and thing of that nature. Make sure that you collect all of your tools and place them in a tool box that is easy to carry and manage.

14. Toilet Paper - Arguably the most important item on this list. Do not forget toilet paper...you will regret it later.

15. Mail/Bills - A common mistake people tend to make when moving is to inform the post office of their change of address. Failing to do this will result in your mail being sent to your old address, and you will not be able to get a hold of important bills and other significant mail.

16. Garage Door Opener - Another example of one of the most forgotten moving items. Garage Door Openers can sometimes be an expensive tool and most people forget to remove their openers to bring to their new residence.

17. Gym Memberships - In a similar light to mails/bills, most people forget to cancel their gym memberships in their old neighborhoods and still incur the costs associated with membership fees. Be sure to cancel your gym memberships and all other memberships and subscriptions.

18. Trash and recycle bins - Another group of items people often forget are their trash and recycle bins, as they are located on the outside of the home. Make sure to recover these items, as the new residents will most certainly use them.

19. Lamps and other lighting equipment - People often forget their lamps and other lighting equipment in the home as well. Make sure that anything that is plugged into an outlet is removed which brings us to the next item...

20. Chargers and other plug ins - Once again be sure to remove any items plugged into outlets. Chargers especially are important as you cannot use your phone without them.

The Professionals Moving Specialists hope is by showing you this list, and making movers aware of commonly forgotten items, you can become more organized in your move. And if you are looking for a superlative moving company to help you transition into your new residence, be sure to contact The Professionals Moving Specialists, one of the most trusted names in moving.

10 Things You Don't Need But Should Bring To Your Dorm Anyway

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College can be the best time of your life, but also very stressful.  Where else is it normal to see young adults sprawled and asleep in the most random places, curled up on the couch or floor like a child?  Once finals week hits, it’s a free for all and everyone is eating and sleeping in those free minutes in between studying for a different class.

This is exactly why you should have an escape.  For those moments when school is too much and you need to relax with your friends, make sure you have everything you need.

Here are 10 things to bring to your dorm that you don’t really need, but will be glad you brought anyway.

TV

You never need to bring your TV.  It’s just nice to have around, especially if you are like me and watch basically every show on air.  It’s also a nice, mindless activity for the moments when you don’t want to think.

Game Station

Whether you have an Xbox or a Playstation, bring it with your TV.  Sometimes there is nothing more relaxing that gunning down enemies in Call of Duty or beating all your friends in Super Mario.

Snacks

This is sort of essential, but sort of not.  It depends on what kind of snacks and food you bring.  Sometimes you just need to be unhealthy and stuff your face with chips and chocolate.

Board Games

Video games can only take you so far.  Sometimes there is nothing better than breaking out the old Monopoly board or a surprisingly aggressive game of Cranium.

Nintendo DS

Do you have one?  Because if you don’t you should get one…or a PSP.  Yeah, I know phones have apps nowadays, but battery life goes so fast.  Not to mention, those games aren’t half as complicated as the ones you can play on the DS.

Snuggie

Whoever created the Snuggie is a genius, especially on those winter nights where it’s warm in your room, but somehow you still have a chill under your skin.  Not to mention they are great during testing weeks when you fall asleep where you are studying.

Books

They weigh a lot and take up space, but sometimes you just need your favorite stories with you.  You know, the ones that are beat up with pages ripped because you’ve read them so much.

Stuffed Animals

Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like stuffed animals because they are most likely evil.  There is nothing better than cuddling up with your favorite teddy bear as you are trying to figure your way through the chemistry textbook which seems to be written in every other language but English.

Baking Sheets

There are moments that can be made a thousand times better by the smell of baked goods.  Every dorm has a kitchen and every kitchen has an oven.  Grab some of your friends and whip up a batch of brownies or cupcakes or something.  It’s fun and you’ll have something sweet to eat after.

Kirugumi

Kirugumis are the proper name for animal onsies.  They are so comfy, you really need to get one.  So what if you’re a college student?  The time to do it is now because you won’t have an excuse later.  On cold days, have a Kirugumi party with your friends.

For more information about student moving in Chicago, click here.

Helping Seniors Move

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Moving is a difficult procedure when you’re young, so imagine how challenging it is when you are a senior citizen and you can no longer move as agilely as you did in your youth.  Not to mention, as you get older you develop a set routine and it becomes harder to adapt to change.  If you are helping Seniors Move or elderly adult in their advanced years move in the Chicago area, check out some of these tips to make the transition an easier experience for everyone.

Explanation

It’s important to explain to your senior citizen what is happening.  It is imperative to tell them that they are moving several months ahead of time so they can become accustomed to the idea.  It may be a new apartment, or a new house, or an assisted living facility.  Whatever it is, it is most likely different from what their current living arrangement is.  Walk them through what living in their new place is going to be like.  Also explain to them what is going to happen on moving day.  Once the movers come in everything will be happening quickly.  This might be overwhelming for the elderly if they do not know what is going on.  Also, it gives them a semblance of control over this change.  They will be able bring up some ideas of specific needs that you can keep in mind.

Early Start

It’s always smart to start packing early.  It gives you more time to sort through your stuff and decide what you want to keep and what you want to throw away.  After living for so long, it is very likely that things pile up.  It will take a while for your senior to get through all the clutter they have collected throughout the years.  Starting early is especially vital if they are moving to a smaller location.  A lot is going to have to be thrown out, donated, or stored away.

Medication

If your senior citizen is not on some sort of medication then he or she is very healthy and I applaud his/her health.  Unfortunately, as the body ages the need for medication arises and it is more likely than not that your older adult has a cocktail of pills they need to take every day.  Keep the medication with you.  Pill bottles can be easily lost in mess that is moving and packing and you don’t want to be ripping open boxes if an emergency happens.  Also, check out the new area before the move.  Find out where the local drugstores and doctors are.  Once your elderly person has properly moved in, you can show them where to fill out their prescriptions and the way to the doctor’s office for appointments.

Who Are Your Movers?

Who your movers are can be very important.  Let them meet the workers and talk to them.  It will help any anxiety they have about strangers handling their things.  They can also help with reassuring your senior citizen by explain their procedures.  Most importantly, do not let your older adult do any heavy lifting.  They are at greater risk for serious injury, so avoid the possibilities of any broken bones or dislocated joints by letting the movers do their job.

It’ll Be Okay

Everyone needs reassurance sometimes and that goes for the elderly as well.  The flurry of activity on moving day will most likely overwhelm them.  Stay by their side and make sure they are okay.  Comfort them when you need to and talk them through what is going on.  Half the panic is usually a result of not knowing.

The Professionals Moving Specialists

Here at The Professionals Moving Specialists, customer service is our number one priority.  We understand the stress of moving and it is our job to make it as minimal as possible.  We will work with you and your senior citizen so that the experience will be as comfortable as possible.  We can help pack and unpack your items and we will coordinate every step of the process with you.  With multiple awards and great yelp reviews under our belt, you know we are the movers you want when you are moving in the Chicago area.

What's Your Moving Sign?

Hey!  Not sure if you've noticed, but we've recently relocated to bigger offices in Chicago, IL.  We're expanding our business, hiring more people, and adding more trucks to our fleet!  So in celebration of this, let's we've surfed the internet for some cool "we are moving signs"!  You never know when you might move and why use that stereotypical ones you find in hardware stores when you can use one so much more interesting and eye catching? 1.  You like cute?  I like cute and this is definitely cute.  I mean a giraffe driving a car with a cat and a bird riding in and on the trailer.  The kids will love it!

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2. Check out this puppy.  If you're able to break away from his soulless stare, you'll see that he's being very informative about the move.

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3. I quite like this one.  It has a simple, but eye-catching design and the desaturated color scheme is very complementary.  I'd use this if I was a more serious type of business, but still wanted to be a little unique.

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4. This one is just fun.  I mean, men with mustaches carrying a piano.  There's a joke in there somewhere.  I'm just not sure where....

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5. This is along the same line as the top one, just less colorful and a teensy bit less funny.  It's okay, though.  I've always liked the vintage art style.

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6. What's a post without our favorite sarcastic, writing, daydreaming dog?  Just a normal boring post.  Snoopy makes everything better, including your move.

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7. This moving sign is really cute.  It's not too out there, but it's different enough to catch your attention.

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8. Alright, this is one of my favorite.  It doesn't outright state that you're moving, but the sentiment is there.  It's laced with the subtle cynicism that can only be found in today's society.

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9. Little girl and Superman!  What's not to love?  (I like the girl.  She's smart.)

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10. I swear, there is nothing else better in this world than a bad pun...except maybe fried oreos...maybe.  Nothing makes the day better than a groan inducing pun so horrible you can't help but laugh.

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11. Are you a pessimist?  Then this is the sign for you!  I mean just look at it!  It's all looping swirls and elegant calligraphy and then BAM! Depressing message. (however true it may be.)

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12.  This one is so sweet....literally.  Why not soften the blow of stressful moving by a picture of a cavity inducing gingerbread house?  It's perfect for bakeries and the sorts.

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13. This one is just funny, like "I have no idea what is going on" kind of funny.  But hey, they're version of moving looks rather convenient even if it is scientifically impossible.

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14.  Make your own sign!  It's a nice little personal touch and it means that no one else will have the same sign as you.  Have a huge storefront window?  Grab some window paint and have a little fun!