• The Must-Have supplies for Moving Day

Whether you are moving across town or across the country, moving can be stressful. As a matter of fact, it’s rated as one of life’s most stressful events. However, you can reduce the stress of the ordeal by being prepared and equipped with the following must-have supplies for moving day:

Duct Tape and Packing Tape

Preparing and finishing a move using an organizer makes life worth celebrating

The joy of having the right supplies

There are at least 1001 uses of duct tape, but when you are moving, the possibilities are endless. The most common use of tape is to prevent your belongings from spilling out of containers. However, you can write on duct tape and even use it to prevent certain items from shifting during the move. Make sure you don’t cut corners and choose a lesser-known name brand. Use high quality duct tape to secure your belongings and always keep it handy.

Boxes, Boxes, and More Boxes

When moving, you will undoubtedly need boxes of varying sizes. However, not all boxes are created equally. Make sure you choose professional-quality boxes in convenient shapes and sizes. Look for:

Moving kits that have a predetermined mixture of supplies and boxes
Picture frame and mirror boxes that are exclusively designed to keep fragile keepsakes safe
Dish boxes that are heavyweight and highly durable, designed for fragile items
Wardrobe boxes are ideal for your jackets, coats, suits, dresses, and trousers. Many wardrobe boxes are designed to support clothes hangers, so unpacking is a cinch.
Large boxes are great for large items, such as bedding and other lightweight bulky items
Medium boxes are excellent solutions for toys, gadgets, and knick-knacks
Small boxes are perfect for heavier items, like books

Bubble Wrap

Protect your keepsakes and keep fragile items safe by carefully wrapping them in this protective material. Bubble wrap will protect your delicate items from the jolts and jostles common with any move. Make sure to keep the bubbles faced in and to seal the ends of the bubble wrap with a piece of tape.

Packing Peanuts

In addition to your bubble wrap, packing peanuts can be the difference between broken delicates and a successful move. Pack your belongings snugly around your packing peanuts to keep them in place. While some people choose to use newspaper, the ink can rub off and destroy items.

reduce, reuse, recycle word cloud on a vintage blackboard

Markers

As one of the most versatile packing supplies, markers are highly useful for labeling boxes, but you will surely find a vast range of additional uses. As a result, always keep your markers handy because they are only useful if you can easily find them.

First-Aid Kit

When it comes to moving day, bumps and bruises are as common as frustrations. As a result, you should always keep your first-aid kit handy. You never know when someone might slip, pull a muscle, get a serious scrape, or become injured in another way. By keeping a first-aid kit handy, you will generally be ready for whatever the arduous move throws at you.

Utility Knife

Keeping a knife handy at all times is a relatively good everyday practice. However, when you are moving, a utility knife is a must-have item. You can use it to cut rope, tape, or cardboard during the packing and unpacking.

Contact Silk Touch Moves for a Silky Smooth Move!

Even the most comprehensive list of must-have moving supplies won’t cover everything. Undoubtedly, the most important must-have supply for moving day is experience, and the professionals at Silk Touch Moves bring decades of it. Trust Silk Touch Moves to manage every facet of your move while you manage more pressing matters.

Contact Silk Touch Moves for a silky smooth move today!

Organizing your home before the move

People move for different reasons, but one thing they all have in common is that they must organize their homes beforehand. Getting rid of clutter in your home is just as important as organizing and packing up items for the move. Don’t just pack all items in one box if you want a fresh and organized start in your new home. You have to distinguish between unwanted or unused items and valuable items that you’ll pack for the move. You need to be cautious and orderly to avoid getting rid of items you may need in the future. Use the following to classify items you should dispose of:

Items that are not suitable anymore

These are items that you haven’t used for a long time simply because you don’t want or need them anymore. In some cases, you might have already found their replacements. Examples of these items are clothes, electronics and furniture.

Expired items

Food items fall under this category. If they’ve already hit the expiration date or if they’re close to it, don’t hesitate to dispose of them. You can also donate or sell food items that have not expired yet if you don’t think you’ll be consuming them.

Items that are still packed since your last move

If there are items you haven’t unpacked since your last move, chances are that you won’t unpack them in your new home. Think about whether or not you really need these items.

Gifts you’ve never used

You’ve probably received a number of gifts from friends and family over the years. Unfortunately, some of them are not much use, but you might feel obligated to keep them as a sign of gratitude. However, you shouldn’t let such items use up the space in your new home.

Books, magazines and journals

If you love reading, you might find yourself with a stack of reading materials. Don’t feel obligated to bring them with you if you really don’t need them.

How do you handle these items?

When you have gathered all of your unwanted or unneeded items, pack them in storage boxes that are separate from your moving boxes. Make sure to label the storage boxes so that you’ll know what’s in each of them in order to avoid possible mix-ups. Here are possible actions you can take for the items you won’t need in your next home:

Burning or shredding

You can’t leave unwanted private documents in your current home, since this can increase your risk of identity theft. Burn or shred these documents in order to avoid having them land in the wrong hands.

Selling

For electronics and other valuable items, you can list them on trade websites, such as Craigslist or eBay. They may take long to sell, but at least you’ll make extra bucks from items you would have just thrown away.

Donating

Some items may be essential, but they wouldn’t give you much value if you sold them. Items like food and clothing can be donated to the nearest charity.

Giving to friends and neighbors

Instead of burning up your books or magazines, ask your immediate neighbors if they’re interested. Let them have anything they think is useful to them.

If de-cluttering is not an easy task for you, you can trust Silk Touch to do it for you. Using our 4-step formula, we guarantee the safest move, with all your items in tact like they were before the move. Contact us today for your moving needs.

5 Mistakes to avoid when moving

Mistakes to Avoid When Moving

Are you looking to move out of your existing home and into a new one? If so, you are faced with the massive task of packing up all of your belongings and having them moved to your new location. This can be a very frustrating process that can make you want to pull your hair out in the end. But all hope is not lost. Today, we are going to go over some moving mistakes to avoid that will help your next move to go as smooth as possible. If you are a real estate agent, these tips will also help your clients so make sure to pay close attention to the information below.

Five Moving Mistakes to Avoid

1. Hiring the wrong moving company: This can be a huge mistake and you might not even realize you have made it until it is too late. Not all moving companies are the same and some will take you for a ride. To ensure that you are dealing only with a professional moving company, do your homework. Ask to see references from past clients and check to see if they are both licensed and bonded for your protection.

2. Packing too much stuff: Over the years, most homeowners build up a lot of things. Many of these items that we collect we simply never use. When preparing to move, you A happy family fully pack waiting for the movers to take the last box should ask yourself, “Do I really need to take everything with me?” Most of the time the answer is no. A great way to de-clutter and only take the items you need is by hiring someone to help you. A professional de-clutter expert can come in and help you weed out those unused items. You can then give them to a charity of your choice and get a nice tax deduction.

3. Forgetting to label your boxes: This is a common mistake that many people make while moving. The hurry to move can make you forget to label boxes and when you get to your new home, it can make things really confusing. To save time after the move, make sure to label each box with what’s inside and which room the movers should place it in.

4. Waiting too long to schedule your move: Especially during the summer months, many moving companies and truck rental companies will be incredibly busy. If you wait too long to schedule your move, you might find yourself out of luck. Make sure to schedule your move at least a few weeks before the moving date. This will allow you time to plan and ensure that you will have the help you need come moving day.

5. Not having enough insurance for valuable items: Depending on your homeowner’s policy, your more valuable items might not be covered completely. Fine art and other valuables that are easily broken will need to be completely insured to protect your investment. Before your move, make sure to make a list of all your higher valued items and shop around for full coverage insurance.

Hire a Professional Moving Company

Moving can be a difficult task, but when you are prepared and have the right moving team on your side, your move can go much smoother than you thought possible. To find out more about how Silk Touch Moves can take the stress out of moving, contact us today!

Spring Again

More Spring cleaning and decluttering

Spring is Clean! Clean is Spring!

dumpster-regina Although Los Angeles has yet to experience winter this year, by the calendar, Spring is just around the corner. Our March Clear Path newsletter gives you a very cool array of strategies and ideas for moving forward on your ideas to clear and clean and create the space you need, want, desire.

Here’s a fun 2-minute organizing idea – if it takes 2-minutes or less to complete a task, “just do it.” If a task takes longer than 2-minutes (and most tasks do) – at least start it by calendaring the date to begin, listing supplies you made need, scheduling time with a friend (or your favorite Organizer!) to help. Here – this article should help with the 2-minute organizing idea!

Have fun, clear your head, your space, and your place! Happy almost Spring!

Keeping it Simple

Here is how simple we make moving to a new location. Just 4 steps: De-clutter, Pack, Unpack, Organize:

You’ve decided to make a change, or change has been thrust upon you. Working with the Silk Touch team will get you on track, and keep you on track from the beginning (starting with those junk drawers?) to the end (beds made, towels hung).

Silk Touch Moves and Relocations uses a proven 4-step formula to guarantee the best move ever. Since the physical part of moving is based on weight and volume, the Silk Touch team saves you money while we spend one day, or several:

to de-clutter
sort, donate or discard
unnecessary and/or
unused items and artifacts.

Packing and move coordination are part of the system. On the other end, the Team unpacks, and then organizes, the contents of home or office – clothes folded and hung, kitchen/common spaces organized, packing materials removed.

Here’s how it works:

Needs Assessment:

Do you need to de-clutter before you move? (most people do!)
Mover
Shred company
Electronics and technical move management
Packing materials
Measure interior spaces at new space (drawers, closets, etc.) for post-move organizing supplies

Clutter Assessment

Complete tour of the home or office
Open all drawers, cupboards, closets, examine areas beneath beds/furniture
Schedule de-clutter dates with Silk Touch team at least 2 weeks before packing dates

Packing Days:

All packing materials ordered and delivered day before packing begins
Depending on size/scope of project anticipate 1-3 packing days with Silk Touch team
Boxes labeled according to load-on to the truck and according to load-into the new space

Moving Day 1:

Starts when Team leader meets movers at old space to ensure truck is packed according to unloading plan
Team leader follows moving truck to new location
Silk Touch team meets movers at new space within 2 hours of movers’ arrival (to give time to start unloading)
Team begins unpacking

Unpack and Organize Days 3-4-5 (as needed):

This is where the magic happens!
Silk Touch team organizes your belongings into drawers, cupboards, kitchen area, closets, etc. using your supplies or supplies purchased during the Needs Assessment phases.

Beds are made,
linens put away,
kitchen is organized,
clothing is folded and hung,
office is set-up
packing materials are gone.

Like it never happened. Only now it is better!