9 steps to take before you move

When you take on the task of moving and want to do everything by yourself without any help from a cross country moving company, you must be a brave person! I moved to Toronto last year all by myself. I will share how I broke up the hard bit into smaller manageable tasks. 

Step 1. Determining the date

I did not want to move in a hurry, so I determined the moving date to be in 2 months. There should be enough time for you to cancel services and deliveries to your old address. If you want to sell the house, probably, you will need more time. Since I was not selling, I had posted an ad on community boards looking for new tenants for my house. The best moving companies Canada are very busy, so that has to be done in advance. I was taking with me only clothes and some personal belongings, this is why I just took my van.

Step 2. Services and deliveries

I decided not to sell my house for at least a year and thought about finding long-term tenants just to see how it goes and if it would be worth it. But if your old place is vacant or you are selling, don’t forget to cancel the water service, internet, and electricity or you may end up having extra invoices to pay. I only canceled a lawn mowing service and HelloFresh boxes delivery that I used to get twice a week.

Step 3. Packing supplies

Since I was moving long distances alone with a small number of things, I ordered some packing supplies online from a local cross country moving company.

Toronto moves are different, so the amount and the type of packing supplies depend on what you will be transporting. I purchased boxes and bubble wrap, but if you are moving the whole house with furniture, you may need moving blankets, stretch plastic wrap, and a large number of boxes of different sizes.

Step 4. Declutter

I do not like keeping old stuff for a long time, and I usually declutter once a year in spring. Nevertheless, I collected a huge box full of things and clothes that I donated to the nearest thrift store. Moving away is a great reason for a clean-up. Here is what I did before I packed. I took 3 large boxes: one for the things that are still good and can be reused, another for recyclables, and the last one for trash. I put those boxes in the middle of the living room and then checked every closet in the house for the items I no longer needed.

Step 5. Packing

Now, the packing. I packed room by room, having a separate box for trash.

I used both regular cardboard boxes and large transparent plastic boxes. In the transparent boxes, I packed the things that I may need most when I arrived, and that was a very good idea because I could see everything that was in those clear boxes. I labeled all other boxes with the name of the room they came from. Sometimes I wrote on the box the name of the item. For example, I knew that the first thing I would need in the new place is my coffee maker, so I put the name in large print on the kitchen box.

Step 6. Eating up

What I did not plan to carry with me from province to province was the food. I think I did not go grocery shopping for at least 2 weeks before the move, trying to be inventive and mixing my meals from what I already had in my closets and the fridge. I bought fresh bread and milk from time to time, so there was nothing left of my food reserves before moving day.

Step 7. Cleaning

After I have found the tenants and made final agreements, I thought it would be a good idea to freshen up the place. I hired move-out cleaning services, and they did an excellent job scrubbing the sinks and the bathroom, thoroughly cleaned the microwave and other appliances, cleaned the rooms, and even removed old stains from the carpets.

Step 8. What matters most

I kept all the most important things together. My documents, wallets, credit cards, and cash I put in a separate box. My laptop, my phone, and all the chargers I also kept together with the documents. 

That is pretty much it. Moving long distance is a hassle, true.  When you create a plan and stick to it, there will be no mess and no drama. Really, if you think you can’t handle it alone, don’t hesitate to look for help. There are always available movers in Toronto and other parts of Canada willing to provide their service.

Camovers will help you with your cross border or long distance moving process

Сamovers cooperate with professional moving companies.

If you’re not sure which moving company to choose you can always rely on Camovers. Camovers offer efficient:

• residential moving services,
• cross-country movers,
• professional long-distance moving services for all your needs,
• car shipping, and
• moves to the US.

Camovers provide helpful information about the packing boxes and where to get the moving supplies, also the best cities to live in Canada nowadays.  Contact Camovers today for more information.