Packing Books for Moving

Sometimes people don’t realize how much is needed to pack and move books. You have to do things carefully and without causing damage, or potential damage, to your collection. Before packing your books, you should go through them and make a pile for any that you don’t want anymore. This will ultimately leave you having to pack less books. But only if you want to.

After you’ve sorted your books, you should place them in a strong and sturdy box either upright, with the open sides facing the box, or flat along the sides of the box. If you have very fragile books, you should wrap them in packing paper or even newspaper. You should watch out for putting too many books in one box. They are light when you have one or two but putting a lot together will bear a heavy weight, things could start breaking and could potentially fall over in a moving truck or van. When placing them in the box you should fill the empty space with newspaper or even packing peanuts, so they won’t be shifting around in the box during transport. If you wanted to you could also carry your books in a suitcase.

As easy as it may seem, there are many factors that you need to think about before preparing to pack your precious books. The more careful you are with them, the less of an outcome of damaged books you will have.

Making Your Move Eco-Friendly

When moving, a lot of people don’t think about doing things in an eco-friendly way for the environment. There are a lot of supplies needed to do a move. To help keep things more eco-friendly you could re-use items, purchase eco-friendly material, and even give away items. Even the smallest effort makes a big impact on the environment.

Instead of getting brand new cardboard boxes, you can get reused ones. If you order from any online store, you can use the cardboard that your item came in with. You can even find used cardboard boxes for free at the store. If you have plastic boxes, you can use those as well. Newspaper is great for wrapping up individual fragile, and delicate items. There are also eco-friendly bubble wraps and packing peanuts that you can purchase for your move. It’s good to make use of the materials you already have.

Anything you do not intend to use in the future should be thrown / recycled, given, or sold away. You can hold a garage sale, take things to charity, and even ask your friends and family if they want anything. Of course, you will only be giving away items that are still in good condition. Moving can’t be 100% eco-friendly but anything helps to reduce carbon emission.

Moving Your Business to a New Location

Moving your business to a new building is just as much work as moving homes. You want to make the transition as smooth as possible for your employees, customers, and yourself. This requires careful and sufficient planning. Before anything happens, you need to make sure your company has a great budget to move the business.

Finding the new office space might be a challenge. There are a lot of factors that play into this such as how far or close it will be for you and your employees, if there is sufficient parking for customers, and if it is in proximity with similar business. That helps to make it known for potential new clients. You can ask your employees to help look around for buildings, but if the task is too difficult, you should consider hiring a professional.

Before officially moving you should let your current clients/customers know that way they won’t be caught off-guard. Your employees should know approximately as soon as you decide that the move is a go. This will make the work and the move less confusing and easier. Once the move is in place you should start updating your business address to the new one. You wouldn’t want any new clients/customers to show up to an empty, or completely different building.

If you have technical equipment and servers, you should hire an IT technical professional group who will know how to properly handle the equipment. A moving company like Strong Hands, will be the best option to move any other furniture.

Piano Moving

Moving a piano requires skill and knowledge that not everyone has. This is a difficult task to take on for those who don’t know what they’re doing. Here at Strong Hands Ithaca, we have professional piano movers who will take care of your piano the second they move it, to the second they drop it off.

You need certain supplies and expertise to move a piano. You won’t have to provide anything or do any preliminary work as the movers have everything handled. Our workers have on hand a dolly, ramp, packing tape, pad wrapping, and straps to properly handle and transport your beloved piano.

If you need to move a piano it’s best to hire a professional who knows what they’re doing, then to go on and do it yourself. You will have with you the certainty that your piano is in good hands.

When Should You Start Planning Your Move

Moving is always hard. Planning ahead will definitely benefit you so everything will come out smooth and satisfactory. It’s best when you figure out what to do, and how to do it successfully without any mistakes getting in the way.

First thing you should already have an idea of is where you are planning to move. Once you’ve figured that out you should start with saving money. You will need to spend the money on your new expenses, (rent/mortgage, utilities, taxes, new furniture, etc.). If you have one, your “emergency savings” should stay untouched. If you want to hire movers, then you should save for that as well. It’s great to start exploring different options of companies and choose the best fit for you. Any amount of money you can save starting one year away from your move date, the more ready you will be when the day comes.

Once you’ve figured out where you’re moving, you should start planning accordingly. If it’s across the country/different state, you should start planning approximately one year before hand. A big move like that requires a lot more time to deal with the arrangements that need to be made. Figuring out new schools, doctors, even jobs, if that is what you’re moving for. If you plan on hiring a moving company, then you should call way ahead of time so the both of you can find a perfect time for both schedules. If you’re planning on moving locally then that wouldn’t take nearly as much time as moving to a totally different state. If you are planning on doing the move yourself, locally, then you should call and rent out a moving truck/van a couple weeks before you need it. You should also take a couple days off of work to pack, move, and unpack your items.

Fundamental Things to Do After Moving

Moving into your new home was one job, but now you have to get acclimated into your new home. Especially when you’re moving into a new town or state. Things are going to be hard for you at first, but everything will fall into place over time.

First thing that needs to get done is unpacking. You could hire your movers to do it for you, but majority of the time people decide not to do that. It’s more fun that way. As long as you labeled your boxes you should already have a good idea about where all of your items are going to be placed.

As you’re getting settled into your new home you should figure out how everything works, if you hadn’t already when you toured. This is more in specific to checking all window and door locks, leaky pipes, where the main water valve is, fuse box, as well as checking to make sure your smoke detectors are on and ready. If you have small children or plan to, you should check that you have child-proofed your new home. The more you find out about your home from the very beginning, the less surprises you’ll run into along the way.

More important things to get taken care of as soon as you can are change of address, school, doctors, and even registering your car; (if out of state). These things should even be done before you move into your new home. If you have any pets, you should take them through the neighborhood so they get a feel for it and eventually get used to it. Taking your dogs to the dog park is good for the both of you. You could potentially make new friends and your dog as well.

I imagine that the next best thing for me would be to get to know the town I’m living in. As far as knowing how to get to your new job, or your children’s school, you should go out and give yourself and family a tour of the new town.

Why Hiring a Moving Company is Beneficial

Moving is a big hassle to deal with. On top of work and taking care of the family, you also have to get started with packing and moving everything into your new home. Hiring a company like Strong Hands will help you majorly and leave you to go off and worry about other important things that need to get done.

If needed, Strong Hands will pack the items in your home for you and get them right onto the moving truck. This will definitely take the stress off your mind, and your body. You can sit back and watch how they do their job, or even leave them to work while you are doing other things.

Hiring a moving company will save you time as well. If you had to do all the packing and moving yourself, it could take you days. Strong Hands will quickly get your items out and into your new home in a matter of hours. There would be no going back and forth to bring more and more items, they bring a nice big truck to haul your stuff away in.

More so, the crew is experienced in the skills and knowledge of how to pack items and how to properly handle items when bringing in and out. They will have with them the correct materials to safely move and store your items. This way you don’t have to worry about potentially damaging any of your items.

All things considered, hiring a company like Strong Hands is most beneficial to you so you don’t have to even lift a finger to pack and move your items. Many things can go wrong doing this alone. They will guarantee that you will have a successful completion of your move.

Packing Up Your Kitchen

The kitchen is a place in your home that will have the most odd and varied items. Making sure you can pack everything correctly is essential and will ultimately make your move into your new home much easier. Knowing what boxes to use for what things, and what items you put together, and how to put them together will make for a smooth move in.

With smaller appliances you don’t have to pack them into a box if you have the original box. But if you don’t that’s fine too. First you should clean and dry them out, if they are not already. Making sure to put those together in a heavy-duty box will ensure that they won’t fall out when they go to get picked up. Wrapping them in bubble wrap or packing paper is something that should also be done. For much bigger appliances, like a refrigerator, it is important for you to know how to properly remove, or you will risk your appliance not working anymore.

When packing your dinnerware, you should have to your side, a wrap of packing paper, you could even use newspaper. You must stack your bowls and plates in the box, separating them one by one with the packing paper. It’s important for extremely fragile items to be wrapped individually. This will result in no scratches, and no broken pieces.

Your pots and pans should be packed in a nice big heavy-duty box so everything can easily fit. Your lids should also be wrapped in packing paper, just in case. Tying your silverware in rubber bands or strings will keep them together instead of having them move around the entire box. Miscellaneous items that are in your kitchen should also be wrapped and packed in a medium sized box.

Before packing everything up you should go through your items and set aside everything you want and don’t want. Whatever you won’t be keeping you should give away, unless it absolutely needs to be thrown out. Make your move nice and easy packing your items the right way.

Preparing to Move your Stuff Into a Storage Unit

Putting your belongings in storage is a great way to keep them safe during a move, or even if it’s just to make more space in your home. It’s important to keep track of everything you are putting in there. As well as keeping them organized and secure.

Starting out with a list of things is helpful in this situation, as you may forget over time. Making sure you label your boxes will help you to get to what you’re looking for specifically as well. Keeping up with what you have is good for you, for when you want to take something out, or even adding something in.

Depending on the amount of time you’re going to keep your belongings in storage, it’s recommended that you keep your items protected from the storage lockers conditions. Using airtight bins is the best option, but if you don’t have them, sealing cardboard boxes really tight is the next best thing. Putting a cover on the floor will keep your items that aren’t in boxes from getting scratched up. Also putting a cover over your boxes and items will keep them from collecting dust. You wouldn’t want to move and then have the dust all over your belongings spread out through your home.

Ultimately, putting things in a storage unit better benefits you when you’re on the move. You are reassured that your items are in a safe spot, and that you haven’t forgotten anything.

Getting Rid of Un-Used Items When Moving

Over time you and your family bring random items into your home that often end up being un-used. Sometimes it’s easy to know what you want to keep and what you don’t want to keep, sometimes it’s hard. You should already have a pretty good idea of what you are definitely bringing into your new home when moving.

There are a lot of little things like old toys, statues, framed art work, games, unwanted clothes and blankets. One great way to get rid of these things would be to start a garage sale; if you have the time of course. Many neighbors and people who drive through the town will want to stop by and see what’s for sale.

Another great way to get rid of un-used items without going through so much work, would be to give it away to gently used stores, charity, or even family and friends. They will be thankful for having thought of them and they might even love the things you’re giving away.

Sometimes it is overlooked that you have expired toiletries sitting around in the closet, or under the cupboards. Checking for and throwing those out is necessary as you don’t want you or your family to use a bottle of expired shampoo. There might be some papers or receipts around the house that are not needed and those should also be thrown away.

Going through items in your household and giving away, or throwing away, is not only essential for you but also for the move. The less things you have to take the easier it is to create a fresh new space to mold to your liking. And trust me, the moving company will thank you for it as well.

Being A Home Owner vs. Being A Renter

These few first time home buying tip will help you make firm decisions when it comes to staying or leaving your rental space that you have gotten some comfortable with calling home at each and every day.

For a quick glimpse check these “Buying” vs. “Renting” tips out:

PROS OF BUYING:

• MONEY GOES TOWARDS YOUR PURCHASE
• PRIDE OF HOME OWNERSHIP
• POWER TO INCREASE VALUE
• FREEDOM
• POSSIBLY YOU CAN MAKE A PROFIT OF IT ONE DAY WHEN YOU GO TO SELL IT
• LOTS OF TAX BENEFITS
• POTENTIAL RENTAL INCOME ONE DAY IF YOU WANT TO RENT IT OUT AND MOVE ONTO A DIFFERENT INVESTMENT

If buying is something you are interested in you should absolutely follow these simple steps that are most commonly taken when going through the home buying process:

• FIND THE RIGHT AGENT
• PREPARE YOUR FINANCES
• GET PRE-APPROVED
• START SHOPPING
• MAKE AN OFFER
• ORDER AN INSPECTION
• ORDER AN APRAISEL
• SCHEDULE YOUR MOVE
• CLOSING DAY!!

PROS OF RENTING:

• EASY TO RELOCATE IF YOU WANTED TO LEAVE
• YOUR LANDLORD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS RATHER THAN YOU AND ONLY YOU
• NO PROPERTY TAXES OR INSURANCE
• IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND A FURNISHED RENTAL PROPERTY
• CREDIT SCORE DOES NOT MATTER AS MUCH
• YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO MOVE MORE OFTEN

If you need our assistance with setting goals we offer the support give us a call at 607-342-6761. We might not be able to help with the real-estate side of thing’s but we can most definitely sit down with you and go through the pros/cons/and whatever is left in between.

Your Move In Must Haves!

FIRST HOUSE ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST

• Scissors and tape. Two basic office supplies that go a looooong way when it comes to cutting tape, opening boxes and snipping tags on new house purchases.
• Water. Bless your heart if you can handle straight tap where you live – if not, a water filter goes a long way. You’ll be #parched from all the commotion, and instead of running to convenience stores 24/7, save the cash and just filter your own.
• Hand soap. Your bathroom might not be as clean as you usually keep it unless our sister company the Clean Team came through and already took care of that for you. Have hand soap available because you obvi will want to wash your hands.
• Paper towels and toilet paper. Messes happens, we try to prevent them but sometimes we cannot! You will also just want to clean the place down if you did not have the opportunity before moving in.
• Phone chargers. Because it’s the 21st century.
• Towels. How are you suppose to dry off with no towel? Make sure it is a cozy one too!! Why? Because you deserve it!!!
• A laundry basket. As you start to unpack clothes, you will for sure find things that most definitely need washing, and you will also find things you might not even want or need anymore. Have a separate space to throw laundry, as well as one to put any “to donate” or “to get rid of” items.
• Contact lens solution + prescriptions. The drugstore essentials that you just can’t go without on a daily basis.
• SNACKS.  Snacks make everything better. Avoid being hangry by having lots of snacks on hand for your convenience.
• Comfy clothes + bed stuff. After a long day let alone moving, you’re going to crash hard. Have comfy clothes on hand to throw on, as well as blankets and pillows for a good night!!
• All-purpose cleaner. Because it’s your brand new house…Don’t want it to be as clean as possible!? Have a cleaner on-hand to wipe down any countertops or shared spaces, bathroom areas, etc. Also useful if you’re inheriting a fridge or any other big kitchen appliances!
• A first aid kit. Before moving, we were told to take a pain reliever before you lift any heavy boxes, to lessen the back pain you’ll feel after the process. Definitely something worthwhile to consider.
• Keys. I’d recommend bringing a jar to store your new keys. If your situation is anything like some, the seller gave us, like, multiple keys to the place, as well as garage beepers and spares. Do not get yourself into a dilemma; just store them in one safe space for easy grab-n’-go.
• A shower curtain. The shower though. I mean how is this not important, quite laughable!!
• Self-care products. If you know you know… Self-care is the best care! But all serious though when you are exhausted, dirty, and feeling reckless you will want nothing more to shower. Make sure you’ve got a wash cloth, towel, and the right body products all ready into place at moving day. These awesome tips are move-in must-have worthy if there ever was one!

THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE DO THAT MAKE THINGS A LOT EASIER AROUND THE HOUSE. STRONG HANDS, LLC., IS MORE THAN GLAD TO HELP GET CLIENTS MOVED IN AND SETTLED (E.G., PACKED, MOVED, AND UNPACKED) JUST GIVE US A CALL TO BOOK WITH US TODAY AT (607) 342-6761.