Moving is always stressful, but there are several ways to make the process easier for yourself. Being organized when packing is excellent! However, it doesn’t help much if you don’t also label your boxes. Labeling helps track where things are, which boxes are fragile, and makes unpacking ten times easier! What it comes down to is labels are worth it, so here are a few tips for making the most efficient moving tags.
1. Note Fragile Boxes
Always label which boxes contain fragile items. Even though you may have taken the appropriate steps to pack your dishes or other breakables, it helps to keep track of where these objects are. If you are using a professional moving service, putting a “fragile” label on a box alerts your movers to take extra care of these boxes. Place a red “fragile” label on all sides of the box so to ensure its visible no matter how it’s stacked.
2. Use Location Labels
The next most essential labels indicate which room the box belongs in. When packing, make sure you pack items from same room together. For example, you might have books scattered around your home, but rather than putting them all in one cluster of boxes, pack them according to the destination. Label children’s books for your child’s room, tag the box with cookbooks for the kitchen or pantry and place your coffee table books in the box destined for the den or living room.
While you can just write a description of the room on the label, you can take your organization to the next level with color-coded labels. For instance, use yellow labels for the master bedroom boxes, pink stickers for the kitchen, blue ones for the kids’ bedroom, and green for the living room. These labels make unloading the moving truck straightforward for you and your movers.
3. Or Go with Itemized Packaging
If the location labels don’t work well for you, you can pack based on items. This labeling style could include labels such as books, blankets, clothing, dishes, etc. This method of packing makes it much easier to find specific items as your unpacking progresses.
4. Include a Short Description of the Contents
Avoid being too specific about what is in your boxes! You don’t need to know every item in your boxes, and neither do your movers. It is better to keep it simple and give yourself ques. While you should include a few keywords on the label, avoiding a detailed listing makes it easier to skim the labels. For example, when labeling a child’s box, you might write “Sam’s Bedroom: Stuffed Animals and Puzzles.” This labeling technique is simple and gets the point across.
5. Gather Materials for Neat Labeling
Here are a few items that you might need depending on the labeling technique you choose.
- Blank Sticker Labels: Perfect for creating labels to suit your needs.
- Permanent Markets: Permanent markers work the best for your labeling, but you still need to make sure it dries all the way to prevent smudging.
- Duct Tape: Duct tape also works great for creating labels, as it sticks well to boxes and comes in a variety of colors.
- Printer or Label Maker: If you want to step up your label game, you could use your home printer or a label maker to create professional-looking labels that are easy-to-read.
- Fragile Labels: Going with a bright red “fragile” label helps your warning stand out.
- Color-Coded Labels: As mentioned before, these labels can help with organizing things on moving day. You can either buy pre-printed labels or buy a variety pack of blank labels to write your descriptions.
If you need help with your packing or labeling, or you just want some hourly moving help, let us know! Imperial Moving & Storage is an affordable moving company located in Greenwich Village. As professional movers NYC, we offer a full range of moving services to make your New York relocation easier.
