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Moving needs a lot of planning and preparation. The main goal is to successfully move all your items from your old address to the new one without losing or damaging them. But without a proper list, it’s tough to keep track of all the things in your home, because, no matter how small your house is and however few items you have, it is impossible to remember everything, which is where household inventory lists come in.
The importance of a household inventory list for moving is manifold. For instance, you can pack and organize your things better if you make a list of them before moving. You can also keep track of them during moving. Also, taking an inventory will help you estimate how much you will have to pay the movers, etc.
Let’s take a detailed look at why making an inventory list for moving is important.
The importance of making a household inventory list for moving
Although moving is a strenuous and bothersome activity, it can be made easier by following a few steps. One such step to make moving easier is to create an inventory list before you move. There are a lot of reasons for making such a list. They are:
It helps you organize and pack your items
While moving, your items must be always organized. This will ensure that the chance of them getting lost goes down by a lot, and it also makes unpacking easier. If you make an inventory list before you move, you can easily organize them before you pack them.
Additionally, an inventory list also helps you pack your items better. If you don’t know how many of an item you have, it’s tough to find a suitable box for putting them in.
You may find yourself in a situation where you think you are done packing an item but find even more of them later, which will cause you to repack things. This is quite annoying as you can’t move forward with your packing.
If you make a list of your household items before moving, you can know which boxes you should put which items in. You can also estimate how many boxes you will need.
It ensures you can keep track of your items
It is very easy to lose track of your items while moving. Since there is a whole host of things that need to be moved, it is virtually impossible to keep track of all of them while loading and unloading them onto the van of the moving companies.
But if you make an inventory list before moving, you won’t have to rue the losses of your important items. You can always know which items you are moving, where have you put them, and how many of them are in each box. Just check the items when moving helpers are loading and unloading them and you will be fine.
Helps you estimate costs
Depending on the number of items, you have to choose appropriate removal companies. If you have a lot of items and need a large van, you need to book a regular moving company. But if your household is a small one and you don’t have that many items, you should choose a man and van removals service.
So if you make a list of household items before moving, it will help you estimate the moving cost. This is a very essential part of moving because it’s better to know the cost you have to bear beforehand rather than be surprised when the bills come in.
Helps you declutter
There are a lot of items in our homes that we don’t need and never will. These are just occupying space in your homes, space which we could’ve used for some other purpose.
Making a list of household items before moving lets you declutter and get rid of all the unnecessary items before moving. There’s no point in paying professional movers to move items you don’t even need.
However, the process of decluttering is not just about saving on moving costs; it’s also an opportunity to make a positive impact. Donating usable items to local charities, recycling materials, or properly disposing of items can contribute to a more sustainable move.
Additionally, by streamlining your belongings, you create a more organized living space in your new home, ensuring that each item serves a purpose. This not only simplifies your move but also sets the stage for a fresh start in a clutter-free environment.
So, before the moving day arrives, take the time to assess your belongings critically. Identify items that can be donated, recycled, or discarded responsibly.
This not only lightens your load during the move but also contributes to a more environmentally conscious and purposeful transition to your new home.
Saves a lot of time
Time is of the essence when it comes to moving to a new place. While at first, it might seem that it requires a lot of time to make a list of all the items in your house, it will save even more time in the long run. You won’t forget about any items and have to look for them everywhere after packing, you don’t have to make last-minute purchases, etc, all of which will save you plenty of time before moving.
Helps evaluate your items in case you need insurance
There are a lot of things that can go wrong when moving house, especially if you book moving services. If a smart moving service damages your items, you can easily make your insurance claim if you know how much your items cost. And the best way to know the worth of your possessions is to make a list of them.
There are a lot of things in your home that you probably haven’t touched for a long time, and you don’t know in which state they are. Also, there are a lot of valuable items that not only carry a lot of sentimental value but also are financially valuable as well. Some of them are very old, and you don’t know how much they cost at present.
Making an inventory list will help you know their price, helping you to make your insurance claim in case anything goes wrong during moving.
How to make a perfect household inventory list
Now that you know why you should make a household inventory list before moving, you should know how you can make a perfect one.
Pick how you will make the list: Before making the inventory list, you should know how you will do it in the first place. There are two options for you, you can either use a pen and paper, or you can use an app to make the list. We would suggest you use an app to do this, since it is very easy to lose or damage a physical list.
Go from room to room: You should start from one room and list everything there. Keep doing it until you’ve listed every item in every room. In the case of items that are in multiple places, just keep adding their numbers until you are finished. Put the total number of items in the app to finish listing.
Note crucial points: Some of your items might be in vulnerable conditions, or you may need something fixed before moving them. Note these important pieces of information down so that you can prepare accordingly when the time comes.
Final words
There are many items in your home that can create a lot of problems during moving if they are not organized. Packing can also be a tough job if you don’t know where your things are. There are plenty of other issues that arise at the time of moving, which can be resolved by making a household inventory list for moving. So if you are planning to move your house any time soon, it’s high time you made an inventory list.
FAQ‘s
1. What should be included in moving inventory?
A lot of people become confused while making an inventory list as they try to determine what they should put in it and what they shouldn’t. The thing is, you have to list down everything when you make such a list. Nothing, no matter how small, should be left out of it.
2. What items must not be packed when moving homes?
You shouldn’t pack everything while moving house. Avoid packing items such as nail polish removers, liquid bleach, aerosol cans, fertilizer, petrol, car batteries, etc.
3. What are the 5 common problems in moving items?
The 5 most common problems in moving items are:
- Damaged items
- Inclement Weather
- Horrendous traffic
- Inexperienced and inept movers
- Injury
