How to Make Sure Things Don’t Get Lost When Moving

Imagine having to move to a new home. You finally get done with the chaos and are ready to crack open boxes, only to find out that you lost something very valuable during the move. This can be a devastating and sickening realization to have especially if the item belonged to someone very dear to you.

Items get lost for a variety of reasons, it was stuffed in an unfamiliar box, or the movers you hired either lost it or accidentally keep it. Either way, there is always a high chance that you will leave something behind when you move.

Here are some ways that you can get from point A to point B without your items getting lost.

1. Pack One Room at a Time

This will make your packing process feel like it’s dragging on forever and will be a pain, but packing one room at a time is a great way to ensure nothing will get lost.

When you’re not pacing from room to room you’re less likely to misplace an item or put it in the wrong box. It also makes labeling your boxes a lot easier if you concentrate on a single room before moving on.

2. Create a List

You’ll be surprised how much of a difference a long, detailed list will make. Create a huge master list of everything that you’re bringing with you. You can do this as you pack actually.

While you go room to room, create an inventory of everything you packed. Another thing you want to do is add on where you packed items. The more detailed and organized this list is, the less of a chance you might lose stuff.

3. Ziplock Bags are your Friend

You know what’s annoying? Getting to your new place only to find out you left a small piece of your furniture behind. Now you can’t put that chair together because you misplaced one of the legs somewhere.

So, it doesn’t have to be a major part of the furniture like a leg, but even the smallest piece that you’re missing can make a huge difference. For small items like this, that you may drop without noticing, use ziplock bags.

Not only does this work with furniture pieces, but you can also stick your electronic cables in there. No more misplacing TV cables, or your phone charger.

4. Lable Anything and Everything

On each box clearly write the name of the room where it’s going to go in your new home. Do this on the top and on the sides of your boxes just for good measure. Your items may be fragile so also write “This side up” on it with arrows.

If you’re really paranoid write “fragile” also just so the moving men will know for a fact breakable goods are in the box. It helps to write what’s in the box too. This way you know what part of the room something is going to go in.

For example, if you have a box of books, label it “books” and put it where you plan on putting your bookshelf.

5. Don’t put Personal Items on the Moving Truck

Even if you seriously trust the moving company you’re using, you still don’t want to put personal belongings on the truck. You never know what will happen so keeping things like photo albums and important documents with you is smart.

Keep in mind that there are also items that you can’t put on the moving truck like your alcohol, fertilizers, gardening chemicals, unsealed foods, perishable foods, and gasoline. If you aren’t sure what you can put on the truck, check with the company first.

Above all else though, keep your extra cash and important documents with you. Imagine losing a birth certificate.

6. Don’t Sign for Deliver Until Everything is Present

When you’re having your stuff delivered, make sure to check if all of your belongings made to you before you sign the inventory sheet confirming that everything arrived. Don’t let the delivery driver rush you through this process.

If you sign the sheet before you check if everything is there, it will make filing a claim difficult later when you find out that your box of grandma’s precious china is missing.

7. Get Insurance

This is the most important step in the moving process. The standard compensation offered to movers for lost and damaged goods is called Released Value Protection and it covers 60 cents per pound, per article.

For an additional charge, you can get Full Value Protection which will require them to compensate you for the full value of the item, replace it with the same item, or give you another item of equal value.

8. Research Movers

The last important measure you can take is to heavily research movers before deciding on a service to go with. Look at reviews online to get a good feel for what the service is like.

You can also check their record on the BBB website, verify their US DOT number on the FMCSA website, or ask for references.

Don’t Let Your Precious Valuables Get Lost During Your Next Move

There is nothing worse than getting to your new place, only to realize you left something very valuable behind. Take measures like making lists, staying organized, and labeling to make sure your favorite things don’t get lost during your move.

Are you moving with children? You’ll probably find it to a hectic process. Visit our blog to read the best way to make this go smoothly.