Organized Moving Tips for Moving During the Coronavirus Pandemic

It’s moving season, pandemic or not, so today I am breaking down the steps to an organized move during the time of coronavirus. Does moving look different now than it did a few months ago? Yes. Is it impossible? No. Are there additional precautions that need to be taken while moving during the coronavirus? Of course. Can you do this? YES!

The first and most important element for moving during COVID-19 is thinking through and planning for each step of the move. Moving is often about organizing and planning but there is always a bit of rolling with the punches – eliminating any of that uncertainly or last minute changes will help keep you safe during coronavirus. Mentally walk through every step of the moving process and think through/plan for how you can eliminate risks at each of those steps. You typically have to sign paperwork for the movers when they load the truck – can this be signed digitally on your phone? If not, make sure you have your own pen unpacked and ready. Would you typically bribe some friends with pizza and beer to help with the move? Consider stretching out the moving process over the course of a couple days and not move everything at once. This might mean a night or two of “camping” in either your old place or new but will cut down on the number of people you have to interact with during the move.

Thinking through all of the little details in advance will help keep you more calm as the move approaches and safer as you have to interact with other people. That brings us to the actual move itself – these tips will help you stay organized and safe throughout that process of moving during COVID-19.

7 Tips for Moving During COVID-19

1. Make sure you stock up on gloves, mask, hand sanitizer, soap, wipes and paper towels. You will want all of these items accessible as you pack and especially if you are having movers in the house. Ask your moving company in advance about their current procedures but be prepared to provide these items to the moving team just in case they show up without them.

2. Have a hand washing station ready for you and the movers. We have all seen the reports that gloves are only effective if you change them often and hand washing can be a better option. Don’t pack away all of the soap in your house before the move but make sure you have a well stocked hand washing station for everyone involved. Consider paper towels to help keep everything as clean as possible. Don’t forget about the new house as well – head over in advance to set up a similar station in the new house too.

3. Give yourself enough time to order boxes in advance and get everything you need at once. Anyone that has ever moved knows that moving is often about running back and forth to the store a million times to pick up more boxes, bubblewrap and tape. Planning ahead and even overestimating a bit will help you avoid the need to run to the store. We often see people sourcing used moving boxes but in this time it is probably best to stick with new boxes unless you have time to quarantine boxes that you source from a neighbor.

4. Pack everything possible in boxes and properly seal the boxes. Avoid leaving anything loose (ie. right now is not the time to move things in your laundry basket) but protected and sealed away inside a box. Make sure you are properly taping and sealing the boxes and not leaving any gaps.

5. Finish packing all of the boxes 24 hours before the movers arrival. The coronavirus can last a long time on surfaces and up to 24 hours on cardboard boxes. Finishing up your packing 24 hours prior to the movers arrival will help protect their team giving that window of time before they have to touch anything you have touched.

6. Pack items onto the truck (or have the movers load) last that you need to use first – this way, they will come out first and be accessible for your first night in your new home. This tip is applicable for all moving, COVID-19 or not, but what those items are might need to be tweaked a bit. Make sure you have through through where you will sleep on the first night, what you are going to wear, how you will eat but also how you will be cleaning and disinfecting everything as it is unpacked.

7. Decide on your unpacking process in advance. Will you have someone, like our team, or the movers help you unpack or will you do it yourself? If so, will you be home or give them the space to unpack? Do you have time to allow for moved items to be “quarantine” in the new house after the movers drop them before you unpack? Regardless of what you decide there will be at least some additional cleaning and disinfecting while unpacking so make sure you are allowing yourself extra time to get settled.

See more of my tips for staying organized while moving here and download my free moving checklist here.