10 Commonly Forgotten Things During A Move

May 3, 2017

We like to emphasize the importance of preparation in coordinating a move from your current residence to a new house or apartment, be it in the form of a checklist or practical advice on what conversations you need to have with a significant other before moving in together. Nonetheless, regardless of how much preparation you put into your moving efforts and whether you’ve decided to work with one of the best full service moving companies, it’s still common to forget one or two crucial things in the course of your move.

So to provide you with something of a cheatsheet, we’ve summed up the ten most commonly forgotten things during a move that you can easily avoid by keeping track of the following items.

10 Things Everyone Forgets Even When Using Full Service Moving Companies

1. Personal Documents

If you’re the most organized person on the planet, chances you have a folder or drawer somewhere in your current place that contains all of your personal tax, dental, health, financial, and whatever other documents you’ll need well after the move to your new home. If you don’t already have all your documents rounded up, you’ll likely accumulate them throughout the packing process so keep an eye out for any errant documents. This is one of the most commonly forgotten things during a move!

2. Library Books and Borrowed Items

Chances are, if you move into your new home with a borrowed library book or item from a friend, they’re never going to their property again. That is because once you move, many items tend to stay in boxes for months after the actual move day and once you do get to the box those borrowed items are in, you’ve likely forgotten even borrowing them in the first place. So when you’re going through the early stages of packing, be attentive about any thing that isn’t actually yours.

3. Valuables and Jewelry

Let’s clarify one thing very quickly; just because an item is valuable to you doesn’t mean it has to actually be an expensive item like jewelry or a custom suit. Sentimental value can often trump the actual cost of an item, but that doesn’t mean thieves or people who are looking to take advantage of inexperienced movers won’t be looking for a possible score. The smartest thing to do when moving anything of value to you is to put it in an unmarked box, or give it a decoy name like “living room” and not open it until safely in your home.

4. Clothes and Dry Cleaning

When moving out of a current apartment, chances are the move itself provides a good excuse to get rid of any extra clothes that you no longer need. But what about the dry cleaning you haven’t picked up since the beginning of the week? When getting ready for a move, make sure you take inventory of all your clothes and ensure that none are missing or at the dry cleaners.

5. Manuals

When packing electronics, you’ll want to collect all of your remaining manuals for your different electronic devices and tie them together so you won’t lose them in the move

6. Plants

Moving plants is an article topic in its own right and household plants often get forgotten in moves as people aren’t sure how to pack them correctly and how to move them without spilling dirt everywhere. Situations like these are when working with a full service moving company makes the most sense as moving experts will ensure that your plants and any other foliage in your home is moved safely and correctly.

7. Keys

We know, keys would be the last thing you’d ever forget, right? After all, no one in the history of humanity has ever moved and forgotten to bring their new key with them. Oh wait, this is something we see all the time. To ensure your keys aren’t forgotten things during a move, take inventory of all the keys you will need to bring with you in the move and make sure they are somewhere you simply can’t lose them, be it in your purse or back pocket.

8. Coffee Makers and Small Kitchen Appliances

When you’ve lived in an apartment or building for a long time, it can be rather difficult to take a step back and make an account of every item you need to move. For instance, coffee makers are one of the most commonly left-behind appliances as some people half-expect there to be a coffee maker waiting for them in their new home. Of course, this is rarely the case so make sure you know what furniture and appliances are already in your new place and amend your moving list as needed. This also holds true for microwaves, toasters, and water filters.

9. Medicine

If you take a medication that you can’t afford to miss a day of, pack a travel case for your medicine along with the bottles containing the rest of your pills. This way you’ll have medicine allotted for the move itself along with the rest of your prescriptions and supplements. The last thing you need to deal with during a stressful move is not having the medication you need, so make sure that it’s packed well in advance.

10. Toilet Paper and Toiletries

Last but certainly not least, do you have everything you need to use your new bathroom after the move? Chances are, you’ll need to use the restroom during the move as well as take a shower after you’ve finished for the day. And while it might not be as major as forgetting your medication, not having toilet paper, towels, or your other toiletries easily accessible can cause significant stress during the move.

And ultimately, that’s what all of these reminders are to help you cut down on: stress. Hopefully this post will help cut down on the commonly forgotten things during a move – specifically your move! Even when working with full service moving professionals, you’re still responsible for ensuring that every item of yours is moved, so go over the above ten steps to make your move as stress-free and painless as possible. And of course, we’ll be there to help with everything else!

Learn More About Moving in Chicago

• When to Consider Moving Into a Home
• How to Make Moving Back Home a Breeze
• Top 5 Ways to Prepare Your House for Winter in Chicago
• The Best Ways to Find Internet During Your Move in Chicago
• 4 Tips for Moving Safety

Page Updated on November 16, 2018