While there are many major steps that you can take to promote an organized, efficient relocation experience, smaller and seemingly unimportant steps may also be just as important. Many people label their moving boxes in a rushed fashion and without any real strategy in mind.
However, when you look at some of the effective labeling strategies available, you may see how beneficial these efforts may be to your overall moving experience.
Use Colored Markers or Tape
Commonly, people invest in a permanent black marker and use this to label boxes. All boxes essentially look similar unless you spend time searching for a small and hastily-scribbled word that tells you what room the box goes in. Consider that you will have dozens of boxes or more sitting in your home before the move, and you may need to locate items in a box or two before you move out.
In addition, your movers will be working quickly to unload the truck and to get the boxes placed in the right rooms for you. A smart idea is to use colored markers and tape so that you and the movers can easily tell the boxes apart. For example, you may assign blue to the kitchen and red to the living room.
Add Details
As beneficial as color-coding your boxes are, it is equally critical to add a few details describing the contents in each box. Most people will take several days or longer to unpack their boxes and to get completely settled into a new home. During this time, you understandably want to unpack the essentials first.
For example, it may be more important for you to unpack the box containing your coffee pot than to unpack the box with the blender. While each box should clearly indicate what room it belongs it, smaller lettering should offer some indication of the contents for efficient unpacking.
Use Large, Block Letters
If color-coding is not effective or feasible, an alternative is to use very large, block letters to indicate which room the boxes belong in. The room label should be visible on all four sides as well as on the top, and it should be clear and legible. If you choose to add details about each box’s contents, use a smaller font. The details may only need to be written on one side of the box or on the top.
The movers need to clearly and quickly see the room that the box goes in, and you will have more time to read text about the contents when you are unpacking.
Print Large Labels
You can also skip overwriting labels by hand, and you can opt to print out large labels. This may take more time, but it may also be more beneficial. Consider that you will have access to many additional colors if you print your labels by hand. You can also ensure that the text is legible.
While it will take time to type in the information and walk to the printer each time you need a label, you can save time by printing multiple copies of the same label to adhere to different sides of the box.
As you can see, there are multiple labeling strategies that you can use for your moving boxes. The simple strategy of writing the room name with a black permanent marker should be considered the bare minimum effort that you may take. Each of these strategies takes your labeling efforts to a new level and offers substantial benefits over the basic labeling strategy.