home can be exciting but also stressful. Fortunately, a few tips from the experts can help reduce the movingstress. These following tips were compiled after watching videotapes of actual moving experiences: 1. Pack by rooms so you can unpack by rooms. 2. Pack one room at a time and by zones within the rooms. This streamlines the unpacking process. 3. Label all the boxes clearly with your name, the room, the contents and where the contents will be stored. 4. Pack important financial documents separately. 5. Pack your cleaning supplies separately so that when you arrive at your new home you can find them when you need them. 6. Don’t overpack boxes. If boxes are too heavy, you won’t be able to lift them, or the boxes may break when youlift them. 7. To make sure nothingis lost during the move, number each of the boxes and create a checkoff list. When in the new home, cross off each number as you see the box being removed from the truck. 8. Use hand lotion throughout the day because handling cardboard and paper can dry out your hands. 9. Label the kitchen boxes by the following zones: cooking zone, food preparation zone, food storage zone and cleaning zone. When unpacking, it is important to know the zones of the kitchen and what items should be stored in those zones. For example, the food preparation zone should house cutting boards, knives, storage containers and spices. The cooking zone One of the keys to a hardworking kitchen is an organized cleaning zone, as it can minimize clutter and makecleanup easier. includes having the pots and pans close to the stove and oven. And the cleaning zone should accommodateall your cleaning supplies in an organized and easy-to-use manner. Before doing anythingelse, say the experts at Merillat Cabinetry, who compiled these tips, make the bed so you'll have a comfortable place to sleep at the end of the day. Unpack all your toiletries. Consider putting all the lamps and pictures in the closets temporarily for safekeeping. There are also some basic pointers that all homeowners should know: Focus on unpacking the essential items first. Take your time to unpack things you don’t need right away. When you do get around to unpackingall items, carefully consider where you'll store them. Think about how often you'll use them and how easily accessible they need to be. Storage ideas for any room in the home can be found at www.merillat.com.
