Box Labels (Part 1)

It's not unusual for a relocation to involve over 100 moving boxes- that's a lot to keep track of! You can eliminate a lot of stress unpacking by using clear labels on your boxes. Here are a few quick tips to get you started:

• Label your boxes as you go. Some people decide that they will pack things first and then label a whole room's worth at the end. Unfortunately, they tend to both run out of time and forget what's buried in the bottom of most boxes.
• Make you labels legible. Use block letters to make your labels easy to read. You don't need to win a penmanship contest, but labels you can't read won't help you much.
• Use wide-tipped markers. When your boxes are stacked or scattered during unpacking, you'll want to be able to read your labels from across the room. Pencils, pens and thin markers' letters are almost invisible even a few feet away.
• Use a room labeling system. Try to use room labels such as "BTH2- 4," where "BTH2" indicates the second bathroom, and the "- 4" identifies it as the 4th box. This helps movers know exactly where items go, and allows you to quickly know if one of a room's boxes have gone missing.

Next time we'll talk about what other information should be on your box labels.

What about you? What was the best, or worst, system you ever tried to use in labeling your moving boxes? Be sure to check out our other moving tips and suggestions.