Moving Tips

Enjoying a Successful Move

Whether you are upgrading to a bigger place, moving into your first home, or living on your own for the first time, the process of moving is an exciting time for a new adventure on your own or with your family. Purchasing new furniture, deciding how you want to decorate your new place, and exploring your new community are all things to look forward to as you prepare to move.

However, there are still many things you need to do prior to the big move-in day. This guide lays out a full eight-week timeline, what a move realistically costs, how to choose between doing it yourself and hiring help, how to pack room by room, and how storage fits in when the dates don't line up.

On This Page

1. The 8-week timeline
2. What a move costs
3. DIY, movers, or both
4. Choosing a moving vehicle
5. Supplies you'll need
6. Packing room by room
7. Packing tricky items
8. Address, utilities, and admin
9. Moving day playbook
10. Moving large furniture
11. Using storage during a move
12. Your first week
13. Frequently asked questions

The Eight-Week Moving Timeline

Eight weeks is comfortable. Four is workable. Two is stressful but survivable. If you have less than that, work backward from moving day and triage — the address changes and utility transfers matter more than perfect packing.

8 weeks out — decide and research

• Confirm your moving date and, if you're renting, review notice requirements in your current lease
• Set a budget and decide broadly between hiring movers, doing it yourself, or a hybrid
• If hiring movers, start getting quotes now — good companies book out, and summer weekends go first
• Start a moving folder or shared note for quotes, confirmations, and account numbers
• Begin decluttering. Every item you get rid of is one you don't pack, carry, or pay to transport
• If you're moving to a new metro area, run the numbers on what your income will actually cover there

6 weeks out — sort and secure

• Finish decluttering: donate, sell, recycle, discard
• Take inventory of large furniture and measure doorways, stairwells, and elevators at both ends
• Book movers or reserve your truck. Reserve storage if your dates leave a gap
• Order packing supplies
• Start packing anything you won't need before the move — off-season clothing, books, decor, spare linens
• Request time off work for moving day and the day after

4 weeks out — notify and transfer

• File your USPS change of address
• Schedule utility shut-off at the old address and start service at the new one
• Notify banks, insurance, employer, schools, doctors, subscription services, and the DMV
• Arrange transfer of school and medical records if you're moving out of the area
• Confirm your homeowners or renters insurance for the new address
• Pack in earnest, one room at a time

2 weeks out — narrow down

• Confirm all bookings in writing: movers, truck, storage, elevator reservations, building access
• Service or prepare any appliances coming with you
• Use up perishable food rather than trying to transport it
• Arrange care for children and pets on moving day — this makes a bigger difference than people expect
• Return library books, dry cleaning, and anything borrowed
• Refill prescriptions so you're not chasing a pharmacy mid-move

1 week out — final push

• Finish packing everything except a small essentials set
• Pack your first-night box and label it unmistakably (see the moving day section)
• Defrost and dry the refrigerator and freezer if they're coming with you — this takes longer than you think
• Confirm parking or loading access at both addresses
• Withdraw cash for tips and incidentals
• Charge every device and power bank

Moving day

• Keep documents, medications, keys, and valuables with you personally, not on the truck
• Walk the old place room by room, including closets, the attic, the garage, and behind doors
• Photograph utility meter readings before you leave
• Do a final check of the empty truck before releasing it
• At the new place, direct boxes into the correct rooms as they come in — resorting later costs far more time

What a Move Actually Costs

The dollar figures below are industry ballpark ranges only, drawn from typical market rates. They vary enormously by region, season, distance, and how much you own. Treat them as a starting frame for planning, not a quote.

Where People Underestimate

• Truck rental mileage. The headline daily rate is not the price. Add per-mile charges, fuel, and any damage waiver.
• Timing. Late spring through early fall is peak season, and weekends and month-ends are the busiest windows within it. A midweek move mid-month is often meaningfully cheaper.
• Stairs and long carries. Movers price these separately. Mention them when you get a quote, not on the day.
• The overlap. Paying two rents or a mortgage plus rent for a few weeks is a real cost that rarely makes it into anyone's spreadsheet.
• The first grocery run. Restocking a kitchen from scratch is expensive.

Run Your Own Numbers

Estimate what your move will cost, how many boxes you'll need, and how far your income goes in a new city.

• Moving cost calculator  
• Moving box calculator 
• Cost of living calculator

DIY, Full-Service Movers, or Something in Between

There's no universally correct answer here. The right one depends on your budget, your timeline, your physical situation, and how much help you can realistically call on.

If You're Hiring Movers, Vet Them

• Get at least three written estimates, ideally after an in-home or video survey rather than over the phone
• Verify licensing. Interstate movers must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and have a USDOT number you can look up
• Understand binding versus non-binding estimates. A non-binding estimate can change; a binding one generally can't
• Ask what liability coverage is included and what it actually pays out. Basic released-value protection is typically calculated by weight and is far less than replacement value
• Be wary of large upfront deposits or quotes dramatically below every other bid
• Read recent reviews, and pay attention to how the company handles complaints rather than only to the star rating

Choosing the Right Moving Vehicle

Renting too small is the most expensive mistake in a DIY move, because it turns one trip into two — doubling the mileage, the fuel, the loading, and the day.

For a detailed breakdown with capacity by home size, see our moving truck size guide. When you're between two sizes, take the larger one — the price difference is small compared with a second trip.

Loading The Truck

1. Heaviest items first, against the wall behind the cab. Appliances, dressers, and the heaviest furniture form the base and keep weight over the axle.
2. Build in tiers from floor to ceiling rather than spreading everything across the floor.
3. Long flat items go upright along the side walls — mattresses, table tops, headboards, mirrors.
4. Boxes fill the middle, heaviest at the bottom, in square uniform columns.
5. Strap each tier before starting the next. Most rental trucks have tie-down rails; use them.
6. Fragile items and the first-night box load last, so they come off first.
7. Fill gaps with soft goods. Empty space is where things slide and break in transit.

Supplies You'll Need

Cutting The Supply Cost

• Liquor stores have sturdy small boxes with dividers, ideal for glassware, and they're usually happy to hand them over
• Local buy-nothing groups and marketplace listings are full of people offloading boxes right after their own move
• Suitcases, duffel bags, laundry baskets, and storage bins you already own are free containers — use them before you buy anything
• Towels, linens, and clothing work as padding, which saves both money and space

Where to get supplies

10 Federal Storage doesn't sell moving supplies or rent trucks. Our facilities are fully automated and unstaffed, which is a large part of how we keep rates competitive — but it does mean there's no retail counter on site. Pick up boxes and packing materials from a hardware store, big-box retailer, or truck rental location before your move.

Packing Room by Room

Pack one room completely before starting the next. Working across multiple rooms simultaneously is how boxes end up mislabeled and how you lose track of what's done.

Start with the rooms you use least

Guest rooms, storage closets, the attic, the garage, and basements can be packed weeks ahead with no disruption. Get them done early and the last week is far less punishing.

Bedrooms

Off-season clothing goes first. Use wardrobe boxes for anything that shouldn't be folded. Leave a week's worth of clothes out. Strip beds last, and bag the bedding for the first night separately.

Kitchen

The kitchen takes longer than any other room. Start early with rarely used items — the good china, specialty appliances, seldom-touched bakeware. Wrap each dish individually and pack plates on edge. Keep a minimal working set out until the final days. Use up perishables rather than moving them, and pack spices and pantry goods upright in a lined box.

Living room

Photograph your electronics setup before unplugging. Bag and label every cable. Books go in small boxes. Remove and wrap lampshades separately from lamp bases. Frames and mirrors go in picture boxes, upright.

Bathrooms

Discard expired medications and half-used products rather than transporting them. Seal every liquid inside a zip-top bag before boxing — one leaked shampoo bottle can ruin a whole box. Keep a toiletries kit out for the first night.

Home office

Back up your files before anything gets unplugged. Keep critical documents with you personally rather than on the truck. Photograph cable configurations. Shred what you no longer need instead of moving it.

Garage and outdoor

Drain all fuel and oil from mowers, trimmers, generators, and pressure washers — these can't be transported or stored with fuel in them. Coil hoses and cords. Sheath sharp tools. Dispose of paint, solvents, and chemicals properly through a local hazardous waste program; movers won't transport them and they can't go into storage.

Packing the Tricky Items

Most of what you own goes in a box and survives the trip regardless of how carefully you packed it. A smaller set of items accounts for nearly all moving damage — things that are fragile, awkwardly heavy, sensitive to temperature, legally restricted, or simply irreplaceable. Those are worth handling deliberately.

Fragile Household Items

Dishes, china, and glassware

Plates travel on edge, like a dish rack, not stacked flat — stacked plates concentrate weight on the bottom one and it goes first. Wrap each piece individually. Stuff glasses and stemware with crumpled paper before wrapping the outside, since an empty glass collapses inward under pressure. Fill every void in the box so nothing shifts, use a dish barrel or double-walled box if you have one, and label fragile on all sides.

Artwork, mirrors, and framed pieces

Tape a large X across the glass face before wrapping. It won't stop a break, but it holds the pieces together instead of letting them travel through the artwork behind. Wrap in paper first, then bubble wrap, then a rigid picture or mirror box. Transport upright and on edge, never flat, and never with anything stacked on top. For canvas without glass, don't let wrapping press directly against the paint surface.

Lamps and light fixtures

Remove the bulb, the harp, and the shade, and wrap the base separately. Shades go in their own box with paper padding around them rather than stuffed inside, and they should never be nested or stacked — that's what crushes them. For chandeliers and hanging fixtures, photograph the wiring before disconnecting, wrap each arm individually, and use a box deep enough that nothing rests on the fixture.

Antiques and delicate finishes

Don't put bubble wrap or plastic directly against an aged or lacquered finish for a long trip — it can imprint or stick. Use a layer of clean paper or a soft cloth first, then padding over that. Older joinery is often weaker than it looks, so lift antique furniture from its structural base rather than by arms, backs, or tabletops.

Electronics and Media

Flat-screen TVs

The original box is best if you kept it. Failing that, use a TV-specific moving box with foam corners. Transport upright and on edge — never flat with weight on the panel, which is how screens crack. Photograph the input connections before unplugging anything.

Computers, monitors, and drives

Back everything up before a single cable comes out. Keep laptops, external drives, and backup media with you personally rather than on the truck. Desktop towers travel upright in a padded box. Coil and label every cable, and bag it with the device it belongs to.

Records, tapes, and film

Vinyl records travel vertically, standing on edge in a box sized so they can't lean — records stacked flat warp under their own weight, and a leaning stack warps just as reliably. Keep boxes small enough to lift, because records get heavy fast. Heat is the real enemy here, so don't leave them in a hot vehicle overnight mid-move.

Printed photographs

Separate photos with acid-free paper rather than stacking them directly against one another, since prints can bond together over time. Use a rigid box that won't get crushed, and keep them out of a hot car. If they're irreplaceable and undigitized, scan what you can first.

Musical Instruments

Instruments are among the most commonly damaged items in a move, largely because they get treated as furniture. Nearly all of them are wooden, glued, and under tension — three things that react badly to being jostled and to temperature swings.

Guitars and other strung instruments

Loosen the strings before the move to take tension off the neck, but don't slacken them completely — a small amount of tension keeps the neck stable. Use a hard case, not a gig bag, and pad any gap around the headstock, which is where breaks happen. For violins, violas, and cellos, loosen the bow hair as well; a bow left tensioned for weeks can warp.

Pianos and organs

This is the one item on the page where the honest advice is to not do it yourself. An upright piano runs several hundred pounds with the weight distributed unevenly and a center of gravity that shifts as you tilt it. Grands have to come apart — legs, lyre, and pedals removed, the body laid on its side on a padded skid board. Many general movers won't take pianos at all, and the ones who will often subcontract it.

Hire specialist piano movers. After the move, give the instrument two to four weeks to acclimate to the new room before having it tuned, since tuning it immediately means paying to do it twice. Place it against an interior wall and out of direct sunlight.

Brass and woodwind

Disassemble as far as the instrument is designed to come apart. Remove and separately store mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures. Clean and thoroughly dry the interior — anything left inside a closed case for weeks will make itself known. Pad the bell, which is the most easily dented part of a brass instrument, and use a hard case.

Drums and percussion

Break the kit down entirely rather than moving it assembled. Remove hardware from the shells, and nest smaller drums inside larger ones with padding between them so they don't rub. Slightly loosen the tension rods on the heads for the trip. Cymbals travel flat in a dedicated cymbal bag or case — never loose, and never on edge where they can bend.

Amplifiers, keyboards, and gear

Original boxes are ideal. Tube amps need particular care, since tubes are glass and microphonic damage isn't always visible; if the amp has removable tubes and you're comfortable doing it, pull and pack them separately. Keyboards go in padded cases, and stands come apart. Label the cabling — future you will not remember the signal chain.

Storing instruments between homes

If instruments are going into storage rather than straight to the new place, a climate-controlled unit is worth the difference. Wood expands and contracts as temperature swings, which loosens glue joints and opens seams over months. Keep instruments in hard cases inside the unit, off the floor, and away from anything that could fall on them.

Books, Clothing, and Soft Goods

Books

Small boxes only. Pack flat or spine-down, never spine-up or fanned open, which breaks bindings over time. Don't fill to the brim — a full large box of books is unliftable and the cardboard usually fails at the seam.

Clothing on hangers

Wardrobe boxes are the clean solution and save hours of re-hanging. The cheap alternative works nearly as well: gather groups of hangers, pull a heavy-duty trash bag up over the garments from the bottom, and cinch it around the hooks.

Rugs

Roll rugs, never fold them — folds become permanent creases, and in older or hand-knotted rugs they can crack the foundation. Roll with the pile facing inward, wrap in paper or a rug bag, and lay the roll flat rather than standing it on end for any length of time.

Large, Heavy, and Awkward

Refrigerators and freezers

Start 24 to 48 hours ahead: empty it, defrost it, and dry it completely. Anything left inside a sealed appliance for a week produces odors that are very hard to reverse. Tape the doors shut for transport, then prop them slightly open once it's in place or in storage so air can circulate.

Transport upright whenever possible. If it has to travel on its side, stand it upright at the destination and leave it unplugged for at least as long as it was lying down — a full day is the safe rule. Compressor oil migrates when a fridge is tipped, and running it before the oil drains back can damage the compressor.

Washers and dryers

Check the manual for transit bolts. Most washers ship with bolts that lock the drum in place, and moving one without them lets the drum swing and damage the suspension. Disconnect and fully drain the hoses, then coil them inside the drum.

Safes and gun cabinets

Concentrated weight in a small footprint is genuinely dangerous — a mid-size safe can outweigh a refrigerator while being a third the size, and a standard furniture dolly isn't rated for it. Empty the contents and keep them with you. For anything above a few hundred pounds, hire movers with the right equipment and tell them the weight in advance so they bring it.

Exercise equipment

Treadmills and ellipticals usually have a folding or transport lock — check the manual, since forcing one without releasing the lock bends the frame. Disconnect and pad the console. Weight plates and dumbbells go in small boxes, a few at a time. Cable machines and racks come apart; bag and label the hardware.

Aquariums

Never move a tank with water, gravel, or decorations in it. The seams are engineered to hold static weight, not weight in motion, and a tank that survived ten years on a stand will crack on a truck. Drain it completely, remove everything including substrate, and transport it empty and padded. Fish travel in bagged tank water in your own vehicle, and live fish or plants can't go into a storage unit.

Pool tables and other specialist pieces

Slate pool tables, grandfather clocks, hot tubs, and large gun safes are specialist jobs. Slate beds come in multiple pieces weighing hundreds of pounds each and have to be re-leveled after installation. Grandfather clocks need the weights, pendulum, and chimes secured or removed. Attempting these yourself usually costs more than hiring out.

Valuables and Sensitive Items

Jewelry, cash, and small valuables

These stay with you personally. Not on the truck, not with movers, not in storage. They're the easiest things to lose and the hardest to prove you owned.

Important documents

Passports, birth certificates, social security cards, deeds, titles, wills, and tax records travel in your own vehicle in a single folder or lockbox you can put your hands on. If a document is genuinely irreplaceable, a safe deposit box is a better long-term home than either a moving truck or a storage unit.

Wine and spirits

Use proper wine shippers with molded inserts rather than improvising with paper. Cork-sealed bottles travel on their side so the cork stays in contact with the wine. Temperature swings and vibration are what damage wine in transit, so a wine collection belongs in your own vehicle rather than in the back of a truck sitting in August heat.

Worth being straightforward about: a climate-controlled storage unit holds a stable temperature, which is better than an uncontrolled space, but it isn't a wine cellar and isn't designed as one. For a collection with real value, a purpose-built wine storage facility is the right answer.

Items That Need Special Handling — or Can't Come at All

Firearms and ammunition

Unload every firearm and confirm it's clear, then transport it in a locked hard case. Laws on transporting firearms vary significantly by state, and on an interstate move they apply in every state you drive through, not just your origin and destination — check the rules for your full route before you leave. Most moving companies won't transport firearms at all, and effectively none will take ammunition, which is classified as a hazardous material. Ammunition also can't go into a storage unit under standard lease terms.

Propane tanks and grills

Disconnect the tank from the grill and transport it separately, upright and secured, never in an enclosed passenger space. Movers won't take propane and it can't go into a storage unit. If you'd rather not deal with it, most propane exchange programs will take the tank off your hands.

Fuel-powered equipment

Drain all fuel and oil from mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, generators, and pressure washers before they go on a truck or into storage. Run the engine dry rather than just emptying the tank, since the carburetor holds fuel too.

Paint, solvents, and chemicals

Paint, thinners, pesticides, pool chemicals, and automotive fluids can't be transported by movers or stored in a unit. Use them up, give them away, or dispose of them through a local household hazardous waste program — most counties run drop-off days.

Plants

Most professional movers won't take live plants, and several states restrict bringing them across state lines to limit pest spread. Transport plants in your own vehicle, check destination state rules if you're crossing borders, and note that plants can't go into a storage unit at all.

Perishable food

Eat it, donate unopened shelf-stable items to a food bank, or discard it. Perishables can't go into storage, and a cooler in a moving truck in summer is optimistic at best.

Quick Reference: Where Each Item Travels

Address Changes, Utilities, and Paperwork

This is the category that causes the most post-move irritation, because the consequences arrive weeks later — a missed bill, a lapsed policy, a package sent to strangers.

Change of address

File your USPS change of address online, which forwards your mail to the new address for a limited period. There's a small verification fee for the online filing. Forwarding is a safety net, not a solution — update the source directly everywhere that matters:

• Banks, credit cards, and loan servicers
• Auto, health, life, and homeowners or renters insurance
• Employer and payroll
• DMV and voter registration
• Doctors, dentists, veterinarians, and pharmacies
• Schools and childcare
• Subscription boxes, online retailers, and delivery services
• The IRS and your state tax authority

Utilities

Schedule shut-off at the old address for the day after you move out, and start service at the new address for the day before you move in. That overlap is deliberate — arriving to a house with no power on moving day is a genuinely bad afternoon.

• Electricity and gas
• Water, sewer, and trash
• Internet and cable — schedule installation early, since appointment windows book out
• Home security monitoring

Photograph final meter readings at the old address before you leave.

Insurance

Confirm homeowners or renters coverage is active at the new address from your move-in date. If you're renting, many landlords require proof before handing over keys. Bundling home and auto with one carrier often produces a discount worth asking about.

Note that homeowners and renters policies frequently offer only limited coverage for belongings in transit, and moving company liability is typically calculated by weight rather than value. If you're moving high-value items, ask both your insurer and your mover specifically what's covered before the truck loads.

The Moving Day Playbook

Pack a first-night box

This is the highest-return twenty minutes of the entire move. One clearly marked box — or better, a suitcase you keep in your own car — holding everything you'll need before you find anything else:

• Toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, trash bags
• Basic cleaning supplies
• Toiletries, medications, and a change of clothes per person
• Phone chargers and a power strip
• Bedding for each bed, or at minimum sheets and a pillow
• A few plates, cups, and utensils, plus a pot or pan
• Coffee and whatever you need to make it
• Snacks and bottled water
• Basic tools, scissors, and a box cutter
• Flashlight and a small first-aid kit
• Pet food and bowls, or anything a child needs to sleep

Keep with you personally

• Identification, passports, birth certificates, and social security cards
• Financial and legal documents
• Jewelry, cash, and small valuables
• Prescription medications
• Laptops, external drives, and backup media
• Keys to both properties
• Anything irreplaceable or sentimental

The day itself

• Start earlier than feels necessary. Every move runs longer than planned.
• Arrange care for kids and pets elsewhere. Doors propped open and heavy items in motion make a house unsafe, and it's genuinely stressful for animals.
• Feed everyone. If people are helping, food and water are the minimum. Plan it rather than improvising at 2pm.
• Designate one person as the director at the new address, telling movers which room each box goes to. Sorting later costs multiples of what directing costs now.
• Do a full final sweep of the old place — closets, cabinets, attic, crawlspace, garage, behind doors, the dishwasher.
• Photograph the empty old place. Useful documentation for a deposit dispute.

Moving Large Furniture Safely

Most moving injuries and most furniture damage come from a handful of avoidable decisions.

Measure before you lift

Measure the piece, then measure every doorway, hallway turn, stairwell, and elevator it has to pass through — at both addresses. Discovering a sofa doesn't fit while three people are holding it is the worst possible time to find out.

Take out drawers and remove legs

Dressers and desks get dramatically lighter and easier to handle with the drawers out. Removing legs and feet from tables and sofas reduces the footprint, prevents snapped legs, and makes loading far simpler. Bag the hardware and tape it to the piece.

Slide rather than drag

Dragging furniture damages both the floor and the piece. Furniture sliders under each corner let one person move something two people would struggle to carry. Moving blankets underneath work in a pinch.

Lift with your legs, and don't be a hero

Bend at the knees, keep the load close to your body, and don't twist while carrying weight. If a piece feels too heavy, it is. Get another person, use a dolly, or use lifting straps. There is nothing worse than injuring yourself on the day because you didn't want to ask for help.

Use the right equipment

An appliance dolly with a strap handles refrigerators and washers. A four-wheel furniture dolly moves heavy case goods. Lifting straps redistribute weight to your legs and shoulders. Renting these for a day costs a fraction of a back injury.

Have a plan and an order of operations

Decide before you start what goes on the truck first and in what sequence. It stops the day becoming a game of Tetris and lets everyone helping know what's happening without being asked repeatedly.

Protect what you're carrying past

Lay down floor protection on hardwood and carpet at both ends. Pad door frames and stair rails on tight turns. Take the doors off their hinges if a few extra inches makes the difference.

Using Storage During Your Move

Storage solves a specific and very common problem: your dates don't line up. Closing is three weeks after your lease ends. The new place isn't ready. You're downsizing and haven't decided what goes yet. You're staging a home and need the furniture gone but not gone forever.

When It Makes Sense

• A gap between homes — put everything in a unit, live light, and move once when you actually have keys
• Staging to sell — clearing out excess furniture makes rooms photograph and show far better
• Downsizing — store what you can't decide about and make those calls later without a deadline hanging over them
• Renovating — get furniture out of the work zone entirely
• Moving in phases — stage belongings near the new address and move over several trips
• A military relocation or long assignment — a month-to-month unit doesn't lock you into a term

How It Works at 10 Federal

Our facilities are fully automated with no on-site staff, which changes the logistics in ways worth planning for.

1. Rent online, before moving day

   Choose your facility and size and complete the rental in a few minutes. There's no office visit, no appointment, and nothing to sign in person.

2. Get your access details

   Your gate credentials and unit number come through after checkout. Keep them on your phone.

3. A free lock is included

   Every move-in comes with a free lock, so there's nothing extra to buy or bring.

4. Move in whenever works

   Nearly all locations offer 24/7 gate access — which matters more than it sounds during a move, when you're returning a truck at 9pm.

5. Stay month to month

   No long-term contract. Keep the unit for as long as the gap lasts and move out through your online account.

Three Things to Plan For

• We can't accept deliveries. With no staff on site, there's nobody to receive or sign for a shipment. Anything being shipped needs to go somewhere a person can accept it.
• Bring your own equipment and help. No dollies, carts, or hands are provided at the facility. Bring what you need.
• Each unit is rented to one party. If more than one person needs independent access and shared responsibility, sort that out before you rent.

Not sure what size you need? Our size guide breaks down what fits in each unit, and the storage decision tool can narrow it down in a couple of questions. Storing wooden furniture, electronics, or artwork for more than a few weeks is worth doing in a climate-controlled unit, which holds a stable temperature rather than swinging with the seasons.

Your First Week in the New Place

• Unpack the essentials box, then set up the beds. Everything is easier after one decent night's sleep.
• Get the kitchen and one bathroom functional before touching anything else. These two rooms make a house livable.
• Change the locks if you've bought, or confirm with your landlord that they've been rekeyed.
• Locate the essentials — circuit breaker, water shut-off, gas shut-off, HVAC filter. Find these before you need them urgently.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries.
• Document any pre-existing damage with photos, especially in a rental.
• Learn the trash and recycling schedule. You'll generate a remarkable volume of cardboard.
• Unpack one room at a time. Finishing rooms is more motivating than opening boxes everywhere.
• Break down boxes as you empty them so the flattened stack doesn't take over a room.
• Go outside. Find the grocery store, the pharmacy, and somewhere to get coffee. It's the fastest way to stop feeling like a visitor.

Rent Your Self Storage Unit From 10 Federal Today!

If you arrive at your new home and realize you do not have enough storage space, 10 Federal can help. We offer convenient and affordable self storage units in a variety of sizes. Contact your local facility or go online to rent or reserve your self storage unit today!