Don’t Forget These Items When Moving

Moving is often a chaotic event. Packing, loading things onto a truck, cleaning out your old place, arriving at the new one, and doing it all over again in reverse. With so much going on, it’s not a surprise that people often forget some items in the process of the move.

And you would be surprised at what stuff people leave behind. Some of these are fairly inconsequential, but other objects are actually quite pricey. With that in mind, we created a list of some of the items people most commonly forget when moving, so you remember to keep an eye on yours next time.

20 Commonly Forgotten Items

While there are probably more things that people forget, we tried to focus on what is most left behind during a national move. Get some paper and make a list, for here are the 20 commonly forgotten items:

1. Personal Records

We are starting with a big one, and one that people should really try to keep in mind. Personal records. Documents can easily get loss in the rush of a move, as they are easily misplaced. Dental records, doctor records, important house or car papers, and more. Make sure to file these up long before you start the move, and keep that file close to you.

2. Jewelry and other Valuables

Another surprising item that people forget a lot is jewelry. People often keep jewelry stored away in safes and other hidden places, which can make it so some forget to get them from their hiding spots when it is time to move.

3. Library Books

This might not seem very important, but you don’t want to be filed up as someone who never returned their library books. Books are some of the items people forget to pack with them, but library books are a different animal altogether. You might actually pack them, but what you should really do is return them to the place where you borrowed them from. Don’t go racking up those unreturned book fees.

4. Dry Cleaning

With all the hub of the move, you might think of sending your clothing to a dry cleaner so you can pack your own washing machine earlier. However, some people forget they did that, and leave without picking up their clothes again. If you are sending stuff to the dry cleaner, make sure to write that down somewhere to remind you.

5. Plungers and Toilet Bowl Cleaners

This is not a big deal, but it’s usually forgotten. Plungers are often forgotten because people assume they come with the place. Not at all.

6. Phone Books

Like regular books, phone books and address books are commonly forgotten items. Nowadays with computers and mobile phones these might not seem so important, but if you have one with important information don’t forget to pack it up.

7. Keys

These are another really important item that people lose and forget more often than you think. Keys to the old place or to the new one, car keys, lock keys, and all sorts of keys. These get misplaced very often. Make sure to organize your keychain with everything in it and keep it in a place that you need to check so you don’t forget them.

8. Household plants

Plants are an often forgotten item for moves. Sometimes it’s intentional, while others people just forget of what they brought to the home. Even if you are not planning on taking your plants with you, try not to leave anything behind in the old place.

9. Coffee Makers

Kitchen appliances, like coffee makers, are often forgotten. People sometimes make the strange assumption that they come with the house, and forget they brought it in the first place. If you drink your cup of joe every morning, don’t forget to pack your coffee maker.

10. Gardening Tools

Since these tools are normally placed in sheds or storage closets inside or outside the house, it is not surprising that people often forget them.

11.Other People’s Stuff

Did you borrow clothing or an item from a friend or family member? If so, don’t forget to return it before you move. If you are going to a new city, you might not get the opportunity to send it back in a timely manner.

12. Microwaves

We mentioned kitchen appliances before, and the microwave is another one. If your new kitchen comes with one, that’s great. But don’t forget your old one behind. At worst, give it away to a family member or a friend.

13. Medicine

Medicine is often forgotten during moves due to being stored in different cabinets and drawers. If you take some kind of prescription medicine, make sure you pack it all up in a bag that you keep with you at all times. You don’t know how soon you’ll be able to get a refill.

14. Tools

Like the garden tools, traditional tools like hammers are often forgotten due to a move if they are stored away in sheds or storage closets. These can be expensive to replace, so make sure to make a mental note of their location.

15. Toilet Paper

Don’t forget the toilet paper. This might seem inconsequential until you find yourself at the new place without a fresh roll. You could buy some when you get there, but rather than risk it just pack away a roll or two with your bags.

16. Mail and Bills

Technically this is not one item you forget, but something people forget to change that cause important documentation to get misplaced. We are talking about changing your address. Forgetting to change your address will cause your mail and bills to arrive at your old home instead.

17. Food

Moving can take a while, and during this process you’ll probably get hungry. Just because you are moving, it doesn’t mean that you need to leave all your food behind. Pack any snacks you find and non-perishables and take them with you to the new home. Even better is to pack some of the snacks with you on a bag so you have something to eat on the journey.

18. Garage Door Opener

If you bought a garage door opener, don’t forget to uninstall it and take it with you. These objects can be expensive to replace, so if you have one in a good condition there’s no reason to leave it behind.

19. Gym Memberships

Technically not an item, but another thing people forget about when they move is cancelling subscriptions to local services. The most common of these is gym memberships.

20. Trash and recycle bins

You could opt to leave your trash bins behind, but why should you? These are very useful to have for the move, so if you have the space pack them up as well.

3 Tips to Avoid Forgetting Anything

Knowing what items people forget won’t help much if you don’t know how to avoid forgetting them in the first place. Here are 3 tips to follow to ensure you remember your stuff:

Keep A To-Do List

The first and most important thing to do to avoid leaving any items behind is to make a list of the things you need to do and everything you need to take to your new home.

Pay special attention to critical stuff like documents, keys, medicine, and changing your address. Make either a virtual or physical list and note down where you are packing this stuff to ensure you’ll know how to find it later.

The best way to avoid losing anything during a move is to keep everything organized and make a written record.

Design a Specific Spot for Commonly Used and Important Items

A good idea is placing your most important items in a specific location that you have chosen specifically for the purpose of being a reminder. This should be somewhere that’s hard to forget, or a place that you can’t miss when going through the process of the move.

By piling up these items together in one spot, you reduce the changes that you’ll forget any of them. This works best for items that you need to use constantly during the move and can’t afford to pack until the end.

Or Keep your Stuff with Items You Know You Won’t Forget

Another alternative that’s similar to the last one is to keep all your important items, or things you don’t want to forget, together with something you absolutely know you won’t forget. If there’s a particular appliance, object, or furniture that you know is impossible to miss, keeping your stuff around it is a good way to remind you of it and avoid leaving it behind later.

Wrapping Up

Moves are crazy, which is why is not crazy in itself to think of the things that people leave behind. However, being prepared and knowing what to expect will help reduce the changes of leaving some of your items.

Three Movers hope is that by showing you this list, and making movers aware of commonly forgotten items, you can become more organized in your move.