This color-coded moving hack is all you need for a stress-free relocation

Moving house has been labeled as one of the most stressful life events for a reason, so any hacks and tricks that can make the packing and transportation process simpler can be a godsend. 

That is where the color-coded moving hack comes into play. Loved by movers and professional organizers alike, the simple hack is being hailed as one of the best additions to a moving house checklist, helping to minimize the time spent reorganizing and unpacking when you reach your new home.

This is how to use the color-coded moving hack when relocating – and how it will ensure your hired help doesn't tire out too early. 

What is the color-coded moving hack?

The color-coded moving hack, created by expert organizer Kaylie of @tidycadamypro on TikTok, is being hailed as a saving grace for unloading day by professional movers. 

The hack is simple. When packing up your belongings into moving boxes, assign each room a color – the living room is pink, the bathroom is blue, the kitchen green, etc. Then, label the boxes with bright-colored matching labels (writing the room on is helpful too.)

In your new property, you can then put the corresponding labels on the door frames of each room when cleaning a new home before moving in so that any hired help will know which boxes belong in each room. This is particularly useful for blank spaces that you will make into bedrooms or home offices as per your preference. If you want to be extra organized, Kaylie also uses colored labels with directions to each room and even adds printouts of a color-coded floor plan of the new home so movers don’t have to ask as many questions, or waste energy wandering around.   

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If you can’t find enough colored tape for each space or want to cut house moving costs, you can fall back on using one color for each type of room, such as bundling the bedrooms together, or use brightly colored pens, adds Kye Harman of Armishaws Removals. ‘Use the same marker on a sheet of paper and place that on each door, so your removal team knows which room is which.’ 

It can also be helpful to mark every side of the box, Kye continues. ‘Once boxes are stacked, unless you've marked all the sides you can't see where those boxes need to go.’

‘This is an excellent approach to packing and moving, and it's one that we use whenever we're responsible for packing our customers' belongings,’ shares Nick Valentino, VP of market operations at Bellhop Movers. That being said, it does require some good planning on both ends to achieve successfully, he adds. ‘You need to know where you want all of your belongings to end up, and you also need quality floor plans of the home you're moving into. You'll also want to carefully review your plans with everyone who will be doing the moving. 

‘If you want to be even more efficient, it helps to load the truck based on these color-coded labels as well. Things can go a lot faster when you can load and unload one room at a time instead of figuring out which room you're headed for on each trip.’ 

One downside to this method is the extra effort the client has to put in before the move when they are likely already busy with packing and arranging the paperwork, counters Ashley Graber, moving expert and co-owner at Cool Hand Movers. Adding a brief list of what is inside each box can often be more helpful, especially when unpacking, she suggests.  

FAQs

Do movers expect everything in boxes? 

When moving home, movers will likely hope that you have packed everything that will fit into boxes to make loading up vans simpler when they arrive – it can also help make them less liable if anything breaks if you are the one who packed and wrapped items up for transportation. 

The general rule is if it fits, pack it. Anything that doesn't fit can be wrapped up in plastic wrap or another protective layer to prevent damage or marking during the journey.  

How do you pack fragile boxes for moving? 

When you have boxes of fragile items when moving house, label them as such to alert movers that these items will need more care than others. A mover aims to transport your items as quickly and efficiently as possible to not draw out an already stressful process. This means that items may be quickly shuffled about. A box clearly marked as fragile will keep anything delicate safe from this process.  

Moving hacks and organization only go so far if you don’t hire a reputable mover, concludes Ashley Graber, moving expert. ‘If you're working with a professional team, the team leader or foreperson will do a walkthrough with you in each location to talk through your moving plan,’ this is something you can discuss when first hiring movers. We explore, how much does it cost to hire movers in our dedicated piece.

‘Again, this is less of a time investment than creating a color-coding project for yourself – and you also don't have to worry about getting a colorblind mover!’