Free guide

MOVING STARTER KIT

A room-by-room packing checklist, a week-by-week timeline and simple labelling tips — everything you need to keep a move organized. Print this page and keep it on the fridge while you pack.

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YOUR MOVING TIMELINE

4 weeks out

  • Book your Binny's totes for your delivery date.
  • Declutter one room at a time — donate, sell or recycle what isn't moving.
  • Start a moving folder for quotes, receipts and important dates.
  • Measure large furniture and doorways at the new place.

3 weeks out

  • Pack items you rarely use — off-season clothes, books, spare linens.
  • Arrange time off work and help for moving day.
  • Notify your landlord or confirm your closing date.
  • Use up freezer food and pantry items you won't move.

2 weeks out

  • Change your address with Canada Post, banks and subscriptions.
  • Book elevators or reserve parking for the truck at both ends.
  • Pack room by room, labelling each tote as you go.
  • Confirm utility transfers (hydro, internet, water) for both homes.

1 week out

  • Your totes arrive — start filling the rooms you use least.
  • Set aside an 'open first' tote for each person (see below).
  • Confirm the delivery window and pickup date with everyone helping.
  • Defrost the fridge and freezer if you're taking them.

Moving day

  • Load labelled totes by room so unloading is fast.
  • Keep valuables, documents and chargers with you.
  • Do a final walk-through — closets, cupboards, the garage.
  • Once unpacked, stack the empty totes for Binny's to collect.

ROOM-BY-ROOM PACKING CHECKLIST

Kitchen

  • Wrap plates upright (like records) with paper between them.
  • Nest bowls and pots; bag loose lids and utensils.
  • Seal spices and open bottles in a bag before packing.
  • Keep a kettle, a few mugs and snacks in your 'open first' tote.

Bedrooms

  • Fold clothes flat into totes, or leave dressers full if light enough.
  • Bundle bedding together and use it to cushion fragile items.
  • Keep one set of sheets per bed aside for the first night.
  • Label totes by person and room so they land in the right place.

Living room

  • Photograph the back of the TV and electronics before unplugging.
  • Coil and bag cables, taped to the device they belong to.
  • Wrap frames and mirrors; pack them upright on their edge.
  • Keep remotes and small parts in a labelled bag inside one tote.

Bathroom

  • Seal liquids in bags to catch leaks.
  • Pack a 'first night' kit: toilet paper, towels, soap, toothbrush.
  • Toss expired medicine and near-empty bottles before you pack.

Home office

  • Back up your computer before it goes in a tote.
  • Keep documents, keys and chargers with you, not on the truck.
  • Label a tote 'set up first' for the essentials you'll want day one.

LABELLING TIPS

  • Write the room and a one-line contents note on each tote's labelling card.
  • Mark FRAGILE totes clearly and load them last, on top.
  • Number your totes and jot the count per room — you'll know instantly if one's missing.
  • Give every household member an 'open first' tote: kettle, chargers, medications, a change of clothes, and the tools to reassemble a bed.
  • Keep the tote list on your phone so anyone helping can find things fast.

READY WHEN YOU ARE

Clean, stackable totes delivered to your door and picked up when you're done — booked by the week, delivery and pickup included.

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