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How to Prepare for Moving Day: What to Do the Week before Your Move
By the time you’re a week out from your move, most of the big decisions are already made. Hopefully you’ve booked your movers, packed the boxes you can live without, and picked your date. What’s left is smaller, but it’s exactly the stuff that determines whether moving day goes smoothly or turns into a scramble.
Knowing what to do the week before your move comes down to a short list of things that matter more than they seem to on paper. We send every customer a reminder covering these same points before their service, and the ones who follow it closely almost always have the easiest moves.
At College Muscle Movers, we’ve seen which of these details actually cause problems when they’re skipped, not just in theory, but on real moving days. This guide walks through what to do in the week before your move, and just as importantly, why it matters.
What to Do Before Moving Day: The Short Version
With about a week left before your move, a few things matter more than anything else on a general packing list:
- Read and sign your confirmation document. It spells out policies you’ll want to know before move day, not after.
- Lock in your inventory. Movers plan crew size and truck space around what’s listed, and last-minute additions aren’t guaranteed.
- Prepare your space for the crew: clear walls, disassemble furniture, and box up small items.
- Reserve anything that needs reserving, an elevator, a loading dock, or street parking, before move day, not the morning of.
- Order any last-minute supplies you’re missing.
The sections below explain why each of these actually matters, not just that you should do them.
What to Do the Week Before Your Move (and Why it Matters)
Most of the planning for a move happens weeks in advance: choosing a date, booking movers, starting to pack. The final week is usually spent packing your remaining items and cleaning your home.
But there are a few very important things to double check during this last stage before the move to make sure there are no unwanted surprises.
An incorrect address or zip code, an inventory that doesn’t match what’s actually in the house, a hallway that isn’t cleared, none of these take long to fix in advance. All of them take real time to fix on moving day itself, when your crew is on the clock and the options are more limited.
Confirm and Sign Your Move Documentation
Your confirmation document, sometimes called an order for service, covers the details of your move and the policies that apply to it, including what happens if something is damaged in transit. At College Muscle Movers, we send it right after you book.
Skipping this isn’t just a paperwork gap. If a question comes up about coverage, timing, or what was agreed to, the confirmation document is the reference point for both you and your moving company. It’s also your opportunity to confirm that your movers have the right addresses and inventory for your move.Â
Reading it a week out, while there’s still time to ask questions, is a very different experience than trying to sort out a disagreement on moving day itself.
If you can’t find your confirmation document, don’t wait until moving day to mention it. A quick call or email to your moving company will get you a copy well before it matters.
Lock in Your Inventory
Every mover builds their plan, crew size, truck size, and time estimate, around what’s on your inventory list. That list isn’t just a formality; it’s the basis for the whole plan for your move.
If an item isn’t on the list, it isn’t guaranteed to be moved. Most moving companies, us included, will accommodate reasonable additions when they can, but a truck that’s already sized for a specific load, and a crew that has another job scheduled right after yours, both have real limits. A couch that gets added the morning of your move might not fit, not because anyone’s being difficult, but because the truck and the schedule were both planned around the list you confirmed.
The week before your move is the right time to walk through your home and compare what you actually have to what’s on your inventory. If something’s changed, whether you’re bringing more or less than planned, let your moving company know while there’s still time to adjust.
Prepare Your Space For the Crew
A few hours of prep the week before can save real time, and real money, on moving day itself.
Remove anything hanging on walls: artwork, mirrors, curtains. Disassemble bed frames and flat-pack furniture ahead of time if you can, since taking furniture apart on-site takes longer than most people expect, especially for pieces that weren’t designed to come apart easily. Get small items into boxes rather than leaving them loose. A move that’s billed hourly goes faster, and costs less, when the crew isn’t spending time boxing loose items or working around furniture that still needs to be disassembled.
This is also where damage most often happens on a move: items that weren’t disassembled properly, or breakables that were left loose instead of boxed. If you want more detail on where things tend to go wrong, our breakdown of what gets damaged most often during a move covers it in more depth.
Reserve Parking Space and Elevators if Needed
If your move involves an elevator, a loading dock, or limited street parking, the week before is the time to handle it, not the morning of.
Many apartment buildings require elevators to be reserved in advance, sometimes with as little as 24 hours notice and sometimes with a week or more, depending on the building. Some cities also require a permit to park a moving truck in certain areas. We covered both of these in detail in our guide to moving into an apartment in Minneapolis or St. Paul, since they come up often enough to deserve their own explanation.
If you’re not sure whether your building or your street requires anything, a quick call to your leasing office or the city is worth the ten minutes it takes.
Last-Minute Supplies, If You Need Them
By a week out, most of your packing should be underway, but it’s normal to realize you’re short on boxes, tape, or specialty supplies for things like TVs or mattresses.
CMM offers moving supplies for pickup or delivery, with discounts up to 20% off depending on order size. You can order supplies online or have them delivered with your crew on moving day. It’s worth checking what you actually have on hand rather than assuming you’re covered. Running out of boxes two days before a move is a common, avoidable stress.
What to Have Ready the Morning of Your Move
- A bag with essentials you’ll want immediate access to
- Any documents or paperwork your crew might need, signed and ready
- A clear path for them to move through your home
For a full breakdown of the weeks leading up to your move, not just the final one, our moving checklist walks through the full timeline from booking to move day.
FAQs About The Week Before You Move
How far in advance should I sign my confirmation document?
As soon as you receive it, ideally weeks before your move rather than the final few days. It’s easier to ask questions and make changes when there’s still time to do so. We also highly recommend reviewing it a few days before your move so you can notify your movers if anything has changed.
What happens if I forgot to add something to my inventory?
Let your moving company know as soon as you notice. Most companies will accommodate reasonable additions when possible, but truck size and crew scheduling are both based on the original list, so changes aren’t guaranteed the closer you get to moving day.
Do I need to disassemble my own furniture before movers arrive?
It depends on what you’ve arranged with your moving company. Many offer disassembly and reassembly as part of the service, but confirming this ahead of time, rather than assuming, avoids a surprise on moving day.
Do I need to reserve parking or an elevator before my move?
If your building has an elevator or your street has parking restrictions, check with your building or city in advance. Some buildings require 24 hours notice or more, and some cities require a permit for a moving truck to park.
What should I do if I'm low on packing supplies close to my move date?
Check with your moving company. Most offer supplies for pickup or delivery, including on the day of your move if you’re in a pinch.
The Small Stuff Is the Big Stuff
None of what happens the week before a move is complicated on its own. Signing a document, confirming a list, clearing a hallway, none of it takes long. What makes it matter is timing: the same task that takes ten minutes a week out can cost real time and money if it’s still unresolved on moving day.
Ready to make sure everything’s in order for your own move? Get a free quote from College Muscle Movers, and if you’ve already booked with us, keep an eye out for your pre-service reminder. It covers exactly what’s in this guide.
About the Author
Morgan Alexander
Moving Specialist