More than 11 percent of Americans change residences each year and the average family stays in their home around eight years. As anyone who has ever moved knows, you can accumulate a lot of possessions in that time, items that need to be moved, sold or discarded before the movers arrive. However, clearing out your cluttered closets is only one of several essential steps you'll want to take before the moving van arrived at your house.

1. Clear the clutter. You don't want to move things that you haven't used in years. That means taking the time to re-home old clothes, throw out old magazines, donate books to the library and give up on those projects that you never seem to find time for.

2. Deal with the items that the movers can't take. There are a number of items that movers aren't permitted to transport. These include house plants, toxic items like paint or pesticides, ammunition, perishable food and extremely heavy items like pianos and hot tubs. Best to discard of these items properly, use them or find another way to move them before the movers arrive.

3. Stow your valuables. To avoid your jewelry, travel documents, identification and important documents from getting mixed up with the packing boxes, make sure to stow them away from the moving fray, somewhere you can easily get them when you need them.

4. Secure your pets. Your cat and dog can become nervous and scared with so much unusual activity going on in your home during moving day. It's not uncommon for a pet to escape the fray by running out the door during the move. Avoid this by securing the animals in an area of the house that the movers don't need to access and marking it as such. You might even turn on music or a television set to help soothe your pets while you're dealing with the movers.

5. Arrange for child care. If you have small children, you'll also want to make arrangements for a friend or babysitter to stay with the kids in the "no-mover" zone. There will just be too much going on when the movers arrive to be able to keep a good eye on your little ones.

Moving day can be rather hectic. Help control the chaos by getting rid of the items that the movers won't move ahead of moving day, clearing out the clutter in your home, securing your pets and valuables and making arrangements for child care for your little ones. For more information, contact companies like Midwest Moving & Storage, Inc.