House Moving Guide
Packing up a house or flat, whether you live alone or in a houseful, can be a daunting experience. Let’s take a moment to remember why you are moving; the benefit of that bigger garden, that extra bedroom little Charlie is so excited about, moving in with your special someone or perhaps you are looking forward to downsizing. Whatever the reason, don’t lose sight of that end goal!
Before you start packing ensure to gather together your required boxes; what size box will be most beneficial and easy to handle? Do you have enough packaging tape for securing your boxes? Do you have a working marker so you can label each box with the room it belongs to?
Top Tips
• Consider what you don’t need to take with you, what will need careful packing and what can be thrown away.
• Get your boxes and tape in advance.
• Start keeping your weekend newspapers to use for void filling, padding and wrapping of valuables.
• Don’t overfill your boxes so they become too heavy to manoeuvre.
• Pack in a logical manner.
• Label each box with the room the contents belong to.
• Keep essentials close to hand or easy to find once moved.
‘Getting your Ducks in a Row’
Moving house is also a great time to look through your belongings and have that spring clean you’ve been putting off since last Christmas. You may wish to get an additional box or two to put all your unwanted items in for the local charity shop. Alternatively you could earn a few extra pennies to put towards that exciting task of redecorating by listing your unwanted goods on an online auction site or setting up a stall at your local car boot.
Sorting through all your belongings also allows you to decide whether or not you’ll need them in the run-up to moving day. It is best to start your packing by choosing those items you want to keep but won’t use before the move. Such as archived photo albums, Christmas decorations, your library of books and cd’s and anything in the loft that has not been used since you put it there.
Unless you pack light, you won’t be able to unpack all your belongings on the day of your move. With this in mind, it is worth deciding what you will require to have easy access to once you have unloaded all the boxes from the moving van.
Create an ‘essentials box’ for the first night in your new home and ensure you know exactly where it is upon loading the van. Instant access to tea/coffee, cups, kettle and some snacks will be a welcomed comfort after a hard day of loading and unloading all your belongings. Utensils and basic cleaning products will be also beneficial.
Be sure to prepare an overnight bag. The last thing you need is to be tired and not know where your pyjamas or toothbrush are. Be sure to all include a roll of toilet roll and hand wash into your overnight! Other items which could come in handy and should be made easily available are a torch, a first-aid kit, pencil and paper and the tools you used when taking down all your furniture items.
If possible, finish as much laundry as you can before moving to avoiding packing damp clothes. Keep your dirty washing separate from your clean laundry so that you can ensure these are cleaned when you re-plumb in your washing machine.
Time to Pack
Before you start, take some time to consider how you are going to pack your possessions. Books are easy to pack but too many in a box can make it them too heavy to handle. Valuables will need careful wrapping and breakables should not be packed below anything too heavy. Will some of your furniture need dismantling to make them easier to move?
Start packing early. Packing always takes longer than anticipated, especially when you start reminiscing over old photographs and mementos or you realise that the wardrobe won’t go down the stairs without dismantling.
Pack one room at a time. Clearly label each box with a brief description of its contents and the room which it belongs to. This will help ensure that each box ends up in the correct room in the new house; it can also help take the frustration out of trying to locate your belongings. Ensure that you label all boxes with ‘Fragile’ that contain any valuables or breakables.
It may sound obvious, but pack heavier items on the bottom of the box and lighter items on top. Wrap all your belongings individually with bubble wrap or your saved newspapers. Be careful when using newspapers as the ink may transfer onto your hands or belongings, use tissue as your first layer of wrapping if you are worried that the ink may transfer across.
Pillows, bedding and blankets are useful for providing padding when wrapping valuables or protecting furniture which may be prone to dents and scratches.
Don’t Forget to Treat Yourself
As we said at the beginning, moving house can be a stressful time for anyone, with all the multitude of tasks it can seem like there is no time to relax. Although you may think that working through to the early hours of the morning is a constructive way to utilise your time, it is vital that you don’t neglect your needs. Make sure you are getting enough rest and not relying on quick meals. You need to keep your strength and mood levels up for the big day of moving.
Plan into your schedule some evenings which are packing-free to spend with loved ones and friends or perhaps have a relaxing night in with a book or a good movie. Take some time to unwind and rejuvenate.
Similarly when you arrive, don’t try to unpack all your worldly possessions in one day. You will still be very tired from the trips in and out of the van, so don’t forget to rest. This is where your labels on the boxes come in handy, so you can unpack by priority.
Happy Moving!
