Moving house can be incredibly exciting but also extremely stressful. There are many elements of moving house that people dread such as the organising, updating providers and perhaps the most stressful part of all, packing up the house!
You might be the best packer of all but packing a home up is a whole world of its own. With so many possessions, all in different shapes and sizes, some breakable and some not, there is so much to actually consider when packing it all up.
You will need to find a way to organise it all, keep it stored safely before the move and get it ready on the day of the move. Definitely do not leave it until the last minute!
Here are some important tips for packing when moving house.
Pack Important Stuff Last
This seems pretty obvious but so many people pack important stuff away and then can’t find them when they need them. Certain items such as phone chargers, important documents, certain clothes should be left until the last minute so they can be easily accessed during or immediately after the move.
You should start by packing the things you definitely won’t need until after you’ve moved, marking the boxes clearly and storing them safely.
Go One Room At A Time
It might be tempting to pack little and often in all the rooms but by packing one room at the time, you will find it much easier. Pack up the non-essential rooms first and then focus on packing up the non-essential items from the rooms you use the most afterwards.
Once one room is all packed up, you can use it to store your packed boxes until the day of the move. Use this time as a time to…
De-clutter
The less you have to take with you, the less you have to pack. When going through items ready to pack, declutter what you do not want or need so that you are only taking the things you actually want with you. You can sell items in good condition to offset some of your costs and can donate some items if you want to make someone else’s day.
Utilise Free Packaging Materials
Packaging materials can cost so much! A set of moving boxes online can cost upwards of £20, and you won’t find them for much cheaper in physical shops either. What you should be considering is asking for free cardboard boxes from your local shops. They are often getting rid of sturdy cardboard boxes that are perfect for packing your possessions in. Speak to them in advance and get yourself some decent boxes, ready for packing.
Ask friends and family if they have any tape, labels, or bubble wrap leftover from their recent moves or in general to see if you can save even more money there. Failing that, you can often pick these up from the shops for a fairly affordable price.
On that note…
Make Sure Gaps Are Filled
If you have small or fragile belongings, you don’t want to leave any space in the boxes as these could easily get damaged during the move. Use the bubble wrap or newspaper you got when sourcing packaging materials to fill up the gaps in the boxes to ensure the safety of your possessions.
It is also important to note that you don’t want to overfill boxes too – if they are quite large, this could make them too heavy and could cause an injury to those moving them.
Are You Covered?
Check to see if your possessions are covered by your home contents insurance policy for during the move. They may not be, and you may want to take out another policy on top. However, if you are using a removal company, they will usually have their own insurance coverage for the move. You will want to ensure damage or breaks are covered.
Hire Help
A removal company may be able to do all of this work for you. Some offer packing as an additional service which releases some of the stress on you. They should also offer insurance coverage for your possessions. Not only that but they are experts in house moves and will know the best way to carry things, the best routes to take and will have the manpower to help you move home in a timely manner.
These are just a few tips for moving home – have a happy move!
