Moving day can be extremely stressful. You have already gone through the stress of finding a new home and organising important paperwork and now you have to think about how to get your possessions from your old home to your new one.
This is often the most stressful part of the whole home move – trying to pack everything into the removal van so it all fits but nothing is in danger of being damaged. This is even more stressful when trying to move things yourself by loading and unloading your items into cars because you are trying to avoid paying out for a removal company or van hire. Many self-movers do end up hiring a removal truck eventually, but they still struggle to complete the loading and unloading of the van safely. Sometimes it can be really tough to move heavy or fragile items too!
If you are not engaging the help of rental company professionals, then you need to make sure you pack your items well when putting them in the moving truck. Here are some important things to consider:
Is Self-Moving For You?
Sometimes it might seem cheaper to move everything yourself. This, however, is a false economy as renting a moving van yourself often costs more than hiring a removal company. These professionals will have the knowledge and the equipment to pack a van perfectly. They also have enough insurance coverage to cover them in the event of an accident.
Whichever option you choose, don't forget to compare man and van prices carefully before renting a moving van - this will save time and money.
Hiring A Removal Van
If you do plan on doing the move yourself, you need to make sure you hire a big enough vehicle. You won’t want to do multiple trips because you couldn’t fit everything in or even have to book an additional vehicle!
First of all, you should make a list of all of your possessions – absolutely everything that you are planning on taking with you. Measure out the length of some of the heavy items such as furniture so that you have an idea of what size vehicle you will need – you may also want to weigh certain items too!
Packing The Van
Now that you have decided to move your items yourself, it's time to load your removal van. Here is a helpful guide to packing it:
- Heavier items should be packed first – this includes your furniture and white goods. Make sure they are upright and completely secured – you don’t want them to topple over onto everything else! You should also pack and load the longer items along the sides such as headboards and tabletops.
- Take apart any furniture that can be disassembled to save space - just make sure you have the instructions for reassembling and keep the loose pieces somewhere safe until you come to reassemble it.
- Pad the items that may be prone to damage – you can use bubble wrap or rolled up sheets for this.
- Heavier boxes should fill up the rest of the floor space – you don’t want these at a height they could fall from.
- Lighter boxes should be on top of the heavier boxes and you can stack these as high as they will go – make sure they aren’t loosely packed in though.
- Utilise tight spaces in the van for your more fragile items - or keep them with you in the front of the van if you are worried about them getting broken.
- The only items left at this point should be clothing, rugs, and other similar items - these can be slotted in boxes or suitcases in any remaining space in the van or in the footwell or your car boot.
With these top tips, you should be able to move home by yourself with no problems at all.