Moving house soon? Follow our handy tips.

Author: Tom Kinnaird

In this article, I'm eager to bestow some real help to persons who find the total option of packing for moving house slightly overwhelming. You're probably dreading the idea of having to decide where to start and what to take, so let's set up a step plan for you to check on, and I think, after you take the number one step, you'll understand that just getting going is the highest hurdle you'll stand in front of.

Step 1: The Big Clear Out.

This sounds like an obvious step, but from my experience, it's overlooked all to often. An opportunity has arisen at this juncture where you can get rid of a quantity of rubbish and open up a little valuable room, and lessen your workload and outlay on removal day. This is especially significant if your move is over a long distance, or if there's going to be a storage phase amid your moving out and moving in days. Remember, the higher the volume of goods to be moved, followed by the more packing equipment, men necessary, time necessary, bigger vehicle necessary, bigger storeroom unit necessary. It all has a knock on effect, so strip your house down to the essentials and save your time and money. Take a good long look at your furniture, and ask yourself if you really would like to shell out to have that weary old settee taken to your brand new address. Are your beds or mattresses due for replacement? Do you really need to keep all those back issues of your favourite magazines? A clever suggestion is to ask yourself when was the previous moment you used that thing, and force yourself to cast it away. Use it or lose it. Get this step best by being as merciless as you can, and you're on your way to a much smoother, and much cheaper move.

Step 2: The Non Essentials

We all get those items which we can't be parted from, such as personal photo albums, ornaments and trinkets, artwork, and of course our clothes and cookware, but for a large amount of us it can be packed, weeks in advance of moving date without impacting on our lives. If you can cut down to manage on the bare essentials, and box up the remainder ahead of time, you'll suddenly hit upon that the workload on moving day is now down to a much more convenient level. If you can get this stage done before you call in the removal companies for quotes, it follows that you can expect the prices to be much more reasonable. The agent from the moving company
will respond far more favourably to a tidy organised household, than he would to a jumbled house with a mountain of graft to get through. So get ahead of time and box up the things you can manage without. Don't be concerned too much as regards what goes away on this stage, as you can leave your boxes unsealed in case you need to search out that special pair of shoes or your kids other toys. Stack your packed boxes to the wall in each room, ready to seal them up right before moving day.

Step 3: The Night Before

Relax. With steps one and two prepared you've already prepared much better than the majority. You can award yourself a pat on the back at this moment and know that your moving day is going to plan. Now, all that needs to be done is to place everything in your essentials collection which is no longer wanted into the unsealed boxes. You'll need fresh clothes, wash kit, a couple of towels and the breakfast items for the morning, but everything else can go away. My own reminder is to keep the coffee pot out and a number of mugs and teaspoons, milk and sugar. We all like a mid-morning break on the day and it's so much nicer to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Especially vital at this point, is that you get a fair nights sleep. Moving day is a long day so catch your rest and wake up refreshed and energised ready to rock and roll.

Step 4: Get up and go off!

If your movers are coming by 8am, it follows that you'll need to be up, washed, dressed and fed earlier than they arrive. Then you've got to get the breakfast dishes washed dried and packed, get the wash kit away, but leave a towel and a little soap in the bathroom. Strip your beds down and box up the sheets, pillows and duvets. Seal up all the boxes which have been left unsealed up to this moment and presto, youre prepared. When the movers arrive, thay can move straight to work lifting boxes off to the van while you polish off a small amount of last small tasks. Once your boxes and furniture are moved out, you've got to turn out the lights, lock up, hand over the keys and get after that truck.

Hopefully right now you're looking forwards to moving. I know as soon as I arrive on nearly all jobs, a look of absolute panic is showing, but typically by the mid morning break we've got the bulk of it complete and things calm down. If you take my advice and abide by the plan then you to will be able to sleep well the night beforehand and meet your movers with a smile.