Our moving professionals have put together some Top Tips for an Efficient Packing Process to ensure you moving experience is relatively stress-free. Use these tips to make sure you pack everything appropriately.
Downsize and de-clutter. With so many things at home, you probably don’t have to pay for it all to be moved. Anything that you haven’t used over the last year, get rid of. You could donate or sell them via eBay or even jumble and car boot sales.
Plan
Packing is a lot easier when you have decided what needs to be packed and how. Most people underestimate the sheer number of things they actually own, so overcompensate when getting boxes.
Start as soon as possible. Packing takes time and it is difficult to predict how much time you will need to pack so don’t waste it.
Keep cleaning products close by. If you dust your things before you pack them, there will be less cleaning to do when you get to the new house.
Lists
Make inventory lists with the content of each box. After that mark every box with a colour denoting the room it belongs to. For example, red – living room, blue – kitchen, yellow – bedroom. It will help you find what you need in the chaos of your new home. Make sure you also label clearly if the box contains breakables. This is the simplest of packing tips but can be overlooked.
Invest in decent moving boxes. Use boxes like ours [link to shop] which have double-ply cardboard that will protect your belongings and hold up to the moving process.
Don’t use tape directly over furniture. It can leave marks and spoil the surface. Pack everything first and then use tape to secure it.
Put bed linens and toiletries in the vehicle last. When the moving van arrives, you will need these things first. Unpack and make the bed first. You will appreciate it after a long day of moving.
Use mattress bags. It will protect your mattress during transit and keep it clean.
Put heavier and larger things in the moving van first. Cover the furniture with moving pads or moving blankets in order to protect it from damage from anything placed above. Arrange lighter things on top of the heavy furniture. Another simple tip, but it is often forgotten.
Secure everything in the moving truck. When on the road, your furniture and boxes should be stable otherwise you risk damaging them.
Keep valuables and important documents close to you during the move. If you do have to put them in the truck, label them as “books” or “winter jackets”.
Label cables, wires and plugs. When you go to hook up your electronic systems, you’ll be very thankful you don’t have to remember how they were originally set up.