Packing up a home you’ve lived in for a number of years is no mean feat. Not only do you need to think about keeping everything safe, you also need to factor in how it’s going to be transferred to your new home. And if all that isn’t enough, you need to leave the property you’re vacating in the best possible shape for the incoming owners or tenants.
But worry not, as this checklist for moving home will ensure your big day passes without incident.
ASSEMBLE THE NECESSARY SUPPLIES
In order to pack away your furniture and possessions safely for the journey, you will need a selection of supplies. Gather the following items together before you move anything in your home:
- Boxes of various sizes
- Packing tape
- Bubble wrap
- Newspapers
- Cling wrap (for your furniture)
- Markers
- Sticky labels
START PACKING ASAP
There will be many items in your home that will require a little extra care during the moving process. It is therefore essential that you give yourself enough time to pack them properly. You don’t need to wait for a specific moving date to start packing away ornaments, glassware, crockery and other breakables. As soon as you’ve decided to list your house for sale, start the packing process immediately.
START WITH THE ROOMS YOU USE LEAST
Two great places to start the removal process are the loft and the shed, as the chances are these areas are used for items you seldom use. The last rooms you pack up should be your kitchen, bathroom and main living space, as this should help you and your family to functional normally. Clear one room to store packed possessions to limit the disruption to your daily life.
PACK SYSTEMATICALLY
To ensure you leave nothing behind, pack up one room at a time once you have a definite moving date. Label everything with the name of the room it comes from, as well as the specific room it is destined for in your new home.
GET RID OF CLUTTER
There is absolutely no point in carting off possessions to your new home when you have no intention of using them. So before your removal van arrives, sweep through your property and set aside anything you don’t want to keep. You can give it to charity, recycle it or sell it at a car boot sale.
LIMIT BOXES TO 10 KILOS
Whether you are moving yourself or you’ve enlisted the services of a removal company, overfilling your boxes is a recipe for disaster. Not only could it lead to injury, it might lead to a lot of your possessions being dropped and damaged. Set a 10 kilo limit for every box you fill. To give you an idea of how heavy this is, it’s around half an airline’s maximum weight for checked-in baggage.
FILL EMPTY GAPS IN THE REMOVAL VAN
The removal van you use should be fitted with straps and protective equipment to ensure nothing shifts during transit. However, it’s a good idea to keep all of your breakables together, and as far away as possible from your heavy items of furniture. Fill in gaps between boxes with old newspapers and bubble wrap, as this should minimise movement when your worldly possessions are on the road.
KEEP ESSENTIALS TOGETHER
The process of unpacking in your new home might take days, so it’s important to keep all of life’s essentials accessible. For most people, these essentials will include items needed for cooking and washing. Unpack these first, and you’ll have everything needed to get on with the process of really moving in.
THINK LOGICALLY
Just a little common sense should be enough to get you through your move. Load up heavier and bulkier items on the removal van first, and then move onto the smaller items. It will be easier to move your stuff into your new home if you start upstairs at the back of the property and work your way to the front and down. Keep boxes for each room together, and load up bedroom items last — as these will be first to be unloaded from the vehicle.
The last thing you should do before you leave your old home is clean. Wait until the property is completely empty, and this process should be quick and easy — as long as you have tools like Shark’s Rocket Lightweight Corded Handstick Vacuum Cleaner at your disposal.
