Everyone finds moving house a stressful time. Unfortunately, you can’t remove all of the stress from the situation but you can alleviate some of it with better planning and organisation. Simple things can make the difference; like packing the kettle and mugs last so you can use them first when you arrive at your new home.
The best place to start is to begin de-cluttering your house long before you’re planning to move. You’ll probably find a lot of things you can’t even remember buying. If you haven’t used something in a year, you’re unlikely to use it in your new home so there’s very little point in packing it. This’ll greatly reduce the amount you have to actually pack before moving.
Before you start packing, get a hold of some labels so you can properly label each box. This might sound over the top, but it’ll help a huge amount when it comes to unpacking. You can also place labels on each person’s bedroom, so anyone that’s helping you knows where to take each box.
If you have pets, you’ll want to decide the best course of action with them. Some animals adjust well to change and they won’t be too flustered by everything changing and moving. If so, then you can probably keep them in a different room whilst boxes and furniture are being moved out. Otherwise you’ll want to look into having someone look after them for a few days instead. Similar rules apply for younger children; if they’re easily bored or they react badly to hectic change then you might want someone to look after them for a day or two.
Next you want to start packing things you’re unlikely to need during the move. Winter clothes for example, if it’s summer. Those books you’re keeping for sentimental reasons. Anything that’s accumulated dust probably means you’re not going to use it during the move.
CD’s, books, videos aren’t essential so you’ll want to pack those next. You’re best to keep things sectioned up as you remove them. So if all your CD’s go on one shelf, pack them all together so you’re not getting everything mixed up together. Once all that’s packed, you’ll want to start working in a logical order. Select a few sets of clothes for the next few days then start packing your clothes too. Its personal choice if you’d rather iron them before packing them; or iron them once you get to your new house.
Furniture is next, you’ll want to start from the top and work your way down through the house. It’s best to check the dimensions of larger objects and the doors they have to get through. This way you’ll determine if anything needs dismantling first or if you’ll need the help of others to move certain pieces of furniture.
The last items to pack onto the van should be the vacuum cleaner, a box containing the kettle, mugs, sugar, tea bags and other essentials that should be first out at the other end. All these little things will add up in the end, hopefully reducing the stress of the move.
Mark Pendleton is the MD of Affordable Removals In Nottingham, UK. Mark has a huge amount of experience in house removals.
