Packing up your house
In my last article I wrote about the process leading up to the move, now it is time to roll your sleeves up and start packing your house, or simply get the movers to do it for you.
When a quality house removals company pack your home they arrive in the morning then start packing your effects into boxes, taking 5-6 hours to pack a 3 bed house. Many customers are amazed at how quickly we can pack a house.
However, when customers pack their own house they will start packing, pick up an item look at it, decide if they want it, maybe read the book they are packing, look at photos and take ages to pack – it often takes a customer 2 or 3 days to do what the professionals can do in hours.
Do you need to move all the items in the loft?
When moving house you are quoted based on the overall size of the move. The more you take the more you pay! Often the worst offending place for storing items is the loft, followed by the garage (we rarely see garages when surveying which do have cars in them – they are just extra storage space).
Do you really need to move stuff which has not been touched in ages to a new home, then possibly move it again and again? Wasting not only space in your new home but money too.
Be ruthless, do you really need the box which has been in the loft for the last 5 years and never looked at – if a box or item is covered in dust then that does indicate that it is not used.
Use good quality Packing Materials
There are many types of boxes for packing, and many different quality packing boxes – single walled boxes are suitable for lighter items, but we recommend double walled boxes – which will be more expensive. However, they will protect your possessions better during moving. You will need to buy bubble wrap and lots of it, along with tape and marker pens.
Speak to your removals company who should be able to provide you with boxes – best to buy too many than run out and have to order more. Most removals companies will credit you for any unused boxes, and offer a partial refund for any returned boxes.
A good removals company will provide you with garment boxes for your hanging clothes so you won’t have to put all your shirts and suits in boxes then iron at your new home.
Mark your boxes room by room, highlighting any fragile packed boxes – Fragile tape works well and only costs a few pounds per roll.
Avoid using crisp boxes and boxes of different sizes as it becomes very difficult for the men to stack them in the back of the lorry, which may result in boxes crumpling – thus damaging the contents.
Time to start packing
A very important thing to consider when deciding to pack is the insurance conditions. If a customer packs their own boxes then the contents may only be insured up to an amount set out by the insurance company. In most cases only insured up to £40.00 per box. If you have valued items to be packed then get the removals company to pack for you – your items will then be insured up to a declared value.
If you are going to pack yourself, make plenty of time for it. As mentioned it may take 2 or 3 days to pack properly, during which time you may end up needing items which you have packed, so boxes may get packed, unpacked then re-packed.
My best advice is use lots of packing materials – bubble wrap is best to individually wrap all items which are to be placed into a box. Professionals will use packing paper and individually wrap your items for maximum protection, then pad out the boxes with scrunched up paper.
Once you have packed a box, write clearly on the box the room the items are to be placed in, and identify any priority box to be unpacked straight away – like bedding, kettle, TV electrics. . .
Packing the kitchen
The kitchen is often the most time consuming room to pack – you need to manage the packing to ensure that you do not pack all the items which you will need for the last few days in your home. When packing plates, cups and fragile items – wrap them individually and use lots of packing paper or bubble wrap. Stand plates in boxes vertically, never lay the flat. Mark any fragile packed box clearly. The last box to pack should be the kettle, tea and coffee – as these will be needed for refreshments on the day of the move. Have the men load this box last so it is the first box to come of the lorry.
Packing your television
Hopefully you will still have the packing box for your TV. If not, then ask the removals company if 
they have a TV cover. Most will have one TV cover per vehicle, this often is an issue when many houses have 2 or 3 TV’s.
If you do not have the box, then you will have to wrap your TV. When we wrap a television, we will firstly wrap the TV in bubble wrap – this alone will not protect your TV and is not adequate for moving the television. We then will use sheets of cardboard and wrap the sheet over the whole of the television then tape the sheeting into position. This is the best method of protecting your television. If you cannot get cardboard sheeting then simply cut a cardboard box and use this to properly wrap your television.
Pack essential items last
Consider what you are going to need when you get to your new house. I have already mentioned the kettle, you may need the TV (just in case you have satellite provider waiting to install your TV at the new home straight away).
Pack a suitcase with clothing and overnight items as a backup in case the lorry is delayed and cannot get to your home on the planned move date.
Never pack your medicines, identification, handbags or any other item which may be needed straight away in boxes which the removal men are to take. This should be packed separately and taken with you in your own vehicle.
Identify the box with your bedding in so when you get to your new home and the beds are made you know exactly which box to open.
If you are dismantling and rebuilding your furniture then you will need to keep the tools out and make sure they can be identified when arriving at your new home so you can rebuild your furniture.