Moving hacks from all parts of the industry. From our moving community on instagram giving their feedback in comments on tips and tricks has really opened this up. We get insights also from the property professionals such as solicitors and estate agents as well as the experts on the road ding the lifting.
They say that moving home is the most stressful thing you can do, but with these expert moving hacks and tips, you should find that the experience isn’t as challenging as you might have imagined. Read on to discover our top 15 moving hacks that will set you in good stead for a smooth-running house moving day.
The top piece of advice on moving house has to be to use a team of professional removers rather than trying to do everything yourself. Moving your own furniture and belongings adds a lot of stress to this already stressful time. However, if you use a removal company with years of experience of handling, loading and packing heavy and delicate items so they can arrive safely at your new home you can enjoy a hassle-free experience.
If you have kids on the day get out them in the oldest clothes you can find and give them a set of crayons or felt tip markers and place them in the biggest box you can find. Works like a dream, they love it. Building castles from cardboard boxes is also a good way to keep them occupied. Other things like designing their playroom or garden on the boxes or simply taking them out to the park or family and friends help too.
Everyone needs to declutter their home from time to time, but it’s especially vital before you move home. Determine which items you’re going to throw out, donate or sell, and this will also help to reduce the costs of your removal. Speak to Spring Box about keeping a pile to go to charity at the end of your move. They will take it for free and take clothes, food and furniture.
As soon as your moving date has been set it’s time to begin packing your belongings. The sooner you start packing the more organised you’ll be, so put a plan together with a checklist room by room of how and what you’ll pack together with the different packing materials you’ll require.
Every box should be labelled with the room that it will be going to and a short outline of everything inside the box to avoid confusion during the unpacking process. Coloured labels or stickers could help you to identify items for different rooms at a glance.
The items that you know you are going to need within the first days of moving in. Those items you are going to call the removals company about, asking where it was packed. Keep these items separate and make sure its labelled as “open first box”. Don’t want to be looking through a hundred boxes for that hair dryer.
Medicines, toiletries, a change of clothing, phone chargers and other vital items that you use everyday will be handy when you get to your new home so you’ll want them right where you can put your hands on them.
One of the best ways to begin packing is to start in the rooms you use least often. Spare bedrooms, the attic or the garage are all good places to begin. Leave the items you use every day until the last minute and always make sure you keep essentials separate.
Setting up utilities at your new home such as your home insurance, gas and council tax will save you stress and give you more time to relax and settle into your new property without undue hassle. Click here to find a good comparison before moving: https://www.comparethemarket.com/utilities/
If you keep all of your cabinet and cupboard doors open as you pack items leading up to the day of your move you’ll be able to see at a glance whether anything has been overlooked or accidentally left behind. You can leave your kitchen drawers open too so you can take stock rapidly. Another moving hack would be to place tape on the cupboard door knobs so that you can mark which cupboards have already been packed.
When you’re dismantling furniture or electrical items you should take photos of the way that items fit together or are set up. This will make it much easier to determine what goes where when the time comes to put everything together again in your brand new home. You may also want to photograph ornament placements, wall displays and shelving setups that you like in your existing property so you can recreate them when you arrive at your new home.
Heres a link that could help you further prepare for dismantling and reassembling IKEA furniture: https://heatherednest.com/ikea-furniture-assembly-disassembly-tips/
Do not pack these into a black bin as this could be mistaken for rubbish and someone could throw them away. The last thing you want is that happening to a good pair of shows that you need the next day. This is an essential moving hack and cannot be ignored.
Always make sure that one of the first things you do is make the bed. If it turns out to be hours and hours spent on unpacking then at least you don’t have to worry about the bed being made before you go to sleep. If you have kids or babies the cot or toddlers bad is just as important and should almost be done as soon as it’s been unloaded. Another moving hack would be to leave scented candles in your bedding boxes so that when you unpack your bed smells nice and something you are familiar with already. Helps with the new changes.
Hanging clothes can slip right into these boxes. They have a bar connected to the top and can avoid your clothes from getting creased during the move. Make sure you get these or the company you use have them or else a hefty dry-cleaning bill for clean clothes is on the way.
You may have visited the new home that you’ll be living in, but have you actually visited the neighbourhood? Once you’ve booked your removal company and begun packing you should go and spend some time in the area where your new property is located. It’ll give you a chance to check out where the shops, restaurants and pubs are so that your move will be seamless.
Last but not least, a lot of people forget to inform the council when they move home, but if you’ll be moving into a different area you will have to set up your new account. Check with the local authority to find out which council tax band you’ll be in and register to vote.
If you need help or advice with your home move feel free to give us a call on 0203 737 2571, we’d be happy to help and advise!
