Moving into a new home can be an exciting moment in your life, but at the same time it can also be extremely stressful. More often than not, this is due to poor preparation and organisation in the lead-up to moving, leaving homeowners rushing to get everything ready for removal on-time. To combat this, and ensure everything is under control, here are some handy moving house tips and tricks to follow when relocating, to make the process as simple and pain-free as possible.
It’s a good idea to start packing well in advance of moving, to ensure that everything is ready and raring to go as the big day approaches. To keep stress levels at a minimum, we recommend packing items months in advance – especially if you live in a larger house – to help create a stress-free environment, which will ultimately improve organisation.
If you live in a large property, it’s a good idea to begin packing one box a day around 2 months ahead of your moving out date, whereas for smaller properties, starting one month before should suffice.
Knowing which items to pack first can get many homeowners in a pickle, but as a general rule of thumb, any items that you don’t need or use on a daily basis are a good place to start. Consider items such as gardening tools and seasonal items, such as clothing and Christmas decorations.
Getting these boxes out of the way can help you make a start on storing your belongings, without encroaching and causing problems to your day-to-day life.
Set aside a box for the ‘essentials’ that you use every day – this will include things you will need straight after moving home, such as plates, mugs, cutlery, a kettle and teabags and any toiletries. Be sure to mark the box clearly and leave it until last to pack away, so that it is easily accessible once you’ve moved into your new home.
Anyone that has moved to a new house will know that it can be back-breaking work, therefore you should ensure you are not overfilling your boxes. Set a sensible weight limit and stick to it, to ensure that you don’t end up putting you back out of joint and causing an injury. Typically, 30 pounds is a good starting point, but this will be dependent on each individual.
In order to know what is in each box, it is a good idea to label them clearly on the sides using a bold marker pen, so you can easily identify what is in each box when stacked. As well as marking on each box, you should keep a notepad with each box’s contents, so you know where everything is – this can significantly help ease the unpacking process and make it as stress-free as possible.
In the packing process, you may come across items that you find you don’t need or use anymore. Therefore, now is a good time to group these unused items together to sell for some extra pocket money. Facebook marketplace, eBay, and car boot sales are great examples of ways to do this, but if you aren’t bothered about selling them (for example, if they are in bad condition), you may want to consider taking advantage of a specialist domestic waste removal service to take everything off your hands. This is often the preferred route when bearing in mind the stress of moving home.
Be sure to follow these steps carefully to ensure your next house move is less stressful, and as organised as can be.