As anyone who has done it once or twice already will tell you, planning is the key to a successful moving process. And the key to a speedy move is efficient and clever packing. No-one enjoys packing for a move, and even fewer people enjoy having to unpack everything again the other end, but by making use of all the clever storage solutions available, it can at least be done quickly.
Here’s our advice on how to get the move done speedily and the bottle of ‘New Home’ champagne uncorked sooner!
Table of Contents
Always Get an Early Start
Most people wait until the last minute to start their packing. This is the fastest way to a panic! Packing always takes twice as long as you imagine it will. So to avoid the stress, always get an early start. Where possible, you should start packing a month or more in advance.When you start early, you can pace yourself. Start with the items you know you will not be needing in the interim. The ornaments and items of decoration that are for display purposes only, and move onto the items that are rarely needed – books, documents and files, lamps, clothes, kitchen utensils that you only use once in a while. Label everything as you go so that if by any chance you do need something, you know where to find it. And also, so that it’s far easier to sort out the other side of the move.
Invest in Good Quality Boxes
When moving your prized possessions, you should always use good quality storage solutions. You may be able to find people who are trying to get rid of the boxes that they have, and make good use of these. There are other places that you can get used, free boxes, for example, your workplace or supermarkets.
However, using poor quality boxes may come back to haunt you. If your property becomes broken, damp or crushed then it will have been a false economy. Therefore, invest in good quality, lightweight boxes that can be stacked and moved easily without falling apart, and won’t crush the boxes and contents below when they’re piled up.
Purge Before You Begin the Packing Process
Before the moving process begins, always make sure that you have gotten rid of all the stuff that you don’t need. Never wait for the last minute to do this job as it is incredibly time-consuming to sort through items and work out whether you should be keeping them or not. When you’re in a hurry, the temptation becomes to just chuck everything in a box, whether you should be keeping it or not. Those items which you no longer need, you can either sell, give away or throw away. In such cases, why not organise a garage sale/party. That way, you won’t be cluttering up your new home with things you don’t need and as a bonus, you could make some money!
Before putting anything into boxes, always ask yourself whether you will need it the other end.
Clean Before You Unpack
After getting into your new home, always make sure that the rooms, bookshelves, cupboards and furniture are clean before the movers arrive and start unpacking. After moving, you will be glad that you carried out the cleaning process while on the move rather than having to start later in the day when you are tired and desperate to get sorted.
Make Sure Everything is Labeled and Keep the Inventory
Always label all your boxes and keep an inventory. You can use a spreadsheet while coming up with a home inventory. Some people also make use of QR codes as a way of keeping track of their goods while also maintaining privacy which can be a great option if you don’t want to start writing the contents of boxes on their sides and alerting people to what is inside them.
You Can Ship the Goods to Your New Home
You can take on the job of loading all your goods into a van while moving from one home to another. Alternatively, you can pay someone else to do the work for you for a fee. This has many benefits. Professional movers are quick and efficient and have plenty of tips when it comes to packing and unpacking quickly. They will also come armed with all the tools required to move heavy pieces of furniture and boxes which you may struggle with on your own. Always keep in mind that it’s not just furniture that is hard to move. Books can be very heavy to move too so don’t fill boxes with just books. Mix them up with lighter items such as cushions.
Always Save All Your Receipts
There are many reasons why you might want to move from one area to another. But if you have been offered a work transfer, always make sure that you have saved all your receipts from the move as you may be able to claim your moving costs as tax deductible expenses.
Sell or Donate the Boxes after the Moving Process
After arriving at your new home, you can sell or donate your boxes after unpacking all your belongings. Have another purge at this end as you are unpacking and get rid of any items you can now see won’t fit in your new home, or won’t match the decor and style of the new home before you begin putting everything in their new places. within the house.
Again, you can always sell some of the belongings that you do not need. The money that you will earn will help you to recuperate the money that you used during the moving process and can also go towards buying new things for the new house!
After all that, you deserve to settle down and feel at home in your new pad, hopefully not having had too stressful an experience.
