Well, now you will know………… with our moving tips and hacks to make your home move easier, cheaper, safer, and ultimately, stress-free.
Planning a home move, preparing for your home move, deciding how to move home, choosing a removal company, how to pack, how to save on moving costs, what happens on moving day, unpacking after moving home, and making your new place a home, we have tips and advice to make EVERY stage of your home move easier.
So save the link to this blog, and as you complete each stage of your home move, just go to the next section.
Here are the links to each section for easy navigation:
How to Plan your Home Move with 3 Great Planning Tools
The more organised you are, the easier your home move will be, so why not create a home moving binder. It is a great way to keep all your important information in one place, but it would be a good idea to keep a backup copy just in case you misplace the original.
With so many things to remember to do, you need a planner that reminds you what to do and when. Our week by week timeline and planner is the ultimate tool for this job. It plots every task to be completed, and when you should plan to have that task completed by. Be sure to download and use it every day.
Another great checklist we have compiled for you is the change of address checklist. Using this will ensure that everyone you need to tell, knows about your new address.
Save time and money on your move
Save up to 40% on your upcoming move and get a quote from reputable moving experts.
Have a clear out. If it is cheaper to replace it, than pack and transport it, then get rid of it. Decluttering is not only a great way to get organised, but will save you money on your home moving costs too. Plan on selling, donating or taking to the local recycle centre anything you no longer need or want.
To find out how much a reputable removal company would charge you for your home move click here.
Get the whole family involved in the home move. Telling your children you are moving home is a delicate subject and will need to be handled sensitively. Motivate the family to help, and not only will it make moving easier, but will help them emotionally with moving home too.
Deciding How to Move Home
Often it will come down to cost, but now is the time to decide how you are going to move home. Should you do a self-move or hire a removal company?
How to Choose a Reputable Removal Company
Getting this right can make all the difference to having a stress-free home moving experience.
So, how to choose a reputable removal company is the first piece of guidance you will need. Following the tips in that guide will ensure you end up hiring the best removal company for your home move.
Got a quote that is considerably lower than the rest? Got two quotes that are identical to the penny? Removal Company does not come out to view your home before giving you a price? Alarm bells should be ringing. Knowing how to avoid Removal Company scams is essential.
Finding the right removal company is crucial to a successful home move.
Packing Tips and Hacks
No apologies for this being such a long section, as packing is without a doubt the worst part of any home move.
However, if you want to save yourself time, money, and a nervous breakdown, call in a professional home packing service.
But for those of you who opt to pack yourselves, here are some great packing tips.
Firstly, you should know that most insurance companies will not insure items that you have packed yourself, so bear this in mind when weighing up your packing options.
Damage mostly occurs when boxes or furniture are handled. Moving 5 or 500 miles, your boxes will be handled the same number of times, so use plenty of protective wrapping and tape on your boxes.
Photograph everything, this will help in the event of any insurance claim you may need to make. But also it is a great packing tip. Before unplugging any electronics, take a photo of where each connection goes, reconnecting should then be a breeze. Label each cable too, just to be on the safe side.
Choose the right moving boxes, especially for fragile or valuable items. The thicker the cardboard, the more protection it will offer.
Use quality packing tape, there is no point in having well packed, sturdy boxes if the tape comes loose the first time you lift the box.
Pack your heavier items in smaller boxes and lighter things in the larger boxes, it makes the boxes easier to handle and will put less stress on the cardboard boxes, preventing any damages.
Use clothing, blankets, and towels as padding in your moving boxes. This will help protect your items by stopping them moving about, will save on packing material costs, and also save packing space in the van.
Label every box clearly with the room it should go into in your new home. You can label the box or use coloured packing tape, then just put a length of the corresponding tape on the door frame of the room in your new home.
Knowing what is inside each box will help you find a specific item quickly and easily. A packing inventory will make this easy if you have the time to create one.
Packing a moving day essentials box is well…… essential. Within this box is everything you need quick access to on moving day, things like food and drink, medication, and important paperwork.
They are many ways to move your belongings and maybe save some money as well, so consider alternative packing materials. Plastic tote boxes can often be a cost-effective option to cardboard packing boxes, which can be hired and then returned after you have finished with them.
Choosing the right packing materials will help protect your things during your home move.
Suitcases and other such bags can be used to save on buying extra boxes.
Use clothing, newspaper (watch out for ink stains though), or towels, as an alternative to expensive bubble wrap.
Leave your clothes on hangers and just slip a bin liner over the top to keep them together and grime free. Then all you have to do is hang them again in your new home.
If you have to pack clothes, rolling them into tube shapes will prevent creases.
Wrap cling film over the contents of drawers. Not only will this save packing boxes, but will save space in the removal van as well as speed up the unpacking process.
To prevent any spillages on moving day, put cling film over the lids of any bottles that you intend to pack.
Packing fragile and valuable items can be an art form. But there easy hacks to prevent any damage to fragile items, such as slipping disposable plates between china plates to protect them, and making sure you stack plates and dishes on their edges to prevent damage.
Awkward and odd shaped things can pose real packing problems. Check out easy ways to pack such things in this useful article.
Ziplock bags are great for keeping small items together.
Vacuum bags are indispensable for packing seasonal clothing in. Not bags for your hoover, the vacuum bags that compress clothes to half their original volume. Then all you have to do is put them in storage till you need them again.
Keep cables tangle free by keeping them in empty toilet rolls. Just roll the cord and slip it into the cardboard roll, don’t forget to note on the roll which appliance the cable is for. Then pack into a suitable size box. You can lay multiple layers of cable tubes by putting a sheet of cardboard between each layer.
Pack things inside each other, Russian doll style. You will save space in the removal van, and use fewer boxes too. Just be sure they cannot move about inside each other and cause damage.
Plan on emptying your fridge or freezer in the run-up to moving day. Many removal companies will not move perishable goods, and you will also need to defrost the freezer before it can be moved. You will also save money on packing and transport costs by using up your food stocks.
A furniture moving dolly will make moving heavy or large furniture so much easier. You can usually get these at your local hire centre.
Respect the list of items that your removal company is prohibited from moving. They are usually on the list for health and safety reasons, and you may invalidate your insurance if you try to ship such items.
And finally, it is prudent to ensure all your worldly goods are adequately insured during the home move.
Making a floor plan and measuring all the access points is vital. You don’t want to pay to move things that won’t fit in your new home.
How to Save on Moving Costs
Get rid of anything you no longer need or want, yes we have already mentioned this, but it is a great money saver.
Shop around for quotes. But make sure that you are being quoted like for like and that the quotes you get are from reputable moving companies.
Have an in-home moving survey from the removal company. This will allow the removal company to assess exactly what services you need, and to give you a far more accurate price quote. If you don’t have a survey done, there could be some nasty surprises come moving day if the removal company add charges for things they were not aware of.
Create an accurate floor plan of your new home. This will prevent you from paying to move furniture that will not fit into your new home.
Plan the actual date of your home move outside of peak moving times. The beginning of the week, mid-month, or in the autumn or winter are the least busy times for removal companies, so you will get a better deal at these times.
Move home in line with your billing cycles, that way you will not pay for part months, or in some cases pay whole months, for both properties.
Reuse quality boxes from local stores. Ensure that they are clean and sturdy enough to carry the items you want to use them for.
Use a box from your local cycle store to box your large flat screen TV. They are strong and big enough to fit most size TV’s. Television specific boxes are very expensive to buy so this will save a small fortune.
Fill holes in walls left by nails with soap, which is far cheaper than wall filler.
Rather than pay to move food stocks or other household consumables, use them up before moving day. Then place a grocery order online and arrange to have it delivered to your new home after moving day. You will save time and money using this easy hack.
Moving Day Tips
Have everything packed before moving day, the last thing you want to do is rush around getting stressed on moving day.
Put your pets in kennels for moving day, and even better keep them there the next day too whilst you get the new home organised. This is far safer for your pet and the removal team, and is one less stress for you on moving day, worrying about your pet escaping or being upset by the noise.
The same applies to young children, if you can organize a babysitter it will be less stressful for the child and you.
Keep your essentials box close by to ensure it does not get loaded onto the removal van by mistake.
Fully charge your mobile phone and have an essential numbers list for people such as solicitors, landlord, estate agent, the peoples who old home you are moving into, and the removal company, just in case you need to contact them.
Have plenty of refreshments for the removal team, especially if it is hot weather.
Stay out from under the feet of the removal team, but within easy reach if they need to ask you something.
Crucially, keep calm on moving day. There are plenty of things that can go wrong on moving day, but your removal company will have seen it all before, and know exactly how to handle the situation.
Unpacking your moving boxes is just the start of settling into your home.
Unpacking Tips
Give your new home a good clean first, if time allows, it will be far easier to clean before you start unpacking. Yes, you will still create dust and a mess as you unpack but the hard work will already be done.
Unpack the boxes for these rooms first – kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms. The three essentials are then taken care of in your new home and you can have a great nights rest before the great unpack starts.
Work room by room when unpacking. If your labelling system has been successful, this is the easiest and most organised way to unpack. The kids can even unpack and arrange their own rooms.
Unpack the rooms first that you will spend the most time in so that you have a safe haven from the rest of the home whilst they are unpacked.
Don’t unpack the TV or laptop straight away. It will be too tempting to get distracted. Anyway, it will make your first night in your new home more of an adventure.
Don’t put off unpacking everything over the coming days, it will still be in boxes six months later if you do!
Place pet bowls in the same place as your old home, by the back door for example. Your pets can suffer from relocation depression too so having some familiarity will help them settle in quicker.
Clear away the empty boxes and packing material rubbish as you go, that way your new home will look like a home and not a warehouse.
How to make your new place feel like home
Simple things like hanging a few pictures up on the walls, arranging your bookcase, or displaying your favourite ornaments will soon make your new place feel like a home.
Take time to prepare a romantic or family meal so that you start to create happy memories in your home straight away.
Plants or flowers are another great way to make a new place feel like it is yours.
Soft furnishings will allow you to add your own style to any room instantly and with little effort.
Joining in with the local community is the quickest way to find new friends and discover things that otherwise may take you months to find out about.
Explore the neighbourhood on foot or cycle. Not only is this great exercise, but you will see and experience things that you may otherwise miss.
And of course, a housewarming party is a great way to create new memories and make new friends.
We hope you found this list useful, so be a good friend and share it with others you know are about to move home. Thanks!
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