Yes, it’s true that moving house is an entire process with its own definite beginning and end. More importantly though, the act of moving from one home to another is a consecutive process in its essence, meaning that there’s a step-by-step logic in the way the home relocation progresses in time.
For example, you can’t start searching for a licensed and insured removal company the day before your move day for the same reasons that you don’t want to protect your home against accidental damage 2 entire months before your move-out date.
Even though the essential order of preparing to move out is unique for each relocation case, there are a good number of fundamental tasks that are roughly the same. Let’s assume that you have found a top rated removal company after browsing numerous moving reviews and researching the firms’ licensing and insurance information.
So far, so good.
Now, do you know what to do before removals arrive? Do you know what it takes to prepare for your hired crew of moving experts? Don’t worry, because we do.
Read on to learn how to prepare for your removals in 8 simple steps.
1. Create a home inventory
One of the very first things that you are recommended to do before removals arrive is to decide what exactly you will be moving come your move day. For this purpose, you will need to create a detailed inventory checklist of your entire home and consult it frequently in order to make the best decisions under the presented set of circumstances.
Yes, creating a home inventory sounds like a lot of work, and in most cases it is. Depending on the number of rooms, the number of items in each room and the selected inventorying method, the entire process can take anywhere between a few hours up to one day, or sometimes even more.
And before you have the chance of asking whether it’s actually worth the time and effort to inventory your home before the arrival of your removals, it’s good to know that your house inventory checklist will later serve as a useful packing list. You only need to link your inventory sheet to a good labelling system, and you will know exactly what you have and where you have it. Also, if something goes missing during the move, you will be the first to know thanks to your super detailed home inventory.
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Is this your idea of packing only the most essential items in your home?
The good stuff is all the things that you like, want to keep, and intend to use in the foreseeable future – those are the things that you should take with you to your new home. It’s rarely practical and sensible to move all of your current household items to your new home due to the fact that the total weight of your shipment determines how much money you will pay in the end. As mentioned above, a detailed home inventory will help you re-assess your material treasures and slim down their number to essentials only.
Getting rid of unwanted possessions of yours will always be a win-win situation for you. In reality, it’ll be a unique case of a win-win-win situation simply because:
you win by spending less money to cover the transportation costs of your shipment of household goods;
you win by spending less time to prepare all the unwanted things for transportation – i.e. to pack them safely;
you win by ensuring more uncluttered space in your new home.
Furthermore, you can also become a winner on another level if you choose to gift a smile or two to friends or strangers by giving away some of your unwanted but still usable belongings.
While waiting for your removals to arrive, you should use up the remaining time in such a smart way as to save hard earned money and valuable hours in the end. Even if you’re expecting the arrival of professional packers, make yourself a favour and pre-pack whatever you can by yourself.
First of all, get familiar with the specific things that removals will not relocate for you for safety reasons and don’t lose any time packing such non-allowable items. Instead, think of good ways to either dispose of them before move day or make them completely safe for transport.
Secondly, leave the truly tough packing jobs for your hired moving specialists (heavy and bulky furniture, easily breakable fragile items, specialty items – pianos, pool/snooker tables, and so on) while you take care of anything that is relatively easy to pack up. Unless you’re really pressed for time, you will do fine boxing up clothes that you won’t be using until after the relocation, books, or any other type of small and non-breakable bric-a-brac.
Of course, you will need adequate packing materials to get the packing job done by yourself, or at least part of it. Before you rush to purchase the necessary packing supplies though, think about what household items you already own can be used as substitution for cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and packing paper.
4. Pack essentials boxes
No two home movers will prepare identical survival kits. What will you pack?
Regardless of whether you choose to pre-pack on your own or you prefer to leave the packing task entirely for qualified professional packers, it’s highly recommendable that you still prepare a few boxes filled with absolute essentials. The main idea of packing so-called open first boxes or survival kits is that you may be forced to spend one day at your old place, or one or even more days at your new home without any access to your normal everyday items. So, in order to “survive” until your shipment and you reunite, you can resort to an easy access to your most important possessions.
Here are some suggestions about highly practical and useful items that you can place inside your essentials boxes: medications, plastic utensils, paper plates, non-perishable food, toiletries, towels, additional clothes, games for children and/or pets, hand tools (a set of screwdrivers, a hammer, a flashlight, a measure tape). Make sure your survival kits stay by your side at all times, including during the relocation trip itself, for it would definitely be a rookie moving mistake to hand these boxes to your removals. It’s not a bad idea to write DO NOT LOAD ON VAN on them just to stay on the safe side.
5. Label your packed boxes
Often a subject of gross underestimation by home movers, the implementation of a clever labelling system is the next thing you should do before your removals arrive at your door. In practice, marking your packed boxes with their contents, destination room and special handling instructions is more important than you might think. Labelling your moving containers not only lets save an extraordinary amount of time after your items are delivered, but it also eliminates, in most cases, any mistakes as a result of confusion and miscommunication.
All you need is a black marker and you’re ready to mark up your packed cardboard boxes. Another option is to use colour codes for easier identification, either in the form of colour markers or colourful stickers. Regardless of which method you prefer, the most important thing is to make things easier for everyone after the relocation is over – you and your removals alike.
Make sure each box is correctly labelled on at least two of its sides and write down what’s inside it and where it should go. Avoid general labels such as KITCHEN but be more specific: KITCHEN GLASSES. In the case of delicate, fragile and breakable items, mark down FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE, THIS SIDE UP with big letters.
Sometimes moving all your valuable items by yourself is simply impossible. Speak with your removal company about what safety measures they will undertake to protect your valuables.
Another task to get you ready for your removals is to gather all your valuables in one place, pack them safely for transportation, and keep them with you through all house moving stages. Remember that it’s a serious moving mistake to part with a valuable item unless you have discussed its relocation with your removal company and have taken the precautionary steps to ensure its well-being through adequate moving insurance.
Important documents. Designate a special folder or have a briefcase to keep all move related papers (your moving contract, estimates, receipts, checklists, etc.) and essential personal documents (passports, IDs, driving licenses, registration documents, certificates, bank statements, medical records, etc.). Never hand this folder or briefcase to your removal men.
Don’t even think about entrusting your expensive jewellery pieces to anyone else but yourself. Small, delicate, expensive – this is the triple combination that should make you extra cautious when moving house. Click here to learn how to pack your jewellery for moving and how to best protect their high monetary and/or sentimental value.
Electronic equipment. You and you alone should be responsible for safeguarding your pricey electronic gadgets from Day 1 of your residential move. Besides, you are very likely to need your digital camera, smartphone and laptop oven on the day of your move, so don’t be too quick to pack them, let alone hand them over to strangers.
Irreplaceable items. Some possessions such as family heirlooms, antiques, and artwork are simply irreplaceable, so do think hard about what it takes to have them moved safely to your new home.
Prepare for the arrival of your hired men by protecting your home against accidental damage. Of course, if you have found a reputable and reliable removal company, you shouldn’t worry too much about property damage. Still, there are specific precautionary measures you can take just to be sure everything on your moving date will be running smoothly from start to finish.
Place doormats close to your exterior doors to stop or at least minimize the unwelcoming effects of dirt, dust, water, mud, and sleet.
Protect your hardwood, tiled or carpeted floors by placing large pieces of thick cardboard, plywood sheets, special nylon protectors, old oilcloths or blankets to keep the surface below intact. This protective measure is especially important when it’s raining or snowing outside.
If you expect possible troubles regarding very tight corners and strategically ill-located wall sections, protect them by taping blankets over them even if your hired professionals assure you that there won’t be any problems. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
It’s also possible that your staircases (if any) take a hit or two on moving day. Consider placing specialized anti-slip covers over dangerous spots, and place old blankets or rags over the banisters to keep them intact.
8. Inspect your home and take plenty of photos
Your removal crew is coming any minute now, so it’s time to finish up your preparations with a couple of more important tasks. Also known as the calm before the storm, use the time before your moving specialists make a scheduled appearance to take one last walking tour around your home in search of forgotten and/or overlooked items.
You can easily arrange the photos of your soon-to-be old home in a moving photo album and keep the memories of times what won’t ever come back.
Go through every nook and cranny and make sure nothing (and no one!) is left behind! Pay special attention to the storage areas (attic, basement, garage, garden shed) and double check the usual hiding places inside your everyday living space (under the sink, inside your storage closet, and so on).
Knowing how to prepare for removals will give you a home turf advantage, so use it to increase your chances of winning the game, which in your case is to have a problem-free residential move.
The very last piece of advice on what to do before removals arrive is to take out your standalone digital camera or your smartphone camera and take plenty of photos of your home. The photographs can help you in 3 distinct ways:
you will have proof of the current condition of your residence and all items ready to be moved,
you will have a visual aid of the way your electronic equipment is wired, which should speed up the reconnection process after the move, and
you will have your relocation memories photographed and preserved for years to come.
Can you think of other good ways to get ready for the arrival of your removals?
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Yes, it’s true that moving house is an entire process with its own definite beginning and end. More importantly though, the act of moving from one home to another is a consecutive process in its essence, meaning that there’s a step-by-step logic in the way the home relocation progresses in time.
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