Moving House Tips

Your Complete Moving House Tips Guide!

Moving house can bring with it chaos and stress but here at Inline Removals, we aim to alleviate some of that for you.

Let’s get real… moving is a pain in the proverbial, it’s stressful, it’s time-consuming, worrying, and it’s laborious but fortunately, it’s short-lived and once it’s done, you’re in your new home and everything can be seen as a fresh start.

Follow our tried and tested list of life-saving Moving House Tips and you’ll be golden. If you really can’t face moving or packing by yourself then why not take a look at our Gold Service, where we take care of everything, well almost everything.

1. Always, always, get professional’s in

Why create more work for yourself? Hiring a reputable removal company is an absolute must.

You could argue that you can save money if you just hire a van, a man with a van or even rope-in friends and crack on with the move yourself but you’d be surprised what professional movers can do for you.

And you won’t be saving yourself a penny when your buddy drops your family fine china on the patio or when you damage the edges of your furniture on the door frame are you now?

2. Pack as Early as Possible

Newsflash! Packing takes time, lots of time. Once the moving date is confirmed, it’s time to get started.

The obvious thing to do is begin with the items that you don’t regularly use or with rooms that you don’t frequent. Starting with these items means you can pack and label these boxes to be unpacked at a later date. Once you’re in your new home you can concentrate on items that need unpacking first.

The spare bedroom, the garage or attic are usually great places to start. It’ll be box city before you know it but that’s when the excitement and frustration kick in.

3. Declutter your Belongings

Are you a hoarder? More of us of are hoarders than we care to admit. You know who you are.

There’s no point in moving things you don’t need and packing for a big move is the perfect excuse to declutter. It’s time to be ruthless, be cut-throat. If you haven’t used it in two years, get shot of it. (We can help you find a reliable skip company or perhaps you just can’t face throwing your precious belongings away and would prefer to store them… for a little while!).

You’ll be glad of it come moving day and believe us, the removal guys will be glad that they don’t need to shift your lava lamp, inflatable chair and broken down computers.

4. Pack well and use quality packing materials

This may seem like an innocuous question, but where are you going to source good quality, strong boxes, decent tape, bubble wrap, tissue paper? Will you get a good deal, will you have enough?

There are a plethora of different boxes you can get from removal companies along with the correct packing materials. You will also need packing tape, bubble wrap, zip tie bags, labels and marker pens. We can help you with this – we can provide all the materials you need.

5. Label Properly

It is wise to clearly label the boxes so you know what’s inside them.

The consensus is to write on the box what items are inside and which room they have come from or are going into. This will also help your removals company place the boxes in the right order in the removals van (for speed, safety, and securing the right items in the right place).

If you don’t want to write a short novella on the boxes you could consider using coloured stickers/labels to help categorise rooms.

6. Pack a survival box

Think we’re being silly? Pack the things you are going to need first in a clear plastic tub.

Trust us, this is a lifesaver and you can thank us later. This will be your moving house survival box. This can include a box cutter, paper towels, bin bags, cutlery, the kettle and some mugs as well as tea, coffee, milk, sugar (you’ll be parched when you get there). We would even recommend some washing-up liquid and hand-wash, and a bin liner – so you can wash your fingers after your fish & chips! Let’s be honest, this is when you’ll find out if your local chip shop or takeaway is going to be a good family friend!

Oh and one more thing… don’t forget toilet paper! Enough said.

7. Create an Inventory

This is one for the super-organised. Creating an inventory helps you keep an eye on all your belongings to make sure nothing is lost. Although time-consuming, it is a great way to be absolutely on top of things.

Here at Inline Removals we can create an inventory for you… this is well worth considering.

8. Visit your New Area – have a good nose around

Don’t be a stranger. You have chosen this place for your new home – use any free weekends you have in the run up to the move to get acquainted with your new area.

Check out the pub or the local shops. You might even make a few friends in the neighbours – you’re going to be thankful for that come the summer and the subsequent barbeque season.

9. Take Photos

A great way to keep track of what’s what, especially if you are notoriously scatterbrained when it comes to technology. Photograph the wires at the back of your television or any other electronic sets ups.

You can also take photos of any wall displays, ornament placement, or shelving setups in your current home that you are fond of and wish to recreate in your new pad. Also, it’s a good record of valuable items… things can and do go missing (this is another reason for making sure you choose a reputable removals company).

10. Update your Address

Another tip from the school of the flippin’ obvious, but one that a surprising amount of people forget about… change your address.

It is a good idea to start this with companies or organisations like the bank, the doctor’s surgery and dentist 2 weeks before you move.

You can also divert any mail going to your old address with the Royal Mail for a small fee. You can redirect your mail to any UK or overseas address for up to 3, 6 or 12 months from just £33.99 for each different last name. Here’s a helpful link to quickly set-up your redirect.

11. Keep Cupboard Doors Open

It’s a great idea to keep cupboard and cabinet doors open in the days up to and on Moving Day.

This way, you will be able to see that you have everything or if you have left anything inside. It also helps you use-up food items you really don’t want to be taking with you. It’s often easier to not try and pack half-used food items – especially if you’re not going to unpack right away. Imagine the possible smells! Of course, the same can be said about items in the fridge. If you’re moving a long way then food simply won’t keep.

You can do the same with the kitchen drawers.

12. Fill Nail Holes and clean-up

Time to be kind to your buyers or those moving into your old home.

What goes around comes around – ever heard of this? It’s stressful enough without needing to clear-up the previous occupant’s mess… this is where we ask you to show some care and consideration and ensure holes in walls are properly filled, curtain poles aren’t just wrenched out of the walls, kitchen and bathrooms are left spotless. It all goes a very long way… after all, this is what we’d want when we move into our new home isn’t it. It’s just not nice having to clean up a toilet late into the night after spending hours on the road and hours lugging boxes around.