Tell More Th>n your top tips for making moving home easier - £240 voucher prize draw NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

More Th>n would like to find out Mumsnetters' top tips to make moving home a little easier.

Heres what More Th>n have to say, "Life can be full of little frustrations. At MORE TH>N we want to help, and that's why we love collecting and sharing all sorts of tips and tricks that make life that little bit easier. We like to think of them as 'helping hands', those clever ideas you never knew you needed to know. We're always on the look-out for more great hints to share, so if you've got a top tip, let us know."

To get some inspiration, watch the video clip below and then share your own top tips on this thread.

Do the suggestions given in the video appeal to you, or not? Which, if any, would you try out? Do you have any of your own to add? Do you pack duvets into your cupboards to save on space? Maybe you write the contents of each box on the box after youve packed it to make it easier to find the right box in your new home? Or do you make sure there are lots of biscuits around to fuel the hard work ?

Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £240 Amazon voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[JollySeriousGiant]

Charity shops are good places to pick up cardboard boxes for moving home :)

[CMOTDibbler]

My best tip on moving house is to pack one box of essentials from each room, mark it very clearly, then get the removal people to pack the rest. They are amazing, and worth every penny.

Last move, we then got them to put the boxes except the essentials into the garage and then we could unpack from there - and the declutter went into boxes to then be Freecycled and I met loads of people locally through that

[ShatnersBassoon]

I love the walnut rubbing to disguise scratches! Must try that.

Feed the removals men. Fish and chips goes a long way to keeping them happy and 'on your side' when solicitors are being slow and you're all sat around waiting.

[Saltire]

I have moved 9 times in 16 years. I always make sure that a box containing kettle, mugs, spoon and biscuits is packed last - and we often take it with us in the car (our moves have, on occasion, been from one end of Uk to the other) also make sure bedding and things are packed last /taken off lorry first, so that at least you can sleep when your furniture arrives, even if nothing else is unpacked.
Also if you have pets, again try and get their bedding taken off first, and if possible put thema dn their bedding in an out of the way spot, whilst the rest of the stuff is moved - after all, it is unsettling for thm to, so familiar things help them settle

[clubnail]

Start packing the moment you have done the deal. It takes so much longer than you think. De-junk. Ideally, live clutter-free to start with. Chuck everything you don't love or need, or haven't used in the last year or so.
Then, pack a couple of boxes every day, small-ish boxes so they are easier to move, and label them clearly - contents and room. Leave out only what you need for the last few weeks, things will already be getting stressful and busy with solicitors etc.

[nobalance]

Get someone else to pack. Makes little difference to overall cost of moving. Def worth it!

[BitchinInTheKitchen]

Don't overpack your boxes, they will split and don't leave your clothes hangers behind in your old house I learnt these ones the hard way

Pack each child an overnight bag with all their essentials for the first night in the new house - teddy, pjs, nightlight etc

Pack each child a picnic bag for the end of the day when you ned to get dinner in them but can't figure out where all your stuff is. Much cheaper than buying in takeaway. If you include a small 'welcome to your new house' present hidden in there too it will keep little ones busy for a while whilst you unpack a few bits.

Keep all your essential chargers together (phone, camera etc) so you don't have to hunt around for them in the first few days.

[Trills]

Squash, mugs, kettle, teabags, milk, put this box in your car and don't take your eye off it!

[michelleblane]

Make sure the removal men assess the size of van they will need correctly! When we moved, they came the night before to start loading and realised it was going to take two journeys. Luckily it was only a move of 15 miles and we had the keys so we could take one load the night before.
I agree with others about having tea, coffee, milk, sugar, biscuits and mugs at the ready at the new house to keep the removal men happy! I also made a yummy hamper of sarnies, cake, biscuits etc for people to dip into during the day.
Label boxes carefully with basic contents and which room to put it in on arrival. (Non essential boxes can be put in a spare room or garage to be opened and sorted at a later date.) Give 'helpful' friends and family specific jobs so that they do not get in the way!

[manfalou]

When DH moved (we'd been together about 8 months so I wasn't living with him) we enlisted the help of friends so never used a removal company. I went round the local village shops collecting boxes, most shops are more than willing to give you boxes they don't want anymore. Label each box as you pack and keep the essentials back so they're last on/fist off the van and can straight to the appropriate room.

my now DF (7 years later) did not do great at packing. He told me he had enough boxes... he ended up putting CROCKERY in BLACK BAGS! And totally FORGOT about the airing cupboard.... Do not leave a man to do all the packing.

Book DC's into nursery for a full day (if you're still moving close enough) and GET cracking, ...something I learnt from another friends moving house experience when they thought they had 'loads of time'.

[Mar2010]

Assess how long you think it will take to pack each room and triple it.

Never buy cardboard boxes-it's paying for something that usually gets binned by shops. Ask your local supermarket what time they restock their shelves and go then to get the massive boxes to fit bedding/ huge kids toys/ whatever into. DH had to go to ours at 1am but his haul was totally worth it. Start collecting cardboard boxes long before you plan to pack so you have a variety of sizes.

Have at least one new toy on hand for moving day to entertain DC but ideally, have someone take them out about an hour or so into the move-they get the fun of seeing the removal men doing their stuff but then they're out of your hair before they really get bored.

[WillieWaggledagger]

Dp has finally seen the point of all the knitting wool I've hoarded collected as it works brilliantly packed in boxes with ornaments and fragile things

I work for a large company in a big office and asked the post room to keep boxes for me - within a couple of weeks they had over 50 of varying sizes

We're moving ourselves without a removal firm and are lucky to be moving to a place where we know a few people. Some of those who have kindly offered help have been asked if they would mind us popping round for a meal and we will return the favour once we're settled in

[Longdistance]

Pack away books, CDs, DVDs first.

Buy some zipped huge laundry bags (the tartan ones), and put all your blankets, pillows, sheets, and duvets in them. Also invaluable for soft toys.

Start by packing the items you use less.

I've kept boxes for all the expensive ornaments and crystal, and padded them out with bubble wrap.

Make sure the dc keep their favorite toys with them, and not pack them as this can be a nightmare.

Sell on Gumtree, eBay and do a car boot or two, to get rid of clothes, unused books, and toys.

Can you tell I've moved 5 times in 7 years?

[OrangeMochaFrappucino]

I think the key is to regularly throw things away so you don't have a loft full of junk to sort through. I never achieve this though, so I frequently fantasise about winning the lottery and just hiring someone to come round with a big skip and get rid of everything and then I would start from scratch in my new mansion.

[Tyranasaurus]

Start packing early
Books are heavier than you think use small boxes
Buy boxes- I got a job lot on ebay for £30 and it was much easier than trying to collect them myself and they were the right kind of sizes and very heavy duty
Label everything the minute you pack it

[CrewElla]

I've used the suitcase trick loads of time, it's a good one.

I would say to overlap the moving out/in dates so you can set up the kitchen before you move in, it goes a long way to making things easier.

When putting things in the loft after the move take your empty suitcase up to the loft, then take up things to be stored in smaller bags. This way you aren't trying to lug a heavily laden suitcase up to the loft.

[WillieWaggledagger]

yes crew, that's what we're going to do re moving dates - we are currently renting so have more flexibility

we are borrowing a van which is in use during the week, so on the friday we are going to move the kitchen stuff in our cars and get it set up (and take delivery of a new fridge), then on the saturday when we have use of the van we are going to move the bulky stuff

[AnnaConda]

Carry valuables and items of sentimental value in your car - my mum has had boxes go "missing" on more than one house move. You could number the boxes and tick them off to make sure none get pinched.

I have a floor plan of each new room to know where to ask the men to put the furniture and boxes.

Newspaper is good for wrapping.

I've just bought a fold away trolley for about £12 which is brilliant for pulling heavy things along in the house - saves your back!

[BornToFolk]

Declutter first!

Pack heavy things with light things e.g. don't do a whole box of books, do half books and half cushions.

Make beds and put up bedroom curtains as soon as you arrive in the new house so at least everyone's got a bed to sleep in even if you don't manage much more unpacking!

Check with your removal people what can be moved in situ, ie clothes in chests of drawers might not necessarily have to be taken out and packed, likewise food in freezers.

[Kveta]

bin bags for garden waste are fab for packing duvets and bedding - and can be reused for garden waste later on!

try and start packing as soon as you know you will be moving - this makes it easier to declutter as you go, rather than moving your clutter from one place to the next, then finding out 10 years down the line that you have still got your anatomy lecture notes from Uni, despite you never studying it further than the 2nd year (or that you still have books from school, that you somehow managed to bring into the UK when moving here 9 years ago DH, and you have been carting them about the UK ever since )

[PoppyInTheFog]

Get quotes for removals and buildings insurance as soon as possible, so it is a quick phone call to sort them out when you exchange, and if you can afford it get them to pack for you.

Get paperwork ready for exchange ahead of time for post redirection.

Log meter readers a few days before you move incase you forget to log them as you leave the door.

[coppertop]

Label the boxes with the room they will be going into, rather than just the room that they've come from. This is particularly useful if you're moving somewhere with a different number of rooms.

Put a leaflet/menu from a local takeaway in your bag/pocket so that you will still have the option of eating on the first day even if the kitchen stuff still hasn't been unpacked.

[WowOoo]

Arrange to have someone to look after the children if at all possible whilst the major packing is underway.
I found ds2 unpacking small boxes of children's books: Seal them after labelling them!

Give yourself far longer than you think you'll need for packing. Get friends to come over and help or hire some professionals.

[Spirael]

Don't bother removing your clothes from the hangers, just fold them up into the box with the hangers still on. Then they're ready just to pull out and hang up again after you arrive (and assemble the wardrobes)!