Moving house tips please?

[hotchocolate86]

It’s likely I will be moving house in the next month or two. Can I ask for your top tips to make it as easy and painless as possible?

[Maelstrop]

Buy a couple of the huge builders’ rubbish bags, they’re about £6. Put clothes still on hangars in them. You can drag them downstairs/into can. Don’t drag on concrete, you’ll put holes in them. Easy to carry between 2 if you haven’t overloaded them. All bedding can go in there too.

I echo packing all the essentials now, don’t wait til the last minute. Great time to have a clearout, too. Do bags for chucking, charity etc.

[Sallycinammonbangsthedruminthe]

I have moved house 24 times in my 40 odd years OP..what works for me is to start in one room ...pack away anything that is not essential then clean as you go...so for example under my kitchen sink where I keep all the pans and cookware...I would pack the everything but maybe 3 pans,then i would whilst the cupboard is emptyish clean the inside of the shelves and put my 3 pans back...everything else is boxed and labelled kitchen...by doing that on moving day there is minimal cleaning to be done which saves loads of time...same with linen and bathroom cupboards...do we really need 25 towels...err no pack em and leave out 4 ..vac pack bags are great for this ..can we manage with 1 set of bedding out and pack the spares ?yep cos we can sling it in the wash and reuse..it does save loads of time and the amount of stuff you can suck in those bags is fabulous! again wipe out the cupboard as you go ,,no need to do it again....I am not going to wear my summer stuff in this weather so pack em..job done! Also if you can weed out anything that is never going to fit again dump it its daft lugging it with you!!! Kids toys ugh...anything like mine they wont part with anything...keep out what they love then pack the rest by the time they move they will have forgotten what they had and toys will be like new toys once again to them! Pack books and dvds now too ...you can manage without them for a bit...anything you can do now saves so much stress on the moving day! Happy New Home!

[Blobby10]

Best tip I ever had was 'start with the loft/attic then do the garage'. Oh and dont leave the kitchen til the last minute as everyone forgets how many cake tins and saucepans etc that they actually have!

If you haven't got a helpful mother in law and her friend (like I was lucky enough to have) to clean each room as it was emptied, have a deep clean about a month before you leave then just keep on top of it every week thereafter. Its much easier than trying to clean yourself whilst packing and organising kids and making tea and coffee for the movers. And they like lots and lots of drinks. Biscuits not so much as mine all went to mcdonalds on the way to start the job

[Missingstreetlife]

Movers will suppply boxes. Try to get your internet sorted early, take your contract with you, if you are not moving far you may be able to take your landline phone number with you, or take over one at new place. Keep important documents and valuables with you, don't empty drawers just cover and stack them, they can move as they are.
Get the bed made up first, then when you've had enough you can just get in it, leave some unpacking for another day

[OnwardsAndUpwards10]

Have a good clear out first. And hire someone to do it for you.

[meg54]

Avoid moving on a Friday. If anything goes wrong (buying), you will struggle to contact estate agents, solicitors, banks, loan companies etc, If renting same applies, but to a lesser extent. Keep all relevant documents handy.
Photograph utility meters as soon as you arrive and leave.
If you can check the barrel on the lock, buy a replacement, or fit a door chain.

[Gunpowder]

Marking place

[MilkGoatee]

Put small stuff in small boxes which fit into larger ones. For example if you put cutlery and the like (drawer by drawer) into a shoebox each, then pack that into a larger box it's better manageable. Smaller items have a habit of getting lost, too, so that risk is diminished in a small box.

Know where your furniture goes so you don't have to move it again. If you have bookshelves, get them unloaded first and put in place. You can then unpack your books quick and easy and get rid of the stack of boxes. (Says she who moved close to 5,000 books last time.)

Essentials in overnight bags, enough to go for a day or two (or three). A plate each, a mug each, etc in a box and keep it with your overnight bag, put it in your car (if you have one) away from the rest of the moving stuff.

Use (spare) pillows and chair cushions to bolster boxes with awkward/breakable stuff - the pillows/cushions are bulky and take up a lot of space, this way they've got a useful purpose.

And definitely declutter and don't move what you do not need. The local charity shop can always handle stuff, be it clothes or knick-knacks.