Moving house soon - any top tips for packing up?

[Gizmosgremlins]

Moving in a few weeks and currently going round in circles as have no idea how to pack stuff up in a sensible, logical order. Is there any approach to this or is it just a case of multiple jigsaw style attempts trying to get things to fit into relatively small boxes so that you can still lift them?

Get the movers to do it for you! Admittedly it's been a few years since I moved, but it wasn't that much extra and they were so quick. Plus their insurance will cover breakages if they packed it. Beware, they do pack everything though, so make sure you clearly indicate what doesn't want packing.
Failing that it's helpful to put stuff that goes in the same place in the new house together, but split up the heavy stuff (or use smaller boxes), and label the box with room and contents.

Also jumped on to say pay for packing. It’s astonishingly good value.

Also echo the point they will pack everything,including in our case the full kitchen bin.

But I will never do my own packing again.

100% pay for the packing service.

Get someone else to do it. I had a superb experience recently and would never pack myself again.

If you can pay it's worth it, but if you can't stretch to it just pack each room, leave clothes on hangers,much easier to unpack and rehang. Pack a box with basic kitchen equipment like kettle,mugs,tea, coffee, sugar,spoons plates and cutlery so you can at least make a drink and order a takeaway first night. Pack all bedding together. You can unpack over a few days but initially you need somewhere to sleep and the ability to make drinks and eat. Make sure you label each box with what room and a brief list of what is in it. Much easier to prioritise unpacking the important stuff

First sort and declutter donate and throw anything you dont love or is used frequently

Then start to group items by the room you want them to end up in at the new house and pack them together. Label the box with the room name and contents. If you have multiple bedrooms at the new house, think of a naming scheme for them color based on walls or a number or something)

Pack heavy things into small boxes so you can actually lift them. Big boxes are only for pillows and lamps

Fragile stuff boxes can be tagged with bright colored duct tape (I use neon pink) and group all together so the movers cant miss them

As you pack boxes, put them all in the corner of 1 room to start with (or the garage) so that every room isnt upended. You will probably pack your kitchen in stages as you will need some stuff until the last minute, but you can pack most mugs, glasses and plates etc a few days before.

Make a kit of stuff to take in your car on move day with bedding for each bed, loo rolls, bin bags, tape and scissors, a change of clothes and jammies for everyone and a towel and toiletries. Possibly also the kettle/mugs and some paper plates and cutlery That way you arent hunting for the essentials on the first night

On move in day, set up and make the beds first, then the wifi, then the kitchen, then the bathroom

Put some clean bed sheets and towels in their own suitcase and take that in your own car. When you get to the new place prioritise assembling your bed before you do anything else. Then make it with clean sheets, so it's ready for you to just collapse at the end of the day.

Find a decent takeaway nearby that will deliver on first night.

All bedroom boxes/bedroom furniture get labelled with a post it saying Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2, etc. When you get to the new house go round the bedroom doors and stick another post it on each door, so your removal guys automatically put the right stuff in each room and aren't constantly asking you where does this go.

But yeah I'd 100% also recommend the packing service. Ours was something ridiculously low like £300 extra and it included all the packing supplies, I'd have spent that alone on boxes and bubble wrap. They also come back when you've finished unpacking and take all their boxes away.

Pay them to do it. Of course try to reduce what you’re leaving, but tbh I simply didn’t have room in my old house to sort anything out. I did leave some things out the front, some of which went, and did a tip run, but most of it I dealt with by hiring a skip after moving in. I know it’s all expensive but no regrets from me.

Most important thing is to label each box with the name of the room where it is going to go and make sure the boxes are unloaded into the right room on arrival

Declutter as you pack - no point taking stuff you don’t really need or want, get rid of it now

Decent boxes and coloured stickers for each room. Makes unpacking so much easier

Not in any way affiliated but we used something like this. https://www.cratehirecompany.co.uk/ They work so much easier than faffing with cardboard boxes and tape and if you shop around they are more economical.

Create an inventory spreadsheet and label each box clearly (Room No and Summary). Put a label on each room when you get to the other side so you can pop boxes into the nearest spot to where the contents live.

We use all of our towels, bedding for padding breakables.

We ruthlessly declutter every time we move (long term renters so we move every 2-3 years.

Book pets into kennels or send to a minder for 3 days prior and post move.

Keep one box aside with all of the screws, remotes, spectacles, toolkit etc so you don't have to hunt for things to get setup.

Wash and put aside a full set of bedding for each bed the week before. i stuff the pillow case with sheets, duvet cover and pillow cases and pop them next our moving day suitcases.

For me setting blocks of time for certain tasks helps to make it manageable. 1 room per day for example.

Use the same mindset as holiday: most of it goes in Hold but you keep some stuff (including absolute essentials e.g. medication) with you in the Cabin.

Let the Removers do most of the packing to take in the van but have an Emergency Kit that stays with you. You need the ability to make cups of tea and beds. And you need to a "what if it all goes wrong and we have to stay overnight in a hotel" kit!

Definitely pack the movers to do it, it's not worth the time and effort of trying to do it yourself. They'll be through the house like a whirlwind! We didn't even have the kettle boiled and 2 beds were flat-packed, in the van and half the kitchen was packed!

Pay somebody to do it. I went on holiday and left them to it ... very relaxing!

Top tip! Label each box with contents and the room it needs to go to in the new house. Give your movers a plan of the house with the name of each room written on it.
Always label the boxes on the top and at least two sides. That way you can see what is in it even when they are stacked up.

Get rid of stuff.
Buy boxes rather than trying to collect enough. It’s so much easier to pack and stack matching boxes, and ones specifically designed for moving are the right size and strength.
Having said that, nappy boxes are the perfect size for books.
A brown tape dispenser is a Godsend.
Leave clothes in their drawers and wrap the whole unit in clingfilm.
Pack everything you will need for the first couple of days in suitcases and put them in your car. If you have kids make sure anything precious, blankies/cuddly toys are safe and you know where they are.

Pay for packing! Best money you’ll spend.

Label every box. In detail with bullet points and as PP say with the name of the room. As items won't always fill boxes exactly, there will be random ones where 1 type of thing is put in on top of different ones.

If you are moving house and taking your furniture it's easy as you can always declutter at the other end. You can tip the contents of the messy drawer into a box and tip them all back out at the the new house and put off tidying for another day.

Personally I would declutter as I go and enjoy the process. Or it it's too much focus on one area to declutter before the move and the rest after.

Another vote to pay for packing. When we last moved (30 years ago! gulp) they brought in rails so everyything on hangers was just put on those and wheeled into the van. So much easier than packing clothes. The glass on one print got cracked. They noticed before we did, told us, whisked it away and returned it with new glass a day or two later. They were absolutely wonderful. One of the best things we've ever paid for. We had two very young children at the time, it was a godsend.

Go through the loft/shed/garage/outbuildings first and have a massive clear out.
Pack out of season bedding and clothes first.
Clear bookshelves and pack books.
Run down your fridge and freezer in the next couple of weeks.
Pack your vacuum cleaner into the car. Hoover the new place before the removal van is unloaded (send removal men off for their break).
Once one room is empty then put pets in there out of the way with some food and put them in pet carriers at the last minute. Or even better put them into kennels/cattery for a week and go back for them once you've settled in.

We got the removers to do it - it wasn't much more really in the grand scheme of things.

Biggest thing is clear out stuff you don't need any more - try and do a big charity shop dump - even if you get rid of 10 bin bags of stuff that's 10 bin bags you don't have to unpack.

Thank you everyone...sorry it's taken a few days to reply...I've been up in the loft packing all this time 🤪. Thank you for some great tips!

Oh deffo get moving company to pack for you! Best money ever spent!

I found it easier once I started by packing one small area, like a single drawer, so it didn’t feel like the whole house was shouting at me. I also label every box on two sides and chuck screws for furniture into sandwich bags taped to the item. Using location de camion Montreal made the actual moving day smoother, since I could pick the right truck size without faff.