To ask for tips and hacks for moving/packing

[Poursomesugaronme88]

How do you pack your glasses plates etc?

Been so long since we've moved i dont have a clue.

You pay the removal men to do it for you.

use the packing service if you possibly can.

if you can't pack kitchen stuff with out-of-season clothes = reduces breakages and makes boxes less heavy.

I used tea towels to stack between my plates. But I have a stupid amount of tea towels 😂 I'm sure someone will have better ideas soon!

Most importantly pack a bag as though you were going away for a couple of nights. Then you aren't digging around for pyjamas etc the night you move in. And keep the kettle, tea bags etc to hand in a car. Don't pack them away in a box somewhere.

If you have to do it yourself, always wrap more carefully /more layers than you think.

In general the best tip I had was

• pack a case as though you are camping for a weekend - enough clothes, toiletries, phone charger, plus essential paperwork. Box with kettle, tea/coffee, travel mug, spoons, washing up liquid, loo roll, soap, towel. Cleaning materials.

Bedding - make the beds as soon as you can because it's the last thing you'll want to do after a day of moving and unpacking.

I used thick socks to pack glasses. Put a glass inside each sock and a few more in the box for extra protection. For crockery, I wrapped it all in the contents of my airing cupboard. So all the towels, sheets etc were packed at the same time .

Ask your local off license for boxes. They are normally nice and strong!

Our removal company told us to leave anything in chests of drawers that are going with you (other than breakables) and they move them full - less to unpack when you get to your destination.

We got banana boxes from the supermarket as they are really strong(and are free). They are easier to handle and stack as all the same size and not too big.

Write on the top of each box which room it needs to go into in the new house so there's less hunting for things.

Agree with the suitcase with overnight essentials and kettle etc. I'd made a slow cooker meal that I left in the slow cooker ready to plug in and heat up when we got to the new house which was a godsend.

Save up newspaper/bubble wrap so you have plenty of wrapping for breakables as well as the tips above tea towels/towels/clothes.

Keep clothes on hangers so you can put them straight into the wardrobes at the other end.

Get rid of anything you don't use now and won't use at the new place to save trips to charity shops/dumps once you get organised.

Take precious objects such as jewellery/photos with you and not in the removal truck so you know it's safe.(not casting any aspersions on the removal people but just for peace of mind).

Good idea to have someone at the new house before the removal truck arrives to direct the furniture/boxes to the right room and another at the old house to do any last minute checks/cleaning.

Use thicker clothes and towels to pack fragile and kitchen items, and do it like your making a lasagna ...kills 2 birds with one stone!

I’m afraid I just bought loads of packing materials and wasn’t particularly environmentally friendly. I bought a massive roll of bubble wrap off amazon, a pack of tissue paper and a massive roll of corrugated cardboard. I was moving a long way though.

If you’re buying materials then always over estimate.

I couldn’t get the transit bolts into the back of the washing machine but the removals men said it didn’t really matter unless the journey was going to be particularly bumpy.

I left my frozen stuff in the freezer and taped up the door. Again though, if it’s a journey of more than 4 hours or so you’ll need to use up your food.

I didn’t unpack my drawers. Instead I taped bubble wrap over the top. You could also just tape them up well if the contents aren’t too heavy. Not breakables though, obviously.

I bought a big telly box, wrapped the telly in bubble then padded out the extra space in the box with sofa cushions.

I also bought covers for the mattresses.

Either get removals to pack and unpack for you or

• keep bedding made up and do beds first.
• box with kettle tea milk mugs etc enough for drinks.
• bags for all family with pjs and night time first morning essentials.
• tear up/get rid of boxes as soon as they are empty. Reduces the risk of anything going back in them.

Also leave one box unpacked for the duration of your stay and then move it unpacked to the new place. 8 years we were in our appartment. I’ve just unpacked that box. And we moved out 2 years ago...nothing important so binned the lot.

Ask your local off license for boxes. They are normally nice and strong

I was going to suggest this too. Or your local pub. The boxes they get wine/spirits in are great and have the handy cardboard divider in so glasses can be put straight in with no packing.

I used to have 2 huge ones that had had 24 pint glasses in. Perfect for storing fragile xmas decs in too.

Following with interest as I'm in the same boat! We have movers who will pack, but general tips are always useful!

Keep your clothes on the clothes hangers put a bin bag over the top with a hole in small batches and then tape around the bags and tape the hangers together with a strong tape.
When you move, rehang the clothes and cut the tape. Save yourself a few hours !! X

We got packers in! I’ve never packed up my house for a move, I wouldn’t know where to start
All hands on deck, lots of sturdy boxes and packing tape and write the name of the room that the box needs to be moved IN to.

We’re in the same boat. Hoping to move soon and have a 4 week old baby so stressing about when I’ll find the time to do any of this when I have a baby glued to my boob 24/7! Lots of good ideas here. Definitely declutter now before the move to avoid taking things you don’t need. I’ve been labelling boxes by room name also so when we arrive they’ll be in the correct rooms and hopefully will be easier to put away. Love the idea of just taping up the freezer and drawers!

Wherever you get them, boxes with cut out handles on the sides are the best, our movers appreciated them. I have had to move a lot and I have had bad experiences with movers packing it for us so I do myself and keep good boxes and packing stuff.
I use packing paper for glasses, I use felt and things like tea towels for plates. I shredded some office papers and also used shredded paper throughout all my fragile boxes. Nothing ever breaks for me.
I put coloured stickers on the boxes, different for each room and gave the movers a coloured floor plan to match. They always comment how easy it is to move us and the more organised I became the easier and quicker the move was.
Always have an ‘open first’ kitchen box with essentials, and pack suitcases with your clothing and toiletries you might need over a few days.

Leave clothes on hangers, put them in small groups in a bin bag and tie the bag handles to the hangers and then you can just move them in bulk rather than unpacking/repacking

Always make the bed first - even if you dont build the bed frames and just have mattresses on the floor - getting to the end of the day and being able to have a shower and just climb into bed will be worth it rather than having to make it up after a full day of unpacking.

Colour code/label all boxes and label every room in the new house with the same labels/colour on the door. Eg if a box is for "Jane's bedroom", if the bedrooms all have a bit of paper taped to them with "Master bedroom/Jane's room/Jack's room" the movers know instantly which room to leave it in. Likewise downstairs if there is more than one living space, a bit of paper on the door tells the movers if it is the living room, play room or study.

Oh and freecycle you might get moving boxes on and if decluttering it’s easier to get rid of stuff using that too. Get rid of anything you don’t use all the time or absolutely love!

I second/third - pay for packers! It’s worth the money. But do remember to sort out what you want to take before they pack so you don’t end up with unwanted items in your new home!

We just moved last weekend and I definately say yes to taping freezer drawers shut with the freezer full. I used paper plates in between all dinner plates and packed all my dishes into my car instead of leaving for the removal men. I made a chicken casserole ready to heat up as well, all I had to do is chuck some wedges into the oven
I also packed a box with tea sugar and coffee and that was the last to leave the old house and first to be unpacked in its place at the new house.

I collected boxes for three years. Have at least 25% more boxes than you think you’ll need. Pack plates on their sides, else the ones at the bottom bear the whole weight. Have a look on Freegle/free cycle for people giving away boxes. Use small boxes for heavy things like books.

The best money we ever spent was getting the removal firm to pack for us.

We've moved so many times. I always pay for the removers to pack, saves doing yourself and tripping over boxes, where I am it's never been that much more expensive. Sometimes they've come the day before the move and others just did it all that morning.
Honestly, I hate paying for anything I can do myself but this is so worth it. Check the prices with your movers to add on packing, once you buy boxes etc it mightn't be that different.
After the first time I paid for unpacking I've never done it again. They unpacked onto the kitchen worktops/surfaces in the house so I had to put it away anyway. When it's all left in boxes at least you can do it in your own time.
All the best with your move!

Save up and pay for packing and moving. Best thing we ever did.

Our packers/movers built our beds and wardrobes in our new place too!

If we ever move again I'd live off beans and toast for a month to find the money to pay for the service.