What to do before removal people come

[WildebeestH]

We've never used a proper removal company before but this time we are and we've also asked them to pack. What do we need to do before they come on Tuesday morning? They're packing on Tuesday and loading/driving on Wednesday. What do we do about beds/towels?

Pack any valuables you don't want them to touch, likewise any special breakables. Put clean bedding on beds before the move so you can strip, fold and remake at the other end. Use minimum towels necessary (ditto tea towels, cloths etc).
Don't forget to make sure they leave you tea, coffee, cups etc as you will want them for the other end!
When I moved (I didn't have packing done), they were happy for me to leave drawers full - they were slotted in again in the lorry - but I did tuck pillow cases over them to stop things falling out easily and to stop the removal men getting an eyeful of my undies.

Oh, and get them to leave cleaning stuff you might want.

Pack a suitcase with everything you need for the couple of days packing and moving and a couple of days afterwards. I forgot the afterwards bit and because we couldn't get our clothes unpacked it was a bit of a pain!

Have a fresh set towels in a car ready for the new place. Don't let the movers pack your used towels or they'll be festering before you unpack them. Stick them in a bin liner and wash them at the other end.

Be clear what you don't them to touch as much as what you want to go where in your new place.

When you get to the new house, make all the beds up first, then when you are knackered you will have your beds to colapse into. Put all the pieces in a small plastic bag and sellotape to each bed

Declutter as much as possible. They will pack everything that isn't part of the house unless you tell them not to, including all the out of date spices/bags of flour/tins of random vegetables you have lurking in the back of cupboards, so get rid of as much crap as possible before they arrive.

Pack a suitcase with everything you need for those couple of days and leave it in your bed and tell them not to touch it. Write a list of it all then cross it off as you pack it. You'll need clothes, toiletries, cleaning stuff, favourite teddies, pyjamas, tea/coffee, mugs, scissors, pen, paper, laptop, chargers, stuff for breakfast the next morning etc etc. Put the mop and Hoover in the boot of your car. Take down curtains.

Our packers wouldn't empty the loft so you may need to do that too.

Just thinking about this some more as we moved a fortnight ago. I had plastic boxes - one with cleaning stuff (including a roll of black big bags), one for tea and coffee making including kettle, mugs and plenty of teaspoons, and one with things like a toolkit, scissors, torch, chargers, etc set aside which the movers didn't touch and which we took with us to the new place in the car.

Both times we have moved in the last six years neither set of movers packed the doormats so be ready to bung them in a bin bag as you are leaving - we have outside and inside ones by front and back doors.

This time I also had a box which any adapters, extension leads, remote controls, scart leads, etc went in so they were all in one place.

I also had a box clearly marked 'do not move - staying here' into which I put everything the people buying our house might need, so manuals for appliances, spare bits and bobs we didn't have any use for in our new house, the contact details for the window cleaner and alarm maintenance company, the food caddy the council provide (or it would have been packed), spare keys and so on.