Moving Tips/Hacks?

[Acunningruse]

We are moving house in 2 weeks for the first time in a decade and first time ever with 2 small children. Any tips on how to make it go smoothly? We are paying for removals but can’t afford to have them pack for us.

House we are moving to is slightly smaller and although we have de cluttered a lot there is still SO MUCH STUFF.

Help!
Thanks

pack overnight bags for each person inc toothbrush toothpaste etc then at least you dont need to search for stuff the next morning

i used black bags for bed linen, towels, clothes - put cushion, pillows if yu have boxes big enough for them in with the plates etc will stop some breakages

Declutter and start as soon as possible, be honest. More you can get rid of the better as it makes it easier to pack.

I found I needed boxes and boxes and I found start packing up non essentials (whilst decluttering) then storing in spare room / under the Stairs.

I'd try to rethink getting them to pack - by the time we had bought/aquired boxes and packing materials it was almost as much as the removals would charge. And they emptied the house in one 4 hour slot, which left us with a 90% empty house to clean before they came back the next day to finish off and actually move us.

And yes, get rid of anything you can and LABEL EVERYTHING else.

For your wardrobe stuff, put a picnic blanket on the bed, lift all the wardrobe clothes out altogether onto the blanket then wrap it around them and seal it with packing tape. For small chests of drawers, keep clothes in them and wrap packing tape around so they can be moved as is. Definitely have a suitcase of essential clothes and toiletries and a box of essential utensils. Label every box with what the items are and which room they go in. Get more boxes than you think you'll need. Good luck in your new home!

When you're setting up the new house, take the workstation approach to everything, which means look at each area and think what it will be used for - kitchen sink is easy, wu liquid, gloves, sponge etc, space where you do paperwork ditto.

Now expand that to your relaxing spaces - so you need, say, a couple of cushions, a reading lamp, a flat surface for tea/water/whatever, somewhere for remote controls.

See if you can pack your boxes with that in mind, so that instead of numerous boxes of miscellany you have "sitting room sofa", "bedside tables", "morning routine", "tea and coffee making" etc etc.

This makes it quicker to unpack, but also quicker to identify what you're not really using so you can put it in one of the many boxes for charity.

Nb, your tea and coffee box also has the kettle, two mugs each, biscuits and plenty of teaspoons. It travels in the car with you so if your crockery and cutlery is at the bottom of a stack you can still brew up as soon as you need to.

Label all the boxes with numbers, have a corresponding list/spreadsheet with the contents of the box instead of just ‘kitchen Stuff’ written on the side. If you have young DC give them a box to fill and empty let them draw on it decorate it with stickers etc to entertain them while your packing. Bin stuff you don’t need as you go. Make sure the essentials box goes in your car and not the moving van so it’s easy to find on the other end. Cut yourself some slack and allow for a few days of takeaway, no one wants to cook when you’ve spent hours unpacking and can’t find the box with the pans despite all your labels and speadsheets

Took me two full time weeks to source boxes and material and pack a 3 bed kid free property. I'm not a professional packer, it did all survive but would not have been insured for breakage.

Just saying..

I bought these storage zip bags. They are very strong and hold a lot of stuff.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REUSABLE-LAUNDRY-STORAGE-BAG-SHOPPING-BAGS-ZIPPED-STRONG-EXTRA-LARGE-LAUNDRY-BAG/122558679666?hash=item1c89110a72:m:m0TTiHgKMjcwz-63t121Msw

I would beg borrow and steal to pay for packing. Easily the best money I have ever spent ever

Seriously it's like £200 to get them to pack. It will be the best money you ever spend. Packing yourself will probably take longer than 2 weeks!

Label boxes with room name and number. When you come to unpack, start with the higher numbers - those will have the things you packed last so need first.

Totally agree, packing is absolutely best £200 you'd ever spend. Could the budget stretch to getting them to pack just the kitchen?

My advice is basically to channel a professional removals packers, so basically the opposite of a PP. I have twice seen one young man pack everything in my house himself, in a single day. He didn't organise or group or declutter, he just put stuff in boxes. Seal every box with tape (except your tea and biscuits box) - this makes them stackable in any order, like bricks. Don't make any one too heavy as it needs to sit on other boxes. Just do it mechanically from one corner of the room, packing every item. Label with room name and some ref to contents but the key thing is don't faff about it, just scribble something and keep on. If you do want to organise, fine, but do it as a separate task before you start packing so you don't get bogged down by it. The kitchen takes 50% of packing time.

What PPs said about chests of drawers being moved as is. Books need to go in small boxes because they're heavy.

Don't forget painkillers and any meds in the kettle box.

Like everyone else I say pay for packing!

But they do pack EVERYTHING so you have to declitter and have non-packed things like window keys in a box safe with you.

I used towels and tea-towels in the bottom of crockery boxes to provide some extra padding (without buying lots more bubble wrap).
I used our sofa throws and cushions to pad and protect two large mirrors, then wrapped around them with value clingfilm (about 50p) to hold everything in place - this worked really well.
I also cling-filmed round the clothes airer to stop it opening and getting hooked on door handles as it was being carried, as it always does this to me when I am moving it!

Like others I’d pay for packing, ours was £200. I’d also second the zip bags for clothes, bedding etc. We used supermarket lifetime bags for books, they have handles so you can easily carry them and you can’t overfill them.
Whatever you decide to do, put all your documents in one bag/ case/ folder and store them in the boot of your car. Then make sure your keys are on your person at all times!

In the front seat of the car you need everything to make tea,loo roll, hand soap, towel, jay cloth and cleaner, washing up liquid, tea towel