Best house packing tips

[snapandfartaftermartialarts]

Okay so I'm moving a week on Sat/Sunday
What are your best tips and tricks for the easiest packing.
Single mum, two children. We're all off work and school for the holidays so no childcare.
House is currently upside down and slightly unorganised as my packing is atrocious.
I'm looking for the easiest way to do this !

Pay for the packing service. It is so worth the extra money if you can afford it.

Good luck with the move.

Label the boxes with which room they are to go into and the contents!

Go in layers. Start with the stuff on shelves and in cupboards that either rarely gets used or won't be missed for a few weeks. A room or category at a time eg dining room first or books first. Take the opportunity to chuck, recycle or donate anything that won't be missed, ever.

If you can afford proper packing boxes like these, all the better, since they stack neatly and are really strong.
www.amazon.co.uk/Mooveit-Large-cardboard-boxes-Pack/dp/B01H2T3OFO?tag=mumsnetforum-21
Keep a sharpie in your pocket and label as you go.

Pack yourselves a suitcase as if you were going away for a long weekend. If you use removers, that travels with you and is not only handy if anything goes wrong but makes the first few days easier.

And, basically, find a method and go with it.

If you can possibly stretch to it, pay for removers to pack. Then all you have to do is get rid of stuff you don't want to move, because if you leave a dirty tissue or bag of rubbish, they will pack it.
Let them in, take kids out to park for the day, job done.

Pay for the movers to pack. You will save yourself days of work and need much less time off work. It was the best money we spent moving house. Good luck with your move.

I wish I could but the house has needed a lot more work than first imagined ( full flooring throughout and decorating) and all the money has gone.
I'm not even paying for removal vans now just relying on family and friends with their work vans and trailers - I am only moving about 2 minute drive away from my rented current house.
So it's just me I'm afraid.

Mark the boxes with each room kitchen /lounge/ dining room/ bedroom 1/ bedroom 2 etc etc.

Then sub mark each box by importance of having to be unpacked with either numbers or letters (ie cutlery important, books not important)

Keep a box in your car essentials- toilet roll, pens, cups, cloths, plasters

Also dont pack the hoover, should be the last thing out your house and first thing in the new house

As above pack everyone a holdall as if ypu were going on holiday.

Buy a pack of coloured dot stickers. Colour code the boxes (red = kitchen, blue = lounge etc.)

Have a box that gets opened first in the new house with the kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, bath towels & toothbrushes etc.

Pack a suitcase of everything you and the kids will need for a week as if you were going on holiday.
So clothes, toiletries, nappies, sleepwear and comforters etc.
This way you still have the essentials whist everything is being unpacked.

Also when unpacking make sure beds and bedding is unpacked first.
Then whatever stage of unpacking you are in that night you have everything ready to just flop into bed.

Thanks guys. I'm hoping it all goes smooth. I'm going to start taking some bits over in my car and just pop them away like kitchen stuff. I just hate unpacking, x

Seriously just pay for the packing service. Won't cost much more and makes it so easy.

Don't make the boxes too heavy, especially boxes of books. Hollow breakables should be stuffed with paper (or tea towels) as they are inclined to break without this support. Every nook and cranny should be stuffed with paper in boxes of breakables so nothing shifts or rattles while being moved.

Pack plates on their sides, not flat in boxes. Much less likely to get broken. Good luck with it all.

How old are your DC?

If I was moving two minutes down the road I wouldn’t bother wrapping plates etc - I’d just put them in plastic crates and go straight from one cupboard to the next.

Have you got fitted wardrobes? Just remove clothes on hangers and take to new house to hang straight up.

A sack truck will make life easier with heavy appliances. Ask to see if anyone you know has one lying around.

Banana boxes are great - strong, have handles and are stackable. Ask at c/s at supermarkets if the night shift can keep boxes for you.

If you are going to DIY use proper materials. Go to a storage place and buy about 50 boxes (some large/small) 2 rolls of bubble wrap or packing paper, parcel tape, a roll of pallet wrap (heavy duty cling film).

Then your lovely helpers will have sturdy stackable securely packed labelled boxes and it will go much more smoothly.

Pallet wrap goes around bundles of awkward stuff, protects furniture, his drawers closed, keeps flat pack pieces together, it's really useful.

See through plastic storage boxes with handles are a godsend. You can easily see what is in them and they are especially good at keeping books and any papers/files you have in good condition.
Robert Dyas has a 3 for the price of 2 offer on them at the moment.

Thank you all. Definitely going to look into pallet wrap.
I'm also going to leave clothes on hangers.
And move all kitchen things strIght from these cupboard in my trust my Ikea bags into the new ones.

To make matters worse I now have a mouse upstairs! I saw it in my bedroom😭 I spoke to next door they have one too but I'm definitely more wary of moving everything now.