Packing

[BungalowBuyer]

I'm moving for essentially the first time (moved from my parents house to here with virtually nothing many years ago)

Any packing tips would be appreciated, I'm starting now with an estimated 8 weeks to go to completion, by emptying the loft which feels like the biggest job (i have mobility issues to make it harder)

I'm also going through the house decluttering where I can, I decluttered and deep cleaned before going on the market so not loads to do.

I'm starting to run down the freezer and pantry.

What do you do with the contents of the garden shed? I'm leaving the shed and I've decluttered but there's still lots of things to take with us, lawn mower, tools etc. Presumably I don't have to box or wrap the lawnmower?

Any tips appreciated.

Are you using a moving company?

Do you have the option of them packing?

We moved last year and all the companies would not enter the loft to load into van, so I would say yes you need to clear the loft and put anything to move into boxes and bring down before moving day.

Things like lawnmower etc were loaded after boxes/ furniture but no, didn't need to be wrapped/boxed themselves. That would be impossible I think.

Good luck!

Were definitely using a moving company but probably packing ourselves. I've had some quotes but we don't have any dates pencilled in yet to exchange and complete, so haven't been able to book.

My plan is to have the loft empty by the end of the week, we have a storage unit for anything we're keeping, but I would say 90% + is going to the charity shop or for recycling or it's being given away on free cycle.

Buy bin bags. Lots and lots of bin bags. Then buy more. Be very ruthless. Don't overload your boxes or make them too big for one person to move alone.

I personally like to pack things either by category or by room although one way I've kept boxed manageable is to have a layer og

Pack away out of season clothing and bedding.
If you have lots of books (we had 6 x 6ft bookcases) then pack them up now.

Oh fgs Mumsnet could you not have added an edit button. What I was going to say was a layer of clothes or bedding then a layer of, say, books. Personally I like Really Useful boxes but we've built up our collection over many years of moves. We've also used veg delivery boxes, asked at local supermarkets and one tip a professional mover gave me once was to use the big blue IKEA bags for duvets etc, taped flat they stack really well.

Also make sure you have plenty of tape, paper to write content on, and strong black markers and write what's in each box and maybe which room you want it in.

Think about a sack truck for heavier or bulkier items and make sure the kettle, tea etc is in one of the last boxes to be packed and the first to be unpacked.

And don't be alarmed if you find yourself with several miscellaneous boxes at the end. That's perfectly normal unless you hire professionals.

Also, I cannot emphasize this enough, if you take something apart put the screws etc into a separate plastic bag and label it with details of the bitvof furniture it's from.

We used a removals company but did our own packing and they supplied all the boxes and bubble wrap etc. we had massively decluttered the loft and garage as didn’t want to take pointless crap with us.
garden stuff was in some large boxes depending on size

we didn’t pack too early as I was worried about the sale falling through so
we had a race to get it done in 2 days. Hard work but we got there!

In your new home first thing to do is make your bed(s) up. After a day of moving house to collapse straight into bed is bliss!

We've donated lots of books, I can definitely start boxing what's left.

I was planning to move bedding in our cars, so we can leave the covers on the duvets and pillows and it's just the fitted sheets to go on when we get there. We're not moving far.

Having moved recently, I would now pack things according to how often I use them and be strict about it.
That way I would know which boxes to unpack straight away and which could be left for later. Instead we ended up shuffling and repacking for weeks.

Wrt she’d: My removal co bundled things like rakes and brushes together with parcel tape.

A removal company will take everything. Mine takes apart beds and puts them back together.

I'm moving yet again and I've been decluttering and packing as I go along.

My top tips that I've always done are -

Pack an essentials box with kettle, tea, wine, pet food, medication, washing up liquid and a corkscrew.

Pack a suitcase with sufficient outfits for everyone for a couple of days, towels, nightwear, toiletries and bed linen.

Pack all important documents in my work bag.

These 3 come with me in the car.

When you get the other end all you need to do is make your beds and flop!

Make sure you label the boxes with their contents, so you are not randomly ripping them open looking for a particular item.

it’s useful to label the boxes with their destination room, and to put a notice on the door of each room, as in ‘Bedroom Two. ‘ then at least all the boxes are in the right place and you don’t end up having to cart them around.

Dead right about the priority box. Put it in the car if you can, my movers carefully put it right at the back of the van once….