Moving day tips & a few q's!

[houseydnc]

I know there's a few threads like this but I want my own 😂

I think we will be completing in 4-5 weeks. We are in the middle of a chain so will need to be out and in all in one day. This is my first time selling a house, it was all so much easier as a FTB! We slowly moved in over a week or so last time.

We are using movers, but not packers. We don't have the money.

New house is a little grubby, not totally awful but it'll need a good clean. Would be so much easier if we could clean everything before all our belongings arrive with the movers. I'm not sure how it works with movers, but I presume they won't want to hang around for us to clean? Even an hour with the empty house would give us time to do the bare minimum of hoovering and wiping surfaces down before the furniture arrives. Has anyone done this?

I'm all ears for the moving day tips from people who have done it all in one day.

Already have a basket to fill with tea bags, kettle and loo roll!

House plants are already in foster care with my sister who lives by the new house.

Already know to ensure we have the bed made first so we can roll in at the end of the loooong day!

Many thanks in advance!

They don't normally want to hang around while you clean, no. They want to get to the job done quickly.

There are often delays anyway - waiting for the money to clear etc. often they work quite late into the night if there have been hold ups - seller not getting their stuff out of the house etc.

However the important thing is to get the beds up. After that if you have time you can clean as/before you properly unpack.

They wont hang around while you clean- you'll just have to do it around them unfortunately! All the boxes and furniture wont all land on the floor at the exact same second so you will usually have some time to clean around them as they go.

Separate bag with your bits as you've said, cleaning stuff, change of clothes/something to sleep in incase you can't get to your wardrobe. And phone charger!

Put any screws and nuts and bolts from anything you've taken down into a labelled freezer bag.

Check there are lightbulbs in all the rooms as soon as you get there- and if not pop out to get them while it's still light and the shops are open! (may have made that mistake before haha)

Thank you both!

Lightbulbs are something I hadn't even thought of!

As I was packing each box I kept a notebook, numbered all the pages. 1 box per page, I wrote a brief summary of the box contents, then wrote the number on the box (on 2 sides) and the room it was going in on the top. We moved over a year ago and I still occasionally use the the book to find something in a box that got shoved in the loft. It was a lifesaver in the first week.

Bear in mind that your movers won't know which room is which, so no point putting Emma's room or whatever on the boxes. The bedrooms in our new house all had different coloured carpet so I put blue bedroom, green bedroom etc on the boxes. Saved so much time.

Label all the boxes with the room they are going to and then you can let the removal men get on with it whilst you dash around with a cloth and the duster - they can't be in all the rooms at once so you can at least make a start on making it home. If you can rope in someone else to work with you you will make a good stab at it.

Have a ready meal (and some wine!) to hand so that you can just flop down and eat at the end of the day without having to go to the shops or takeaway.

Pack a toiletries bag so that you can shower without having to unpack the bathroom boxes.

Make up a folder of all essential paperwork and ID and keep it on you. We once found ourselves with a packed van and the solicitors needed a document from us at the last minute and it was in a box on the van.

Get some numbers of locksmiths, electricians, plumbers in your new area an put them in your phone. We once moved into a house where the only access to the shed and back garden was through the French doors and the lock was broken. Shed stuff piling up in the house until a locksmith came.

When the removal men go you will have a million boxes and wonder if it will all fit in. It will.

Good luck with the move and happy times in your new home.

Huge black bin liner with made up duvet pillows sheets etc so no hunting to make the beds.

Good luck with your move.

Ikea bags are amazing for moving. They hold loads and fold compactly when finished.

First thing in the morning strip the beds and put each person’s bedding into their own black sack along with pj’s and clean clothes for next day, back a toilet bag as if going on holiday and put in a box with a couple of towels and loo roll - label bathroom. Make setting up beds a priority.

make a box of sandwiches the night before and some crisps/fruit and bottles of water, people can get what the want when they want. I always get some pizzas to chuck in the oven or organise take out .

box of cleaning stuff - loads of rubber gloves and cleaning cloths with bleach 😂.

last time I moved with the children I put the two boys in together for a few nights they liked it as it was a strange house. Then I labelled the boxes - kitchen 2 or dinning 2. Told the removal men all boxes with a 2 went into this spare bedroom and was unpacked as time allowed, the room could then be decorated and son moved in a couple of weeks later. So basically pack the kitchen in boxes as you would need. Plates/cups/dishes and a couple of pans and some cutlery to see you over the first few days. This box is also the stuff you use for the last few days in your current house.

cutlery trays - cling film up tightly = easy packing.

Get big coloured stickers. Blue for lounge. Red for toilet etc. means nobody is trying to decipher writing and it's easy to group the boxes into rooms. Make sure you have a tea planned, takeaway or similar. Get someone to make your beds on arrival cos nobody wants to do that at bedtime when they're shattered!

I second check lightbulbs in the property and get some spares in daylight.

If moving with DC ship them off to grandparents/ friends. If possible a sleepover at grandparents/ friends house.

If you are moving to a new area, get some takeaway numbers and menu choices in the phone/ notebook. A Chinese, pizza, Indian then you have a choice come moving day. You are not then trying to research takeaway options on your phone with 5% battery and everyone beyond hangry(would not recommend). You will be ready to drop by the end of moving day.

Bare essentials in a couple of boxes/ big bags. A few changes of clothes, wash bag, towels, tea, coffee, mugs, glasses, cutlery, plates, milk ect.(imagine like a weekend bag for a Travelodge). This way you are not rummaging at the end of moving day, but also not unpacking boxes before you have cleaned. It's easier to pick up a packed box and move it and clean than try and clean around unpacked stuff.

Label boxes clearly with room.Try and make a list of what is in each box as well as the room it goes in. I labeled kitchen 1, kitchen 2 ECT. And also keep a note of what was in kitchen 1,2,3... It meant I wasn't unpacking the kitchen aid, mixing bowls, pans when I was looking for a spatula.

On the same track, label non obvious rooms, for example I stuck sticky notes on bedroom 1,2,3,4. This meant things went in the correct room. Unfortunately movers don't know which room is Tom, Dick or Harry's.

Rope a few family and friends in to help with the clean if possible. Take your hoover and cleaning stuff in the car with you. As soon as you get in, start hoovering carpets. Someone else start wiping surfaces. If walls are having furniture on them someone wipe walls.

It's not so much of an issue at the moment but if you are moving in the late spring or summer, hang some bedroom curtains or get a sheet up in front of the bedroom window. 4am sunshine beating through the windows into your eyes is no fun after moving day. Also gives you some privacy for changing at night time. Hopefully you have nice previous owners who leave you either the curtains or at least the curtain pole.

If you can get them to put together beds and wardrobes for you, I'd highly recommend it, even if it costs a bit extra. Ours did two double beds, a single bed, the dining table and a wardrobe. Even put the mattresses on. It honestly saved us so much hassle.

Oh this is a good one. I will definitely ask about this. My priority is cleaning because the thought of my stuff in someone else's dirt knocks me a bit sick. If they build the bigger items I can clean!

I'm about to be in the same position OP. Weirdly I'm more concerned about leaving my (tiny) cottage in a decent state for whoever is moving in! Having only ever been a first time buyer (although I have moved in and out on the same day numerous times) the thought of having to do it this way is terrifying! Following for tips.

Is the vendor leaving their curtains?
Amazon sell temporary blinds, just peel off adhesive strip at the top and stick on. Buy them ahead and chuck with your lightbulbs. These were a lifesaver when we moved recently and found no curtains in the very large front room bay window.

Firstly, get a quote for packing. It's not expensive in the great scheme of things and will save your sanity.

Does your new place have a garage or a room you can designate for boxes?
Have the removers put the furniture in the correct rooms, and boxes in one place. This will give you space to do a decent clean before unpacking. And possible get most of the carpets cleaned if you have time.

Have a plastic crate with the kettle, paper plates, a sharp knife, kitchen roll, loo roll, soap etc.

Another crate with basic tools, cleaning stuff, hoover, lightbulbs, extension leads.

And another with important documents that you keep locked in the car.

Also following for tips...
The bedding/night wear/next day clothes in bags sounds a genius idea... Good if they can sling that last into the removal lorry. I have got quite a small car, so am already panicking about how much stuff I may need to squeeze in (kids and pets mostly) as mine is a long distance move.

Is your move local? Worth keeping cleaning stuff and a vacuum with you incase you get there first to have a head start. For me, I am hoping I will get there first and have some time to clean before they arrive, but from what they said when doing the quote, mine will be a 2 day move and they just unpack the beds at the end of day 1, so I should be OK...

Following for tips and hoping my move happens so I can revisit this thread for me!!

Good luck, you sound pretty organised

No, they're taking the poles too annoyingly!

Ah, good luck!

We're moving to a new city, but it's only about 40 mins from where we currently are so not too bad.

I'm nervous!