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Packing up a property- what do movers actually do? Any general tips?!

47 replies

Raindrops7654 · 02/02/2026 16:27

Just as the title says really.

We are moving house for the first time and I'm a bit clueless.

I know you can pay for different levels of service but, generally speaking, what do you expect from the removal company? Do they just come on the day or, if you select the packing service, do they come a day or two earlier?

If we just opt for pack ourselves and just have them move us (the option I think I'm leaning towards) then does anyone have any tips?

I've seen moving sets from box companies but there seems to be a lot of the small size boxes and fewer medium and large which I feel like would be most useful? So would we be better just ordering a bundle of bigger boxes?

We had lots of useful advice on here when first marketing our property so please fire any more advice my way.

Thank you!

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 02/02/2026 16:28

If you can afford it take the whole packing service
They will pack everything and it’s heaven - sometimes before the move day and sometimes on the day dependent
you can then ruthlessly declutter etc so they’re only packing up stuff you need and you’re not moving junk to your new house

TheNightingalesStarling · 02/02/2026 16:34

They will pack EVERYTHING. With no order, just how it fits best in boxes. They come the day before. Its very efficient

If packing yourself... you need more boxes than you think.

Jellycatspyjamas · 02/02/2026 16:38

The thing with bigger boxes is that they quickly become very heavy to move, smaller boxes are lighter and easier with less breakage if somethings not so well wrapped. They also help focus your mind on what you’re taking with you.

itsthetea · 02/02/2026 16:39

Smaller boxes because you don’t want things too heavy to move and you don’t want to have to empty a mound to find something. Wine boxes from supermarkets are great for books and cds and the like. And free

label all boxes - all easier if they are not huge mixed piles of stuff. “Books, bedroom 2” - label with detail

clothes and bedding in bin bags

Hire a skip before packing - if you haven’t used it in decades bin it. You will get better at binning as the packing goes on

pack what you can now - towels and bedding and summer ( edit) clothes to wrap plates and glasses. Kitchen takes forever so get started. Yesterday

you need a plate each, a dish each, a mug each , cutlery. And you need that in your “ in the car with me “ stuff on the day you move. And bedding , clothes for the next day, loo roll and a torch and teabags / coffee. Plan a carry out on the day, but have some bread and butter ( and crops / fruit / etc )

we packed ourselves but did we didn’t know what to do with the TV etc - delicate and valuable and were told they would take care of them

MiddleAgedDread · 02/02/2026 16:43

Pay for them to pack, it's worth every penny and more! It means you can live normally until the day you move (or day before if it's a big house / you're going long distance), and they will be through the house before you can blink! They know how to pack so that things don't get broken, boxes aren't too heavy etc. The one downside I would say is that they did it so fast we didn't label boxes well enough. They had stickers for rooms but some things weren't being unpacked immediately and it would have been useful to keep key items together or know which of the many boxes they were in!

bumphousebump · 02/02/2026 16:46

If you can, pay for them to pack.

It was brilliant last time we moved. Keep anything you don't want packed in a suitcase in your car....Documents or personal stuff. Also had a box with kettle, tea bags, milk, biscuits. They were very accomodating and quick. And also picked up a wardrobe from my in laws garage that was on the way...for the price of a few bacon baps.

Edited to add - declutter as much as you can first!

And have a clear plan of where stuff is to go. So we had a plan on the wall in the new house that said - Room 1 stuff to Room x and so on.

MrsMoastyToasty · 02/02/2026 16:48

They will normally visit when you first book them to assess what vehicles they need. We needed a lorry with an additional trailer. (Quite useful as it happened as we only had 48 hours between exchange and completion. So they packed the non essentials on exchange day and took it off to storage for a couple of days and then came back on moving day to pack the rest. )

JustPlainStanfreyPock · 02/02/2026 16:48

My movers packed on the day, but it was a small flat so not masses of stuff. A lot of books though.

They do just pack everything, including the drawer of shite, all carefully wrapped! I laughed out loud when it came to unpacking the dish of rubber bands and odd corks....

MrsMabelThorpe · 02/02/2026 16:57

Also, if you pay for them to pack, it means that it's clearly their responsibility if something gets broken in transit. If you did the box packing there may be an argument about your packing!

With our move they came the day before and went through the house SO fast, it was incredible.

Definitely start your clear out with more time than you think, and the packing too. As PP says, small boxes are better for books etc as they become too heavy to lift if they are bigger (or risk of the bottom giving way).

They brought clothes rails on wheels and the contents of wardrobes went straight onto those, and then were hung up at the other end. Chests of drawers went as they were, with the drawers taken out, the frames put in the van and then the drawers reinserted so if you are doing it yourself don't spend ages packing the contents into boxes. Prob the best thing to do though is ask your removal company for the tips that they find most helpful if you are packing yourself.

MrsMabelThorpe · 02/02/2026 17:00

I laughed out loud when it came to unpacking the dish of rubber bands and odd corks....

Ditto, when I unwrapped my husband's dirty cereal bowl, spoon separately wrapped, that he had left in the sink that morning.

CrochetMadRosie · 02/02/2026 17:12

MrsMabelThorpe · 02/02/2026 17:00

I laughed out loud when it came to unpacking the dish of rubber bands and odd corks....

Ditto, when I unwrapped my husband's dirty cereal bowl, spoon separately wrapped, that he had left in the sink that morning.

I can beat that…

Our packers wrapped up our toilet brushes and packed them (I’d left them in the bathrooms to do a final clean before we left and was then going to bin them!).

Obviously I know Mumsnet hates a toilet brush anyway…

doglover90 · 02/02/2026 17:14

We loved our packing service. They were so efficient and we didn't have to worry about estimating how many boxes we'd need of each size, how to pack fragile things etc. It saved us hours and hours of work and then we just returned all their boxes afterwards.

sittingonabeach · 02/02/2026 17:16

Get the packing service! Declutter first

They do pack everything, we ended up with doorbell ringer from previous house.

A poster on a previous thread advised putting anything you don't want taking on the day in the bath.

NutButterOnToast · 02/02/2026 17:19

Get the packing service. It's not much compared to the cost of the move I don't think and it saves you so much time

Spend your energy on decluttering instead and then they'll only take what you actually need.

We spent a good couple of months talking stuff to the tip, putting on fb marketplace and giving away, we really whittled down the house quite a lot

Much much easier to unpack at the other end with less stuff that is all useful.

Livelovelaughfuckoff · 02/02/2026 17:21

If packing yourself don’t underestimate how long it will take. I’m fairly minimalist but when we moved it felt never ending. Be ruthless and get rid of as much stuff as you can before you go. Don’t just label boxes “kitchen” write what’s actually in them or you will end up needing to go through ten boxes to find the teaspoons and a baking tray.

PauliesWalnuts · 02/02/2026 17:21

They will go through your house like a swarm of locusts with paper and boxes, wrapping everything that will stay still long enough. You'll fill a room of your new house just with flattened boxes and binbags of paper, and keep finding things like an egg cup, one book, a charity shop vase, or a whisk, randomly in bundles of paper. Keep your children safe - they may wrap and pack them if you don't pay attention...

RandomUsernameHere · 02/02/2026 17:22

If you pack yourself then it makes unpacking a lot easier, in my experience. Start early, much earlier than you think you need to, with the stuff you’re not going to need before you move. People often give away boxes for free on Facebook.

BoilingHotand50something · 02/02/2026 17:23

Pay for the packing! But empty and clean your compost caddy first! (Bitter experience!). We were rubbish at decluttering pre packing but had a skip the other end provided by our builders.

LupaMoonhowl · 02/02/2026 17:24

MrsMabelThorpe · 02/02/2026 17:00

I laughed out loud when it came to unpacking the dish of rubber bands and odd corks....

Ditto, when I unwrapped my husband's dirty cereal bowl, spoon separately wrapped, that he had left in the sink that morning.

😂😂😂😂

LupaMoonhowl · 02/02/2026 17:25

I should have done this when I moved. . I assumed as it was so chaotic they would have refused😀 Definitely will next time - useful thread!!!

user405927 · 02/02/2026 17:29

If you don’t pay for packing then they come and lift what you have packed into boxes into their van. When you book, you need to find out if they will take legs off furniture etc if necessary. If you have built a chest of drawers for example in a room, it’s best to dismantle it before the day when things are calmer.

Tips.
Starlabel all the boxes.
Starput a box with things you need - cleaning supplies, kettle etc in your car. Also the hoover.
Starif you have children, get someone to have them for the day.

AxolotlEars · 02/02/2026 17:29

If you can afford it, get them removal company to pack and move. Last time we moved we couldn't afford it so did it ourselves. Best boxes are McDonalds boxes. They usually have cages of them at about 8pm.

WonderingWanda · 02/02/2026 17:33

I have had both packers which was ideal when I had a newborn. They come the day before and pack everything in no particular order and usually will take your beds apart on the day.

More recently we did diy packing and it was much more organised but obviously more work ourselves. We paid our moving company for boxes which they dropped round in advance. I also brought some rolls of bubble wrap and large sheets of paper for wrapping delicate items. Our Oving company provided massive bags for mattresses on the day and special padded bags for TV's.

We had to pack everything, empty the loft and shed. Take apart furniture. Unplumb the washing machine etc.

Top tip.
I would really recommend getting a tape gun and both normal packing tape and some which says fragile on it. And a large roll of cellophane wrap which eas great for wrapping things together e.g. all garden tools, brooms and mops etc.

Start with non essential fragile items e.g. wine glasses, ornaments etc. Then small pictures which will fit in boxes. Large ones they had bags for.

Some movers provide hangar boxes for clothes. I just picked everything off the rails, hangars attached and laid it in boxes.

I brought vacuum bags for spare duvets, pillows, coats, garden cushions etc.

Put heavy items like books into smaller boxes as they are easier for movers to carry. Save the big boxes for large odd shaped items.

Get suitcases to pack for your last few days so that you can pack everything else in the house, all the bathroom cabinets etc.

Make sure you leave cleaning supplies out.

Don't forget to defrost your freezer before moving day.

On the day, don't forget to take note / photos for metre readings at your old house and the new one.

Keroppi · 02/02/2026 17:34

I always packed myself as I wanted to declutter ruthlessly and label every single box. I think next time I will have to pay for the packing service!

I contacted a few companies for a rough quote. A few wanted to come over and see what we had but most of them did WhatsApp video calls with our stuff or wanted videos sent with a walk through of the house and what we had and where we were going. Cash price cheaper
I did look at how much a small van costs to hire but then decided to not bother with kids etc but maybe next time I will consider this..

Wilko was my favourite place for boxes - they do multipacks of boxes. Ordered online
There's also the big yellow storage company I think
Vacuum bags for clothes especially coats etc. You can pack clothes on the hangers and wrap them.

Important stuff and stuff needed straight away went into the car
My house plants were the most annoying part of my moves for me as I have many succulents, they all lose their leaves so easily when touched or bashed!

Peclet · 02/02/2026 17:34

Packing by yourself. Put an empty box in a room. Fill it. Label it. Repeat. Start this now.

De clutter as you go.

I wouldn’t want packers as I couldn’t bear someone touching all my things. ETTO

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