Top Packing Tips for Your House Move

Packing up your whole house may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. There are certain things you should do to avoid a last minute rush when it comes to packing for your move.

We’ve put together eight of the best tips and tricks to help with packing for a house move, from the power of decluttering to making the most of free packing materials.

1. Declutter

Before attempting to pack your items, you should declutter your belongings. By decluttering your belongings, you will have a fresh start at your new home. Not only will you get rid of things you hardly ever use, but you can also make some cash that can go towards your moving house fund.

Decluttering your home will help to reduce the stress of moving. Once you’ve decluttered your house, you should let the removal company know the number of items you’ll be bringing with you so you receive the best house removal quotes.

2. Start early

Start packing as soon as you’ve decluttered your home. The earlier you start packing, the less stressful it will be during the week before moving day. If you pack a little section of your home each day, the task won’t seem as daunting as if you did it all at once.

By starting your packing early, you can work out a schedule that you can set deadlines to be completed each week. Take your time and start early to avoid packing everything last minute.

3. Make an inventory

You should create an inventory so you know exactly where everything is when it comes to unpacking. Make a note of all items that are going in the cardboard boxes, making sure that everything in the same box is for the same room.

By creating an inventory for your packing, it’ll allow for a clear structure for your packing process. It’ll also help the removal company to know where to unpack the boxes on arrival at your new house.

4. Start packing items you use least

The best tactic to stick to when packing up your house will be to pack the items and rooms that you use the least first. By doing this, it allows you to make a start on your packing in advance with rooms such as the attic and garage.

Leave the kitchen, living room and bedroom until a few weeks before the move as these are the most used rooms in the house.

5. Pack an essentials bag

Pack a bag of emergency and essential items and keep this with you for the duration of the journey and not in the removal van. Keep out items such as medication, money, phones and chargers, a change of clothes, toilet roll and snacks and drinks.

By packing an essential bag that stays with you the whole time, you will always have important items nearby in the case of an emergency.

6. Pack items in suitcases

Packing heavy items such as books and photo albums in a suitcase will be easier to transport as the wheels will balance out the weight. This will allow you to pack more into a suitcase than into your cardboard boxes as it’ll take the weight better.

Consider packing items such as shoes or books into a few suitcases as well as clothes as if you were going on a holiday.

7. Utilise free packing materials

You can find free cardboard boxes to use as packing materials from your local supermarket or coffee shop. Many small businesses will be more than happy to give away cardboard boxes and bubble wrap for free as they would only be recycling them themselves.

Make the most of towels, bed sheets and blankets to wrap delicate items in. Not only will you be saving space in the removal van, but you will also save on the cost of your removals too by using fewer materials for the move. It’s also better for the environment as you are wasting less.

8. Get everyone involved

If you have children, they may feel anxious about moving to a new house. A good way to get them involved and try to put them at ease is letting them pack their own items. They can be in charge of what they want to bring with them.

To make it fun, let them label their own boxes with colourful pens and stickers. By getting everyone involved with the packing for your move, it’ll take some of the hard work and pressure off yourself and can be a real team effort.

Additionally, this could be a cheaper alternative from hiring a removals company, as removals costs can sometimes be unpredictable. In fact, even locations can play a factor in these prices. Removals in Canterbury, for example, would cost differently than removals in London or Manchester.

If you stick to these packing tips and tricks, then the task of packing up your house hopefully won’t seem as daunting as you first thought.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

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By Rachel Newcombe.