Packing Tips for Moving House
When moving house, you shouldn’t leave everything until the last minute. When packing, consider what you don’t need to take with you and what will need careful packing. Unless you’re traveling light, you won’t be able to unpack everything in the first day, so it’s worth deciding what you might need easy access to soon after you cross the threshold of your new home.
BEFORE PACKING
The packing process is incredibly important, so it is advisable to create a plan before you begin. Planning comes at the top of our moving house checklist, and will help you get through your house move in an organised fashion.
Plan how you will pack each room. Start at the top of the house and move downwards. If you have a loft, it’s a good idea to sort it out first. Label each box with the room to which it belongs.
Select what packing materials you need. Estimate how many boxes you will need (though most people significantly underestimate how many items they have!) and get these well in advance. Find boxes in a variety of sizes and think about other items you will need such as tape and bubble wrap.
Take some time to sift through your belongings and have a clear-out. You can make up a box for charity donations.
PACKING HACKS
Everyone appreciates tips that save time and money. With our years of expertise in removals, we’ve picked up some useful packing tips to help when moving house.
LABELLING
Empty all of your appliances and pack up the accessories, such as wires, separately. Make sure you take note of which wire belongs to which accessory. You can do this by coiling your wire and putting masking tape around it, then writing the appliance it connects to on the tape.
IMPORTANT ITEMS
Pack important documents together, such as birth and marriage certificates, and keep them in a safe place. It would be ideal to carry all passports and important information in the ‘essentials’ box or on your person during the trip. Misplacing your passport is a bigger tragedy than losing a lamp.
ESSENTIALS
Pack a clear plastic box with things you’ll need right away. Items such as a toothbrush and phone charger are essential items you’ll need to use on day one in your new house, so make them easy to find!
PACKING HEAVY ITEMS
Pack books and other heavy objects in small boxes and try not to make the box too heavy, especially if using cardboard boxes. Put heavier boxes on the bottom! Packing tips like this one might be common sense, but they’re still important to mention. By putting your heavy boxes below the lighter boxes, you ensure no breakable items will get crushed during the move. It can help to label which boxes are especially heavy or light, the former is especially useful to avoid injury.
PACKING CABLES
Used toilet roll tubes are handy holders for cables and can be easily written on to identify your iPhone cable from your other cables!
PACKING TOILETRIES AND MAKEUP
Cover any openings of your toiletries with cling film, then put the tops back on to prevent them from leaking. Place an extra cotton pad or ball into your powder cosmetics to keep them from cracking.
PACKING CLOTHES AND TEXTILES
Slide clothes on hangers directly into rubbish bags and tie the hangers together with string to easily transport clothes. Simply put a hole in the bottom of the bag and pull the hangers through. Then tie a knot on the bottom. This far more efficient than folding all of your clothes and boxing them!
To protect carpets and rugs, roll them up and secure with rope and then put a cover or bag over each end to keep them clean.
PACKING FRAGILE ITEMS
Take all the drawers out of your furniture and pack your clothes and fragile items inside them. Once you have done this you should wrap the drawers with a furniture cover or cling film to secure the contents.
Stack up your pots and pans and wrap them in newspaper/paper. Do not stack your dishes so that they are flat. Wrap each one individually and pack them vertically like vinyl records; stacking them on top of each other puts a lot of pressure on the bottom plate and is more likely to lead to breakages. Store smaller items, such as spice pots, inside of large bowls and pots.
Protect your artwork and mirrors by wrapping them in paper and packing them in mirror boxes. For larger pieces, tape cardboard over them securely. Use packing tape to create an X shape on your mirrors to help prevent them from cracking.
PACKING LARGE ITEMS AND MOVING APPLIANCES / ELECTRONICS
Furniture – if you are disassembling any large furniture, such as a bed or cupboard, label the parts and make sure all parts are packed together. Put all screws and smaller fittings in a labeled bag and tape/tie it to the larger parts. Use bubble-wrap to cover the arms and legs of your chairs.
Computers – first things first, make sure you backup your data! You can do this on an external hard drive, USB or via the Cloud. Turn your computer and all of the attached devices off and then unplug them from the mains, and unplug any peripherals. Clearly label each of the cables so that you know where each one needs to be reconnected. If you do not have the original packaging, you’ll need a thick-walled box, plenty of bubble wrap and packing paper, or any other cushioning material you can use to surround your computer.
Fridge freezers – make sure you leave enough time to defrost and drain your refrigerator and freezer! A few hours should usually suffice.
Washing machines – un-plumbing this appliance is not difficult if you know what you’re doing – we’ve got some tips in our guide on how to transport a washing machine.
Gas ovens – disconnecting a gas oven requires a Gas Safe registered gas engineer. Best to do this days (or weeks) before the move – though do book in advance so you don’t have to find anyone to do this at the last minute!
