Moving to a new house can be stressful at the best of times. It can seem like a mammoth task to pack up everything that you own and move it from one place to another. Some people think of it and immediately begin to panic at such a prospect. But, there are handy tips and tricks that you can use to make the process smooth and swift, so you can enjoy your new home rather than stressing about the moving process.
Whether you’re a seasoned mover or you are moving out for the very first time, we’ve put together a helpful guide that’ll make your move smooth and simple from start to finish.
How to start packing when moving home – a four-step checklist
1. Start making arrangements
Whether you’ve got a very generous group of friends and family who are willing to help you shift boxes of items into your new place or you’re planning on booking a professional moving company to help you out, you should start the arrangements for how you’re going to move your things a few weeks in advance. If you’re going to book a company, then they will need to know at least a fortnight in advance as you won’t be the only one who is moving home in the area.
This is particularly important if you’re moving to another city or town. It’s likely you’ll be moving large pieces of furniture like tables, chairs and maybe even a bed frame. Having a professional mover will not only ensure that the furniture has space to be moved in a special truck or van, but the movers are trained to lift and move furniture into your home so you don’t have to worry.
2. How to Make a Packing List
Packing can seem like a daunting task when you consider having to sort through everything that currently resides in your home. So a top tip is to go around each room of your home and make a list of the things you will definitely be moving into your new house. Which items are valuable or breakable and so should be packaged separately? What are the big furniture pieces that need to be moved – do they need to be taken apart and put back together again or are they going to be moved as one object?
As you’re making your lists, you can start to determine if you’ll need to buy any moving materials to help with your packing. For example, if you have lots of books around your home, you know that you’ll need sturdy boxes to keep them together. If you own valuable items made of glass, china or other delicate materials, you will need to purchase bubble wrap or other protective material to ensure they don’t break in the move. Using blankets and towels are a great way to protect ordinary glasses and crockery.
3. Have a clear-out
When we live in a certain place for a long time, we accumulate a lot of things. Whether necessary or impulse purchases, having all these things can add to the stress of packing to move house. One of the best things to do therefore is to have a clear-out of everything you don’t think you’ll need in your new place. Whether you subscribe to the Marie Kondo beliefs on items that spark joy or just have a love for thrift shopping, going through all of your belongings and deciding what you want to keep and what can be donated, sold or thrown away will help make the task seem much less daunting.
Charity shops will gratefully take any donations of books, games, clothes, shoes and even crockery from your kitchen so long as it’s clean and in relatively good condition that they believe they can sell it on. Not only will doing a clear-out of your belongings make the task of packing up your home seem much less overwhelming, but you will feel refreshed when you rid your rooms of clutter and unnecessary items that don’t need to go with you to your next home.
4. Go one room at a time
Packing will take multiple days, especially if you live in a house with more rooms than an apartment. So, the best way to take on the task without feeling completely hopeless – particularly if you’re packing on your own – is to take it one room at a time. Start with the smallest one – maybe it’s your bathroom or the living room – and take your time with packing. There’s no hurry to do it if you’ve planned far enough in advance. Put on some music or a few episodes of your favourite TV show to keep you motivated as you pack.
Packing to move house is a stressful task but our easy tips for starting to pack will hopefully make the task feel much less overwhelming than it did before.
If you’re looking for a great removals service in North London, then get in touch to find out more about we can help you move home.
