Are you in the process of moving flats or houses? If so, you’re facing quite a challenge. It may seem that the removal is going to be quick and easy but in reality, you need to be prepared for some obstacles on your way. If you want to avoid most of them and make the relocation painless, here are some tips and tricks you can follow. Find out how the professionals do it!
Moving flats: appearances can be deceiving
If it’s the first time in your life that you’re about to move to a new place, you may think it’s going to be really easy. How hard can packing a few boxes be? As experienced professionals, we can say without a doubt that without proper equipment and meticulous planning, even a small removal can turn into chaos. That’s why you can’t play it by ear and dry to organise everything at the last minute. Don’t underestimate it!
Tips & tricks that will make the removal significantly easier
What to do to pack all the things fast and get things done without frustration, anxiety, and overpaying? Here’s what you can do to prevent the chaos.
1. Plan in advance
In most cases, you know about the removal at least a month or two before it happens. It’s only logical: there might be a notice period you have to go through if you’ve been renting a flat or, if you’re about to relocate to a new town or country, you need to make some changes in your life before you go. But even though you might be growing impatient, waiting to move to your new flat or a dream house, there’s a silver lining: you can plan the removal with no pressure.
Start planning the move at least a few weeks in advance. That includes making arrangements with the removal company if you’re hiring one. Make sure everything is scheduled and the dates are fixed.
Pro tip: don’t wait with the removal until the very day you have to leave your old place. It’s better to schedule it 1-2 days in advance. That way, if you face some obstacles, you won’t be working under time pressure.
2. Organise your belongings before you pack them up
Before you even start boxing your clothes, electronics, and furniture, look them over and figure out:
- what you should keep and what you should get rid of,
- how much stuff are you about to relocate – if you’re moving houses and you plan to take all the furniture with you, you may need a big lorry to have it transported in one go,
- which of your possessions are the most fragile and valuable.
It’s advisable to make a list of everything you take with you. That way the risk of losing something in the process becomes significantly lower.
3. Donate or sell all the unwanted items
Once you go through all your clothes and other belongings, it’s almost certain that you’ll find at least a few things you can (and should) get rid of. But that doesn’t mean they have to be thrown out. Those things that are in a quite good state, should be sold or donated. It can be done easily! Just use the power of the internet! You can place an ad on a marketplace such as OLX or use your social media. You’ll be surprised how fast your things will find their new owners!
4. Start packing in advance
Depending on the amount of stuff you’re about to move, you should start packing at least a week before the big day. Let’s face it: it will take you a lot of time to organise and secure your belongings the right way. Of course, you can ignore this rule and just pack things at random, but that won’t end up well.
5. Organise your belongings while packing them up
If you’re wondering how to pack quickly, there’s an easy answer: do it meticulously. Remember that it’s not only about how much it takes to put things into the boxes. It’s more important how time-consuming the unpacking becomes.
To avoid chaos:
- organise your belongings: divide them into groups, such as clothes (you may want to separate winter clothes from the ones for summer etc.), shoes, kitchen appliances, books, cutlery and tableware, cosmetics, electronics etc.
- put things that belong to different rooms separately – it’ll help you to unpack quicker.
6. Secure your valuables with the right packaging
Packing and shifting clothes or home textiles is easy – they aren’t very likely to get damaged. But when it comes to electronics, furniture or items made of glass, it gets a lot trickier. Don’t worry though. With the right packaging equipment, you’ll secure them in no time. You just need to remember to:
- wrap each piece of the glassware and tableware in old newspapers/bubble wrap/towels or other home textiles. Make sure everything stays in place by using scotch tape,
- use special moving boxes that prevent your valuables from moving around while in transport,
- mark the boxes with fragile items as such – you can use some special stickers or just white the note with a marker pen.
7. Pack an “essentials” bag
If you plan to unpack on your own, be aware that it might take a while. So you won’t get access to all of your belongings instantly. Some of them will be hidden at the bottom of the pile of boxes. To avoid frustration, pack a bag with all the essential items, such as toiletries, a phone charger, a blanket, or a toilet roll. That way you won’t get angry and you won’t need to go through all the boxes in a rush.
And to wrap things up here’s number 8: hire a moving company. They know how to transport big furniture and how to shift household appliances intact. And on top of that: it’s cheaper and faster when you have the removal done by the professionals.
If you need any help in moving, feel free to contact us. We’ll make the process go smoothly and as quickly as possible.