Keep your house move hassle-free: seven essential tips

I've always been a bit of a nomad and with 20 moves in 25 years, I've learned a thing or two about moving myself and my stuff from place to place. Here are seven steps you can take to make move day go smoothly.

1. Upstairs, downstairs

Everything you move has to go through your front door, so it makes sense to have your belongings as close to the departure point as possible. That means getting all boxes and items down from the loft/attic (or up from the basement/cellar) before moving day. Most of the stuff in there you don't use every day anyway and can well do without for a few weeks. Put the boxes in room you can do without for a while and stack them three or four high, big boxes at the base, small ones at the top. (After all, you don't want anything to fall on you>)

2. Clear the clutter

When you're moving things out of the loft/attic or basement/cellar, take the chance to clear out anything you haven't needed in the last two years. Why move what you don't need? The same goes for the garage and for the garden shed. Be ruthless, or you'll only have to throw it away once you've moved. This is also a good time to