Move-it Yourself: Five Steps to Success
I have lived in five countries and have moved house nearly 20
times. It may be more, but I'm not counting the ones I can't
remember from my childhood. Most of those moves I've done myself
(with the help of a few friends) and over the last 25 years,
I've learned a thing or two about moving that considerably
streamlines the process. So here, for my money, are five steps
to can take to make sure you are adequately prepared for the big
day.
1. Start early
Although you love those photos of friends and family, they can
be the first to come off the walls when you've decided on a move
date. The more you've packed before move week, the less you'll
have to do then.
2. The best investment
If you're hiring a van, you may be tempted to go for something
cheap. This is almost always a mistake. You will tire yourself
out lifting stuff onto and off the van, so why not get a van
that will help you? Spend a bit more and get one with a
tail-lift. This will be invaluable, especially for the larger
furniture items. If you can get power steering as well, someone
up there likes you. Those vans can be difficult to manoeuvre.
Buy or borrow a heavy duty trolley of some kind and you'll have
almost all the bases covered. When booking a van, look for a
company that will allow you to either pick it up the night
before the move or return it the day after. (If you can find one
that will let you do both for a reasonable price, let me know).
The night before will let you get a head start on the loading;
the morning after means you can collapse into bed at night
without watching the clock and you may be able to take another
load the next morning.
3. Other transport
Make sure you make full use of your car (s). These are great for
transporting the delicate items (the laptop or the DVD player
for example) and the items you don't want to lose (money,
jewellery, credit cards). The back seat is a great place to put
your hanging clothes (why add ironing to the list of chores
you'll have to do in the new place?). Before the move, you can
pack these in a box labelled 'car only'. The trunk and footwells
of a car are also the ideal place to put your house plants for
transportation. If you stack them close together, they should
arrive intact. Remember to line the area with black rubbish bags
so that you don't have to clean your car afterwards.
4. Box clever
There's a theory that bigger is better when it comes to boxes
for packing your stuff. Not so. In fact, the reverse is true.
You need to keep boxes small and manageable. Those boxes that
your reams of paper come in (you can get a few from your office)
are perfect for packing books, CDs, DVDs, tapes, records (if
you've still got them) and other small items. The ones with
handles are best.
Check out your local shop and ask them to save the boxes that
snacks and chocolates are delivered in. They'll need to be
reinforced but they're a good size as well.
For all the mums out there, the Pampers multipack boxes are
strong and solid (and they have handles).
Finally, book boxes (the smaller ones, of course) from your
local bookshop. These are difficult to get hold of but when you
use them you can be sure that your stuff won't fall out mid-move.
5. Tape talk
When it comes to tape, the wider the better. Your packing tape
should be at least two inches wide and very strong. The brown
rolls are best (again, you'll need one for each of the main
packers), but masking tape (good for labelling) and Duck tape
(strong but expensive) are other alternatives. You can also use
the tape to label anything stored in a garbage bag (you'll need
plenty of those as well and not just for rubbish).
Last words
If you do all this, you should be primed for a successful move.
Happy moving!