DIY House Moves: Five Ways to Make Sure Your Stuff Stays Intact
With 20 moves in 25 years, I've learned a thing or two about
moving house. Here are five steps you can take to make sure that
all your belongings arrive with you.
1. Wrap it up To avoid breakages, wrap your fragile items very
carefully. The best packing items are newsprint and bubble wrap.
If you can get it, beg or buy large sheets of unprinted
newsprint or ends of rolls from your local printer. (When we did
this, the roll we got saw us through three moves). If you can't
you'll have to start saving your Sunday newspapers (the bigger,
the better) the minute you put your house on the market.
Bubble wrap is also a safe, clean alternative, and if you get
bored, you can pop a few bubbles while you wrap. Electrical
items are best transported in their own packaging if you've got
it, or bubble wrap if you haven't. Sharp knives and toasting
forks should also be wrapped so no-one gets hurt. All mattresses
should be wrapped, otherwise you'll be sleeping on dirt for
years. They're quite heavy, and you'll usually drop at least one
corner. Black garbage bags and packing tape are useful for
wrapping large items such as these, but even better are big dust
sheets from your local hardware store.
2. Get stuffed Cups, mugs and glasses should be stuffed inside
before being wrapped. That provides an extra layer of
protection. Anything with a delicate handle should have that
wrapped separately before wrapping the whole item. Lids to milk
jugs, sugar bowls and teapots should be wrapped separately. And
remember, with wrapping, more is more: the more stuff you put
around your stuff, the more likely it is to survive the move
intact. I haven't lost a cup yet.
3. Space saver Line the bottoms and tops of your crockery boxes,
as well as any nooks and crannies with old tea towels. This
provides more protection for your breakables and packs the
towels as well, and you'll have the satisfaction of having
killed two birds with one stone.
4. Open spaces OK, there are a lot of items you won't be able to
do without, but that doesn't mean you have to leave the packing
till the last minute. Pack your canned foods in boxes but don't
seal them. That way, you can easily get hold of something you
suddenly find you need.
5. Delete the junk When you're moving things out of the loft or
basement, use this as an opportunity to clear out anything you
haven't needed in the last two years. If you don't need it, why
move it? The same goes for the garage (does anyone keep a car in
there?) and for the garden shed. Be ruthless, or you'll end up
with backache for nothing and have to throw it away on the other
side. Moving is also a good excuse for 'losing' that unwanted
gift from five years ago.
Follow these five steps and all your stuff should arrive safely.
Happy moving!