One of the reasons moving house can seem so stressful is the thought of all the packing which needs to happen before the removal truck can whisk you away to your new home.
Whether you’ve been in your house two years or twenty, the likelihood is you’ve collected quite a lot of ‘stuff’. If it’s been a family home for decades, you may feel there’s a whole lifetime of belongings to sort through! From drawings done by tots who are now teens and suitcases full of old photos to school books and favourite teddies of children who have long since flown the nest – it’s no wonder it can take a long time with all the reminiscing and sentimental value which comes with the things we collect.
But packing is something we do every day here at McCarthy’s Removals. We are a dab hand at gathering up your belongings and safely packaging them up to be transported to their new home. So, here are some of our top tips for packing like a pro:
- Start early. Hopefully as soon as you decided to sell your home, you started tidying and decluttering ahead of putting it on the market. Continue with that – even in places you might not really show people in much detail, like lofts, garages and under the stairs cupboards! Doing a little bit here and there will make it so much easier than trying to do it all at once.
- Call in the experts. Doing this day-in and day-out means we are speedy and efficient and know exactly how to pack things in the best way. You’ll be amazed how much easier it is if you let our removals teams come in and pack for you.
- Consider some self storage. If you’re downsizing, it can be difficult to know where to start. If you’re finding it overwhelming, consider using self storage. You can hire a unit to move things to, and then slowly make your way through everything over the coming months, as you feel able. It also means you can ‘practice’ being without something – do you miss it in your new home? If not, it can be given away – but if you did, it’s not too late to bring it back. Similarly it means you can decide what furniture best suits your new property without having to live in cramped conditions, or ask someone else to temporarily home it for you.
- Box clever. Bigger is not always better. If you use very large boxes and fill them with heavy items, they will be too difficult to life. Pack heavy things on the bottom and then fill the box with lighter items such as linens and cushions.
- Quality counts. Make sure you get good quality packing materials – anything cheap will be likely to fall apart! And when it’s holding your finest bone china, you really don’t want to risk it. Make sure you use plenty of bubble wrap or tissue paper around delicate items. It’s fine to pack soft and light things in bags and make use of any suitcases or plastic boxes you might have. Have a look at our online box shop for ideas for packaging materials. We also have physical shops at our self storage centres in Leeds, Harrogate and Wakefield.
- Travelling clothes. Speak to your removals team about transporting clothes. At McCarthy’s, we provide special wardrobe boxes so items don’t need to be taken off their hangers. It may also be that your chest of drawers can be transported with clothes still inside. No point making life more complicated for yourself!
- Label boxes. Labelling is going to be key. Make sure each box clearly shows what’s inside and where it needs to go in your new home. It will make unpacking so much easier.
- Keep a bag of essentials in your car. Include things like a change of clothes, toiletries, medicines, pet and baby food, kettle, tea and coffee, torch, screwdriver and toilet roll – anything it might be useful to have easily to hand. Some people like to transport their bedding with them too – so if there’s delays you know everyone can get to bed that evening and start afresh the next day!
If we can help with any of your removals needs, why not get in touch?
