Use your move as an opportunity, a fresh start, to have a clear-out, or a clear out sale, or give your local charity shop a boost. Either way it will make your move cheaper and easier and you may make some money from it. Think about the space in your new home before you move and start to imagine the best way to arrange your furniture in it. Making sure that you have room for your furniture and having your refrigerator, dryer and washer fit into your new place. This will make moving in much easier and help you feel at home.
The trick with packing is to be ORGANISED. Make sure you have enough packing material to do the job. Prepare a prioriy carton to go on last, then first off the truck. This might include essentials from your kitchen and bathroom, or any items needed for easy access. Start room by room marking the box clearly which room they will go into at your new home. Mark fragile on boxes that have breakables, so the movers will take extra care. Dismantle beds or any items needing to be dismantled before your move. When taking the bed apart, bind the frames together with tape or rope. (the furniture removalists usually take the bed legs off bed bases so they are easy to turn around corners and they may place them into the closest top bedside drawer, or drawers).You dont need to take clothing out from your drawers, but please have any fragile or heavy items removed. (the furniture movers may need to take the drawers out if they need to judging on weight). To stop them falling out in transit we place the item with the drawers facing the wall against a bigger item with a flat surface, like beds, so there is no need to tape them up. Problems some people have these days are getting beds up narrow stair-cases, some bed bases just dont fit up there. In this case we may have to lift them over a balcony, or any other un-ordinary items that may not fit up the stair-case. (this may sound extreme but our professional movers are trained to do this safely and professionally so there is no worry). Cover tables with old linen or blankets. If you can, remove the legs. Wrap the nuts and bolts in a plastic bag and tie to a leg, or put in a safe place. Roll up your carpets and rugs and secure with rope or tape. Bedside lamps are better to be taken in a car, or dismantled and protected. Try not to wrap fragile items in newspaper, as the print will come off on them. You will just have to wash everything before you can put it away. If you dont want to buy wrapping materials save up magazines for a few weeks beforehand. Try to have all electrical items packed back into there original boxes with there wiring and remotes in the same box for easy assembling at the other end. Thoroughly clean and dry inside fridges, freezers and dishwashers. Remember to take down all wall hangings or anything behind doors, as paintings or photo frames are a lot safer being protected with bubble wrap. Please take glass shelves out of fridges, and emptying the drip tray is a good idea. Fridge or freezers are usually the last items to go onto the truck, so it is first off. Fridge or freezers need to sit for at least half an hour after being moved so the gas can settle down. Try not to leave packing till the last minute as it may generate on the moving day. Time may tick up on the bill at the end of the job.
Remove hooks from fishing rods. Drain fuel and oil from lawn mowers and edges. Dispose of all unsealed liquids. Empty gas cylinder from your BBQ, or take it in the boot of your car. ( under the dangerous goods act, furniture removals are not insured to carry dangerous goods, like paint, LPG bottles, petrol drums or any explosive goods that may tamper with your furniture). Clean BBQ surface and surrounds of grease. Dismantle swing sets, play gyms, trampolines. Wash out rubbish bins and wheel barrows. Drain hoses. (water can leak through the truck and tamper with furniture). Remove pumps, water bottles, batteries etc from bicycles. Clean and spray dog kennels, empty and clean fish tanks and bird cages. Ensure all lose items are placed in bags or boxes. If a pre pack has been requested. The packing crew usually arrives the day before the truck is loaded.
Plants are one of the last items we dont think about during the moving process. After all, we have a lot of other things to think about and plants often just get put to the truck at the last minute. Even if they survive the move the trauma of the process can kill them off later! If you are fond of your plants its therefore wise to put some time and effort into making the moving process as quick and painless for them as possible. Plants may not be covered in our insurance policy, they are just too easy to damage. So, you need to take extra care yourself. Firstly, you need to think about how you will transport your plants. Your best option is to get hold of some sturdy boxes - you should line these with plastic ready for your moving day. Assess all the plants you want to transport a couple of weeks before you move. Prune them, feed them and administer any pest control treatments to get them into peak condition. Think about the pots there in - if you are worried about the transporting stone pots, for example, report the plants into plastic ones. Also, take some time to check that all pots are whole and not cracked. A cracked pot stands more chance of breaking in transit and thus damaging the contents. Make sure that the pots arent too big for the actual plant - this can cause them to move about and damage themselves. On your moving day, or the day before, make sure that none of the plants are water logged and drain away any excess water. Gently place into the boxes you have set aside and put some packing in place to hold them firmly. Plants in large pots should be wrapped in plastic or plastic bags- If you do this be careful to make sure that the plastic is not tied together too tightly- they still need to breathe! If you are moving garden plants, the best time to dig them up is on your moving day. This minimizes disruption. You should dig up the plant so that you have a 'root ball' at the base. Wrap this in plastic and make sure that the earth in it is not too dry. If you want to move larger climbing type plants its wise to tie supports to the stem to avoid them snapping in the moving process. If you dont want to empty your old garden of plants then you can always take cuttings with you instead. You dont need to replant your garden plants straightaway. You can just dig a quick hole in your new garden and put them in it. Cover their roots to protect them, give them a quick water if suitable and then you can forget about them for a while until you are ready to plant them properly. Houseplants dont have such urgent needs as they will still be in their pots but dont forget about them either. Take them out of their boxes and any wrappings as soon as you can and leave them in a quiet corner while you get on the rest of your unpacking.
Try to move on a weekday, if possible. It will be less busy, so you will be able to get hold of the contacts you might need if there is a problem such as utilities, companies or not connecting services etc. Before your movers arrive try to make sure that all boxes and containers etc are stacked neatly in the room (ideally around the walls) and leave them room to manoeuvre. This will speed up the process. Plan where the movers can park there truck load to unload remembering tree branches and items that may cause hassles to the truck. Another thing to remember is steep driveways, depending on rain truck tyres can spin and need to be towed out of the driveway, so to avoid this problem we have a small fairy truck which can drive up and down the drive, (the further they have to walk the longer it will take). OSH requirements. Furniture removalists are not allowed to take there shoes off while lifting furniture, if something heavy falls on there feet, shoes can be a help to protect them. The movers will lay blankets down inside your house to protect your carpet. Please advise the movers were you will like your furniture to be placed at the unload. Have one of the movers to do a last walk around your old house with you before you leave, for any forgotten items. It is easier to clean your new home before you move in. If you cannot do it yourself think about hiring our professional cleaners to clean before your load arrives.Our cleaning service can go back to your old place to clean ready for the next tenant. You are more than welcome to check the back of the truck when the job is finished to see there is nothing remaining on board.
Give electrical items a chance to get back to room temperature before you plug them in. Expect to feel a bit 'blue' a couple of days after the move. It happens all the time and doesnt mean you hate your new home- just that the move and the thought of unpacking has taken its toll on you a bit. |
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Furniture Moving Tips
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