Packing Tips for Moving

moove2london on 14 Dec 2009

We’ve put together a list of packing and unpacking tips to help your move to London go smoothly.

• Go through all your clothes and old belongings and have a clear-out. Take things to charity shops, or clothes banks in your local area. If you’re looking to earn some extra cash from old DVDs, CDs and books, then sign up with Ebay and get selling.
• You’re going to need some moving accessories before you start packing. Try and save up newspapers for a few days/weeks in advance of your move. Purchase/collect bubble wrap, strong tape and strong cardboard boxes. Your local supermarket usually won’t mind if you take a few from them.
• Switch your contents insurance between your old address and your new address. During the switch, ask that your belongings will be covered during the move, so that if anything gets damaged, you’ll be covered.
• Pack an essentials box and make it easily accessible for when you start unpacking at your new place. What is classified as essential varies from person to person, but you might want to include keys, mobile phone, toilet rolls, painkiller &/or first-aid kit, tea towel, water or other beverages and snacks.
• Try and put items needed for the same room in the same box, so you’ll have a kitchen box, a bathroom box, a bedroom box and a living room box.
• Try not to reminisce over old belongings whilst you’re packing. This is not the time to re-read old letters and look through hundreds of baby photos. Doing so will massively prolong the process.
• Do not overpack boxes. Heavy boxes will not be fun to lug up several flights of stairs at your new place. Also, if you have particularly heavy items, then try and pack them in smaller boxes so that they’re easy to get from A to B.
• Pack all extremely important documents together. You should have a special folder for papers such as your birth certificate, paper part of your drivers licence, passport, exam results and C.V.
• Label your boxes with their contents and particularly if there’s anything breakable in them, as you won’t want other boxes resting on them during transit.
• Try and take advantage of space savers – stuff things into pots and pans and shoes for transportation.
• Wrap plates and cups individually in newspaper – do not be tempted to place them on top of each other and then just wrap the stacked collection.
• If you have a celebratory bottle of champagne to take with you, make sure you transport it in a wine carrier. There won’t be much to celebrate if it’s smashed and drenched your interview suit!
• Soft items such as towels, clothes, pillows and duvets can be great for wrapping breakables in.
• When you arrive at your new place, it’s a good idea to put ’making the bed’ to the top of your priority list. It might sound strange, but you’ll be exhausted by the end of moving day, so crawling into a ready-made bed after unpacking dozens of boxes will seem amazing!