Top Tips for Packing and Moving

Moving house can be a stressful time for anyone involved, and packing up your entire life possessions is a long and hectic process. If you have given yourself a good amount of time to pack everything together, it shouldn’t be such a bad job. We’ve put together our top tips for packing and moving that are sure to help you get on the go.

Prepare

Put aside some extra time to organise your belongings before you even begin to pack. This will allow you to have a really good clear out, getting rid of any bits and pieces you’ve decided you no longer want or need. Removing anything you don’t want to take to your new home means there will be a lot less to take with you on moving day, and therefore making unpacking much easier! You could even sell on any items you don’t wish to keep, meaning you could make some money in the process.

Create an ‘Essentials Box’

When the day finally comes, you don’t want to be caught out with no tea and coffee making facilities! We advise creating a box of essentials, clearly labelled ‘DO NOT PACK’. This can include everything you might need on the day, such as a kettle, some cups, tea and coffee, toilet roll and headache pills. If you’re in need of certain things on the day and can’t remember where you’ve packed them, an already stressful moving day can turn into an even bigger nightmare, so help yourself out in advance! 

Don’t Over-pack

Over-packing is easily done, as we try and get our packing over and done with and squeeze as much stuff as possible into one little box. It’s important this isn’t what you do, as over-packing can make it difficult to pick up and move the boxes to your new home. Instead, try putting a sensible amount of items into separate boxes. You could even label them by room to make it easier when unpacking. However, boxes that are too empty can become crushed in the moving process, so see what works best!

Label Everything
Taking the time to label everything you’re taking with you, whether this be boxes, bin liners or crates- make sure they are all labelled. It’s a good idea to label the top and sides of any boxes, to ensure when they are uploaded it’s obvious where they need to be taken. Boxes can be stacked in any position within a moving van or in the boot of your car, so to save time and confusion, and to ensure everyone is on the same page, overly labelled possessions is the best road to go down.

Take a Break!

Ensuring you take breaks regularly is an important part of both packing and moving. When moving day comes around, don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure to get everything ready within a small time slot, and once you’ve reached your destination don’t feel the need to unpack everything on your first day there. As long as you have your essentials box at hand, and you’ve been able to make up the beds, everything else will follow in due course as each new day comes.

At Beehive Self Storage, we stock a variety of packing materials including boxes, bubble wrap and packing tape to help ensure your move is as smooth as possible! If you’d like to find our more information about our packing materials, get in touch with a member of the Beehive team today by giving us a call on 08456 436 100 or by making an enquiry via our website!

10 Top Tips to Take the Stress out of Moving House

When it comes to moving house, careful packing is integral for a smooth move. To ensure the process is stress-free, we have 10 top tips to help you when packing. 

1.       Start packing early

It’s essential you start packing as soon as you can – this will help ease your stress levels as the moving date approaches. You don’t need to have rooms emptied months in advance, but putting away odd items you’re not going to use again is a good way to get the ball rolling.

2.       Stockpile packing material

It’s always a nightmare when you have stuff to pack but nowhere to put it all! It’s wise to create a stockpile of boxes and bubble wrap to make sure you have more than enough when the time comes. If you don’t have much yet, fear not, at Beehive Self Storage we sell all the packing materials you need.

3.       Pack the least important rooms first

When you’re starting to make serious headway and entire rooms are being stored away in cardboard boxes, begin with the rooms that aren’t used as much.

 4.       Declutter while you pack

When you’re clearing away you might come across some old belongings you didn’t know you still had. You need to take some time to carefully consider whether you need certain items or not; don’t be too hasty but remember to be realistic about what you need in your new home.

5.       Fill small boxes with heavy items

It’s far easy to carry one or two heavier items in a smaller container. The lighter items can go in a bigger box, which means the box will hold a lot more objects but will still be manageable.

6.       Big items go first

To make the most of packing space, pack bigger items first, then fill in gaps with smaller objects. However, try not to fill the box too tightly, otherwise you won’t be able to get anything out later.

7.       Heavier boxes on the bottom

When filling your vehicle remember to put heavier boxes on the bottom. It can be deceptive when the heavy objects are in smaller boxes but they’ll hold up fine at the bottom of the pile.

 8.       Label your boxes

Be specific with your labels; write on the sides and mention which room they belong in, to whom they belong to and the contents of the box itself. That way there’s a lot less confusion when unpacking.

9.       Move your furniture in first

It’s quite easy for the boxes to pile up in one room and then it becomes impossible to get the furniture in. If you put the large fixtures and furniture in first, you can negotiate the room’s layout easier and the boxes can fit around everything else.

10.   Storage units

Maybe there are certain rooms you want to focus on decorating and organising before unpacking – a storage unit gives you somewhere to put the extra boxes you aren’t ready to tackle. At Beehive Self Storage we have plenty of units ready to use.

Moving house doesn’t have to be a stressful task if it is approached systematically, and these top tips should help make the process a lot more manageable. If you’re looking for more information to make your packing woes disappear, take a look at our hints and tips on how to store items in our storage units.