Moving Made Easy: Prepping And Packing Tips For The Most Stress-free Move Yet!

Is the idea of packing up all your belongings and safely moving them to your new home giving you a stress-induced headache? Put down the cold compress and worry no more! We’re here to help make moving home the exciting experience it should be and not the maddening week-long event it can sometimes become. Chock-full with packing hacks and handy advice, relocating needn’t be stressful, expensive, confusing, or tiresome thanks to this helpful blog.

Once you’ve informed all your utilities of your upcoming move, set a moving budget, and left your forwarding address, you can concentrate on streamlining your house move. From ensuring you’ve got all your packing necessities sorted to preventing expensive and upsetting accidents mid-move, we’ve hand-selected some of our top packing tips, tricks, and ideas to make upping sticks a breeze! 

First and foremost, you’ll need to snap up some suitable storage solutions for all your belongings. Moving boxes are great if you only want something to help move from A to B as they’re easy to fold down or dispose of once you’re in your new home. Often varying in size, they come in handy for packing everything from scatter pillows and blankets to shoes and ornaments.

However, for clothes storage, you may want to invest in either wardrobe boxes (tall cardboard boxes often complete with a rail that allows you to effortlessly transport clothes already on the hanger) or strong and durable laundry bags that typically feature both zippers and handles for hassle-free hauling. They can also be vacuum sealed to shrink them down and keep clothes crease-free!

For all other belongings that can fit into cardboard boxes, you’ll also require packing tape, a packing tape dispenser, and user-friendly sticky labels - once you’ve filled a box, it’s important to immediately label it before you lose track of where certain items have been stored. While a packing tape dispenser may not be essential, it certainly comes in handy for increasing your packing productivity, especially if you haven’t got any other helpers! And besides, you don’t want your favourite items losing their way during the moving process. Unlike in Toy Story, Woody and Buzz might not find their way back to you!

The key to getting your fragile belongings from A to B without incident begins with taking your time during the packing process. After all, careful and precise packing gives you the best chances of protecting your beloved items while they’re on the move, so it’s vital that you dedicate plenty of time to packing before moving day even arrives - especially when it comes to sharp, potentially dangerous, and delicate items!

By snapping up bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and other protective mailing supplies, you can create a safe and shock-absorbent layer that prevents tableware, wine glasses, and other delicate ornaments from succumbing to pesky potholes. While handling these fragile items can call for a light touch, keeping them protected requires an abundance of packing that needs to be wrapped around every delicate component. 

You can also use thick sheets of paper, corrugated cardboard, and even tissue paper to achieve a snug and secure fit, creating a comfy bed for them to nestle into. If you’re hiring a moving company or enlisting the help of friends and family, then it’s a good idea to add ‘fragile’ and ‘this way up’ labels on several surfaces of the boxes containing delicate belongings. With a quick and simple glance, they’ll know exactly how to hold them and how careful they need to be.

When it comes to moving home, we often don’t realise just how much stuff (both useful and the more useless) we’ve accrued over the years. So, before you start packing everything into neatly labelled boxes, it’s a good idea to sort through your draws and decide whether you really need that exact same dress in five different colours. Let’s face it, you probably don’t!

One way to do this is by using the simple, yet effective KonMari tidying method (made popular by Marie Kondo’s hit Netflix show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo) to discard any belongings you no longer want or need. If they no longer ‘spark joy’ or don’t have a practical purpose, then consider either discarding or donating them, depending on the type of item and its condition. Clothes can often be easily donated by taking them to your local charity shop or clothing bank, so it’s well worth sifting through your closet before you start packing mounds of unworn and unwanted clothing into your wardrobe box.

If your unwanted clothing is slightly worse for wear, then why not use a local textile recycling point or give it a new lease of life; you can easily turn a drab dress into something new and unique thanks to our arts, crafts, and sewing items! Regardless of whether you’re channeling your inner Marie Kondo or you want to make a small donation to your local charity shop, clearing out those cupboards is an important step if you want efficient and easy moving.

Ideal if you’re trying to relocate single-handedly, a mover’s trolley can make both loading and unloading your belongings far easier than struggling and straining to lift heavy items unaided. Basically a platform on wheels, hiring a mover’s trolley allows you to move bulky and weighty belongings from vans with ease, ensuring your momentous moving day results in more achievements than injuries!

You can even pick up a wide variety of lifting and moving straps that are often worn around your waist and shoulders. These help spread the weight across your body when lifting cumbersome items of furniture. Plus, they can be snapped up for a wonderfully affordable price that makes them even more attractive when you’re trying to cut moving costs by not hiring a professional moving business.

On the morning of the big day, it’s important to make the move as stress-free as possible. Perhaps any young kids or pets could be cared for by friends or family members. With so much activity going on and new faces to greet if you hire a moving company, pets can be easily spooked and kids can find this exciting time a bit overwhelming. However, if that’s not possible and you need a distraction, try our range of toys to keep your youngsters entertained. 

When you begin unpacking, make sure you break down empty boxes as soon as you’re finished - this will help to highlight your progress and boost your motivation. Another top tip for unpacking includes prioritising the kitchenware as keeping yourself fed and watered is key to tackling those mounds of moving boxes in a prompt and timely fashion. Alternatively, why not treat yourself and your family to something tasty if you’re struggling to sort the kitchen and dining room? After all, nothing keeps you motivated quite like a happy tum!

Like many of the big occasions in our lives, preparation is essential to the success of creating a smooth process! From selecting the right moving supplies to packing your fragile belongings with the utmost care, we can’t recommend getting organised enough. If you struggle to stay on top of things, then it’s important to make a list, set reminders on your phone, or even enlist a friend to help keep you focused on the task at hand. Even if you choose to embrace just a handful of our ultra-useful packing tips for moving house, it can make a big difference when it comes to shifting some of that relocation stress off your shoulders!

Once you’ve settled in, you’re probably going to want to make your new home your own. Fortunately, we’ve taken a look at some of the top ways to improve your surroundings and create your own slice of paradise in our handy blogs and buyer’s guides. Not sure how to furnish your decking? We’ve picked out some of our favourites from the outdoor range. Moved into an apartment without any green space? Here’s some inspiration to help turn a balcony into a brilliant place to relax. For those fortunate enough to have a lawn, we’ve even got your first garden party covered! So don’t delay, you need to get prepared for moving home today!