Moving Out? Here’s How to Get Started
When you look around your home at the sheer number of belongings you own that need to be packed away for a move, it can be incredibly daunting. Suddenly you notice just how much stuff you’ve accumulated over the years. Did you always have four kitchen stools? You could have sworn you only bought three. Where has all this miscellaneous junk come from that’s cluttering up your drawers? Well, all of it needs to be sorted out and packed away for that big move.
If you’re dreading the thought of packing boxes and shifting furniture, don’t worry. Here’s our very own handy guide to making the moving process as smooth as possible.
Get Your Boxes and Packaging
Always opt for robust, high-quality boxes that will be able to withstand the weight of your things. You will also need things like bubble wrap for delicate objects and tape to keep everything together. At Kangaroo, our Box Shop sells a wide range of packaging materials and accessories, including different sized boxes, boxes for particular items, various tape, rope, bubble wrap, tissue paper and furniture covers.
Label Your Boxes
Once everything is boxed up, it will be a nightmare trying to figure out what’s inside everything if you’ve not written it on the box. Make sure you label the box with the room it is destined for, whether it contains fragile items and which way up the box should be. Also make a note if the box contains any hazardous items, such as knives or cleaning supplies.
Packing Tips
- Pack heavy items in small boxes to avoid large boxes becoming too heavy.
- You can use tea towels and blankets for padding if you run out of bubble wrap.
- Keep heavy items at the bottom of the box.
- Tape an “X” onto any mirrors to protect it from shattering.
- Vacuum pack your clothes to save space
Check out our previous post on our tips for packing up your belongings.
Declutter Your House
Start by decluttering all your rooms. Now is a great time to throw out/donate all those things you won’t be needing in your new house. There’s no point going to the hassle of packing something you know you won’t need. Take a box or a bag and remove everything you no longer need and get it out of the way.
Create an Inventory
An inventory will help you keep an eye on everything you’re moving, so nothing gets lost or misplaced. Create a list for each room to break it all down.
Start with the Least Important Rooms
There’s no point packing away your bedroom if you’re still going to be there for another week or so. Start with unused rooms like the guest room and the garage and leave the everyday items until the day before your move.
Take Photos of Electronics
Come move in day you’ll regret not taking a photo of the wires at the back of your TV or computer. It’ll make setting everything back up the way you had it before a lot easier, especially if you’re not much of a tech wiz.
Save Copies of Important Documents
No matter how careful you are, things could still go missing in the moving process. Essential documents should be put away in files and kept safe, but it pays to have a digital backup copy. Scan all those important documents onto the computer, so you have a copy if needed.
Tips for Individual Rooms
Bedroom
When packing clothes, you can save time with a wardrobe box (which you can get from Kangaroo) that allows you to move your hanging clothes over and then put back into the wardrobe in your new house – simple!
When dismantling furniture, keep all the screws and bolts together in a sandwich bag that had been labelled, and tape to a piece of the furniture. Wrap up your mattress in a dust sheet to protect it; blankets and pillows can be placed in a box or a suitcase for transportation.
Living Room
Similar to the bedroom, dismantle furniture carefully and keep all the screws safe and labelled. If something can’t be dismantled or it’s too difficult, you may need to hire professional removers to take care of this.
For the TV, moving it in its original box is the best solution as the box will be designed to keep it safe. If you don’t have it, Kangaroo can provide a specialised TV box for moving. Rugs should be cleaned before moving; roll them up and tie each end to secure them.
Kitchen
To avoid chipping the plates, either stack them with polystyrene plates between each one or stack them sideways like records. Make a cushion in the bottom of the boxes to protect them. Get a knife protector for knives to avoid injury and wrap it up securely.
Tape all your cabinets closed to avoid swinging doors during the moving process. Make sure you’ve defrosted your fridge and freezer before moving day so you can give everything a thorough clean. Don’t stack anything heavy on top of glasses and mugs and don’t overload one box with too much crockery, as it can be incredibly heavy.
Bathroom
Clear out any out of date products you won’t be needing or use up anything half empty so that it doesn’t take up space during the move. Wrap open products around the lid to avoid spills during the move and put them in a sandwich bag as a precaution. If you have medicine you need to take daily, you’re better off keeping this on you in a personal bag.
Towels can be used to pad fragile items, but make sure you have some handy for the first days in the new house. Keep appliances like hairdryers and hair straighteners together in their own labelled box.
Survival Box
During those first few days in your new home, you’ll no doubt be living amongst unpacked boxes as you get everything sorted. Make sure you pack a separate box or bag of first-day essentials:
- Clothes
- Essential toiletries
- Towels
- A kettle, mugs and some tea bags
- Cooking equipment (or takeaway menus)
- Gadgets to keep the children entertained
- Phone chargers
- Toilet paper
- Cleaning supplies
- Basic tools
- Torch
- Snacks
- Pet food
- Bedding
- Some books
We hope your move is as smooth and as hassle-free as possible. If you’d like any further help, at Kangaroo Self Storage we can offer you a wide variety of storage units for your belongings while you’re moving, or for that furniture that just doesn’t work in your new home but you want to store it for the time being until you figure out what to do with it.
At Kangaroo we provide self storage in Glasgow, self storage in Edinburgh and self storage in Dundee. Contact us today, and a friendly member of our team would be more than happy to help.