Professional packers

user1977

pinkteapot said:

If you do have any, err, REALLY personal belongings, hide those in your car/cupboard you tell the packers not to touch.

Nah, much better to cheerily introduce yourself to your new neighbours while the movers carry in a heavy box labelled "dungeon".

Sandtree

Used them for each of our moves and as each one could be done in under 24hrs it didn't add THAT much to the total cost especially if you factor in not having to get your own boxes/packing materials. 

As others have said, it tends to be simply a case of what's starts off together gets packed together. Therefore you get many boxes with "Lounge - Books" written on them and then a few residual "Lounge - mixed". Moved many times and had no material breakages but two speakers did get bumped corners which is aesthetic only but will knock a fair chunk off their resale value.

BikingBud

We have had kitchen and bathroom bins packed complete with rubbish still inside.

Agree a space in the kitchen, place the kettle and tea brewing equipment and the biscuits in there and keep the team refreshed.

Don't forget to keep the keys and anything else that is small that you need to leave behind in a kitchen drawer, tape it closed!

Also ensure you keep track of bed legs, screws and fasteners for anything that has been disassembled so you do not end up with no idea how to reassemble the kids' bunk bed!

Murphybear

Getting professionals to pack is worth its weight in gold.  If you pack breakable things yourself and they get broken in the move you probably won’t have a claim against the removal firm. 

zagubov

You might want different coloured labels or tape so you can see where each box belongs from every side.
Keep aside a bottle opener, chargers, keys, remote controls, pencil and paper to record meter readings.cutlery for a take-away, etc.

SaintJudy

I paid for packers, I packed myself stuff that I absolutely wanted to know where it was (papers, sentimental things etc) but I got the removal firm to pack the rest. I couldn't believe how fast it happened and there's absolutely no way I would ever pack myself now! As an example as to how thoughtful they were, the chap even left a little pathway through the boxes to the cats' scratching post. I loved that!

Slithery

Given how efficient these guys usually are I'm surprised they didn't try to pack your cats.

SaintJudy

Slithery said:

Given how efficient these guys usually are I'm surprised they didn't try to pack your cats.

I thought ahead and kept them in a different room! 

Bad_Accountant

Just to echo what everyone else is saying. The packers will have seen EVERYTHING before lol. All they care about is getting it done efficiently without damaging stuff. They do not care if they find your leather harness hanging off the curtain rails. They have gloves.

The money I spent on packing was the best money I spent.

These firms usually do a ten minute walk around survey before you book (video/in person). That way they know to allow extra time if your home looks like something from Extreme Hoarders Strikes Back and increase their price accordingly.

Slinky

Don't forget, most removals companies will not empty your loft, you need to do that yourself, and they won't take things like paint.