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Moving home tips - anything over and above the usual?

123578

Comments

  • RHemmings
    RHemmings Posts: 4,450 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    RHemmings said:
    Declutter declutter declutter. Before moving day. Did I say it often enough? Declutter. 

    I've been doing that for a while - still have the equivalent of a large Luton van I think though.
    Over the past two moves (one year 10 months apart) I've probably disposed of the equivalent of a large Luton van :smile:

    For beds, I make sure that the bedding and mattresses are available. And that floor space is reserved. Actual bed frames can be sorted later. 
  • BarelySentientAI
    BarelySentientAI Posts: 2,448 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Sapindus said:
    Yes, clingfilm.  I've got a horrible awkward wardrobe where the doors swing open and there's nothing to grip to carry it, and my ex said "I'd just clingfilm that".  I don't know where you get the big rolls of industrial size clingfilm but I'm going to find some before I move.

    Although before he was my ex and a useful white van man to know, he drove me mad by refusing to bite the parcel tape and tried ripping it and we ended up with loads of screwed ends of tape sticking off the boxes. Get a tape dispenser.
    Forensics supply companies have a nice line in wrapping material.
  • Skiddaw1
    Skiddaw1 Posts: 2,161 Forumite
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    Oh yes, deffo a tape dispenser. Saves a whole lot of hassle (as well as your lips :))
  • Sarahspangles
    Sarahspangles Posts: 2,231 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper

    Forensics supply companies have a nice line in wrapping material.
    Rookie mistake, not digging up the patio ;)
  • BarelySentientAI
    BarelySentientAI Posts: 2,448 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Name Dropper

    Forensics supply companies have a nice line in wrapping material.
    Rookie mistake, not digging up the patio ;)
    We were talking about clingfilm, not a Bag for Life. :wink:
  • Arthurian
    Arthurian Posts: 812 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    Where do you get really good bubble wrap from?  Last time I moved, I got a huge reel of it from ebay, and it was so thin you just had to touch it with your finger and all the bubbles melted flat.
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,541 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper

    Forensics supply companies have a nice line in wrapping material.
    Rookie mistake, not digging up the patio ;)
    We were talking about clingfilm, not a Bag for Life. :wink:
    You've made me laugh again, reviving the Bag for Life! 

    Yes, agreed that a decent tape dispenser for the packing tape is a good investment, I was only saying earlier today that I'd really like one, and I was only wrapping a parcel! 
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,541 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Even when I’ve used removal men I’ve found that it’s physically hard work in the run up to a move and over the days of the move. Things like pulling out furniture in order to clean behind, and all the reaching and lifting of things to pack increase the chance of injury. I don’t know if ‘warming up’ helps, I usually end up on the voltarol….

    Useful to borrow, if you don’t have:
    • Step stool, for tops of wardrobes and the kitchen cupboards and these are also handy to sit on e.g. while packing books from a bookcase
    • Something to kneel on
    • Sack barrow e.g. to get garden pots in one location
    It can be really hard on your hands, cutting nails short and using hand cream helps. For a house clearance, I bought a couple of pairs of cotton gloves so I didn’t lose manual dexterity, but I’d use garden gloves for heavy items.
    All excellent tips, but I'll just add that the Step Stool is also indispensable if you are hopping in and out of a van.

    I have just remembered my most recent 'moving' experience, was taking a vanload of stuff from our house to DS1's new flat, and along the way picking up various Freecycle items. The job would have been impossible for me without the Step Stool ...

    Top tips for Freecycle 'wins':
    • do check what the access is - several bookcases and units from the fourth floor of a very elegant flat in West London, with no working lift, my contribution was walking up the stairs once, and walking down with a small drawer. 
    • do (ask the donor to) check whether the item will fit through their door to leave the property - one item didn't, and the chap had no idea how it had got in! 
    I've told DS2 that when he next needs to move, my contribution will be paying for a man and van for him, because I am NEVER doing that again! 
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • PrudentEllie
    PrudentEllie Posts: 39 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    I've noticed a few people saying that decluttering etc really takes it out of them, and I've found that it is really useful when trying to do anything I'm not used to any more (most things as I'm disabled and housebound and only ever manage to achieve about one percent of what I aim at), that having certain things handy to use before and afterwards on my muscles to try and help them work a bit better is vital.  I use Epsom Salts solution on my muscles before starting something brave like a tiny bit of cleaning, and afterwards too, and have a vast range of pain relieving ointments around too as they always are called for (this could be helpful for those who realise as they get older that decluttering and cleaning a whole house take a toll on the body... I just wish I could try it!).  BTW Epsom salts is really marvellous and fairly cheap, and if you have some left over, it is very good for plants too.[[ The only caveat is if you have IBS or colitis etc, do NOT put it on your abdomen - it used to be used by our ancestors to unblock constipation!]]  Hope this might help.
  • Sarahspangles
    Sarahspangles Posts: 2,231 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 10 May at 5:30PM
    Savvy_Sue said:

    All excellent tips, but I'll just add that the Step Stool is also indispensable if you are hopping in and out of a van.
    Good point, you really need to mentally walk through every step of the move.

    Having said that….. I plan stuff for a living, but you can’t mitigate every risk. My last move went smoothly right up to the point we had a full-blown ‘house could blow up’ gas leak caused by the vendors accidentally damaging the meter as they emptied the understairs cupboard. At least we had money, bottled water, snacks and charged devices so we could chill in the garden while we waited for the emergency repair team. We lost hours but had prioritised essentials, so that we got a meal and slept in a bed - eventually.
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