Preparing to move? Top tips to make moving day as stress-free as possible

Preparing to move? Top tips to make moving day as stress-free as possible

Moving home marks a fresh start. Leaving one home closes a chapter in a person’s, couple’s or family’s life and signifies the beginning of their next one in a new house.

As home movers reach record high figures, many people will understandably be looking at ways to help minimise the stresses of moving house. Whether this is your first or fourth move, the moving process will only slightly get easier.

If you’re preparing to move, here are some of our top tips to help make moving day as stress-free as possible.

Create a plan for moving

If you have a date set for when you are moving house, start to put a plan together for moving house. Included in this plan can be a timeline between the day a moving date was confirmed to the evening of the moving day. These could consist of when items should be packed if a removals company is needed, how many trips between properties will need to be made and who will clean the old property.

Of course, moving day is unlikely to run exactly as planned. The plan you have created is to help you organise some of the biggest tasks of moving home, for example, packing all of your belongings and organising a removal company. If you have a plan in place, it can help to keep you on track and avoid not completing essential tasks.

Begin packing early

After devising a plan for moving, starting packing early should be one of the first tasks to start. Depending on when you are planning to move will influence what items you choose to pack. The best way to pack is by starting with the items or rooms you use the least. These could be household items you will unlikely need between now and when you move. It could be seasonal decorations or sporting equipment you have not used for some time.

Putting away these items early helps reduce the amount that needs packing in the days leading up to moving day. As the day gets closer, you can gradually pack away all your other household belongings. The last remaining items to be dealt with can be the belongings you’ll most likely need the day before or on the day of moving.

Another thing to help ease the stress of moving is clearly labelling each box. Write what items are inside the box and the room in which they should be placed. This approach allows the removal team or those helping you move to know where to put each box. For you, labelling what each box contains can help to save you time searching through multiple boxes for the items you need.

Invest in professional clearance services

One of the most time-consuming tasks of the house moving process is packing away all of your belongings. After you’ve packed away all your belongings and sent them to their new home, the next stage is removing and clearing the house of all items that will not be coming with you to the new property. This process is necessary but can take a significant amount oftime, especially in areas cluttered with unwanted items.

Look at enlisting the services of JS Removals as they can help with house clearance. Their expert team can go to the property you are moving out of and clear it completely, even removing the carpets if you wish.

Investing in this type of service can be ideal if you’re very limited on time. Having a professional clearance service come in and handle clearing and removing items from your home can save you a significant amount of time. Time that can be spent focusing on other aspects of the house moving process.

Book in advance

If you feel a weekend isn’t long enough to move house and get settled, consider taking a little time off work. This may be a couple of days in the week or booking a week off entirely, depending on what availability and flexibility you may have. Organising your time off work in advance could help you avoid disappointment over not getting the dates you need. This could be because too many people are already away or it’s too short notice. Additionally, scheduling a leave of absence ahead of time provides you with peace of mind that you have ample days to unpack and settle into your new home.

Aside from arranging time off work, booking a removals company should also be organised well in advance. Removal companies can sometimes be challenging to secure. Weekends and bank holidays will be busy periods as they’re ideal times for people to move. It means that they don’t have to book time off work. Book them as soon as you know the date to ensure that you get the removals company you want. It can help to give you a better chance of booking the removal companies on the dates for which you need them.

Time to move

When moving day finally arrives, the plans and preparation you’ve put in place will have been worthwhile. You may notice some things run relatively smoothly. Of course, there might be a few unforeseen hiccups, but hopefully, nothing that impacts the day entirely. If there are delays in removal companies arriving or loved ones coming to help, these are issues that are out of your control.

Before you move into your new home, pack a weekend bag. This could include toiletries, medication, sleepwear, clothes and other essentials you will need readily available. Having this on hand can help save you time searching through your packed belongings. You can pack them in a suitcase or a large gym bag, anything that will fit all items to which you want easy access.

Keep some of these tips in mind to help make your moving day as stress-free as possible. You will appreciate the little stress you experience on moving day.

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Tips for staying safe and healthy when moving

Tips for staying safe and healthy when moving

Moving can put your body under a lot of stress. With tasks like packing, lifting and unpacking, the entire process can be pretty exhausting. If not done in moderation and under the right conditions, these tasks could result in health issues. Besides that, there is still the risk of being exposed to the Coronavirus. Although the virus has been managed since its outbreak, it’s essential to take extra precautions to ensure a safe and healthy move. So, how can you ensure you stay safe and healthy while you move to a new place? Here are some helpful tips.

Illustration of a man in face mask & shield

Assess movers’ COVID-19 protocols

Ask your expert moving company what steps they’re taking to ensure a COVID-19-safe when moving during lockdown. The safety of you and your things is paramount throughout any move, and most reliable movers recognise this. When it comes to your safety and health, though, it’s critical that the moving company you use shows they care.

Illustration of a man asleep in bed

Sleep well enough before move day

While sleep deprivation may result from your decision to move, it should not become a habit since it might impair a person’s ability to focus on the duties at hand. So, if you want your relocation duties to be finished on time and without a hitch, schedule time to sleep regularly. This may provide your body with the energy it requires for tomorrow’s physical activities.

Illustration of 2 removal men carrying a large box

Choose a reliable moving service

While it may appear irrelevant to staying safe and healthy during a move in 2021, choosing a reputable moving company can go a long way toward safeguarding your health. Because relocating during a pandemic might be more dangerous, you’ll need professionals to assist you to stay safe and healthy during the shift. As a result, look for a moving company that follows specific safety recommendations during the relocation. With them by your side, you may rest easy knowing that they’ve taken precautions to safeguard you from COVID-19 infection.

Illustration of a hand and pump bottle of sanitiser

Keep clean and sanitise

As moving may expose you to COVID-19 and other viruses, following the general safety precautions is one method to stay safe and healthy. As a result, if you’re moving, the following guidelines should include wearing a face mask and gloves, avoiding physical touch and keeping a safe distance from other individuals, always keeping your hands sanitised. Avoid touching anything, including surfaces, as these may be covered with viruses as well.

Illustration of a hand cleaning a blue vehicle with a yellow sponge

Ensure COVID-19 protocols

Enquire about your moving company’s sanitary policies. Make sure they’re cleaning and disinfecting vehicles, moving supplies and other equipment; and while you’re at it, make sure you’re keeping yourself clean as well. Buying new moving boxes rather than reusing old ones will assist in reducing the spread of the virus.

Illustration of stacks of cardboard boxes

Unpack and sanitise

When it comes time to unpack, use the same caution you used when packing. Before unpacking, thoroughly sanitise your home and disinfect items as you remove them from boxes and put them in place in your new home. As an added precaution, gloves can be worn.

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How to move your plants when you move home

How to move your plants when you move home

Moving home can be one of life’s most stressful activities. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. If you plan ahead effectively, your move will be exciting rather than stressful. Part of this involves ensuring that your most cherished possessions arrive safely. For many people, that includes their plants. Here are some tips to help move your plants to their new location successfully.

Moving boxes and plant in a kitchen

Get packing in good time

Even if you have the budget for professional removers, it can be more useful to use mobile storage solutions like https://www.mobistorage.com.au/moving-house/perth/. The benefit of this is that it allows you to pack your belongings yourself at your own pace. This allows you to declutter as you go rather than leaving it to the last minute.

Taking the pain out of the main household move will give you more time and energy (and money) to organise the removal of your more precious items. As a rule of thumb, pets and any very personal items should generally travel with you. Plants may go in your car (or on public transport). You might, however, want to arrange alternative transport for them.

Taking cuttings from a favourite plant

Moving garden plants

Before you move outdoor garden plants, make sure that you legally can. If you’ve sold a home with a garden then the garden plants may be considered to be a part of that sale unless you clearly specify otherwise. If you’re a tenant, then the plants will probably belong to your landlord unless you planted them yourself. Taking seeds or cuttings is often a better option.

You’ll also need to consider the practicalities of finding a new home for your garden plants. Even if your new garden or allotment is geographically close to your old one, the conditions may be significantly different. For example, the soil may be more acid or alkaline, there may be a different balance of openness and shelter and/or of light and shade.

If, however, you’re confident that you can take at least some of your garden plants with you and give them a happy new home, it’s generally possible to move them. Prune them back as hard as possible ahead of your moving day. Then uproot them as close as possible to your moving day. Try to dig when the soil is warm rather than cold or hot. Leave plenty of room for the roots. All these steps will minimise trauma to the plants.

House plants in a cardboard box on a checkerboard floor

Pack and load your plants for stability

Once you have all your plants gathered together, you need to pack them for stability. For example, tie branches together and add canes for support. Consider adding weights to pots. Try to pack smaller pots in trays with lips so the pots support each other. Keep the weight balanced across the tray.

When you load your plants, keep stability in mind. If you have a lot of plants, using a van can be far easier than using a car. Whatever transport you use, make sure that larger plants (and their pots) are going to stay put and not crush smaller ones.

If you’re going any more than a very short distance, give your plants a good drink before you leave. In fact, if you’re going a long distance in hot weather, you may need to rehydrate them periodically during your trip.

House plants arrived in their new home

Making your plants feel at home

Check your plants thoroughly for transport damage and if you find any deal with it promptly. Replant garden plants as quickly as you can and water them in thoroughly.

Try to give all your plants the same conditions they had in your old home. Container plants will generally adapt easily, garden plants will often need more attention. In particular, they’ll probably need extra water and possibly food until their roots are completely back to normal.

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Planning a house move? Here are 6 tips for you

Planning a house move? Here are 6 tips for youcredit

Moving to a new home is quite a hectic experience. The amount of work involved is the leading cause of stress during the process. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. You can make your house move effortless using the following tips.

Packages on a trolley

1. Find a good mover

Hiring a good moving company like Shift should be on the forefront of your to-do list when preparing for a house move. The company you employ will determine the success of your house move. It will also take away much of the stress of the relocation process. When looking for an ideal moving organisation, you need to consider the credentials of the company. Make sure the company is appropriately licensed. The firm also needs to be insured and offer affordable prices.

Additionally, consider the reputation of the company. After determining the ideal moving company, you can ask for an initial survey. It’s through the survey that the company will determine how much their services will cost. During the survey, the company can also plan and walk you through the moving process.

Moving day list

2. Come up with a to-do list

The task you should approach when planning a house move is to create a list of all the tasks you need to complete. Do this even before you embark on the packing process. Move around the house while creating the list. This will help ensure that you have not left anything out of the list. Make sure the list includes all duties and tasks ahead, from packing to unpacking in the new house, to what happens to the old and new home. With packing, make sure to create a record of all your belongings and name the boxes as you pack them. Creating a list will help make the process easier.

Various moving boxes

3. Gather moving supplies

Another essential thing to do when planning a house move is collecting the necessary supplies. Below are some of the supplies you’ll require:

  • Boxes – the most essential material you’ll need is boxes. You’ll need the boxes to store your belongings when moving. Make sure you get different box sizes because some belongings are larger than others. For items like electronics, the original box would come in handy because it’s designed to fit the items perfectly and safely. Ensure you label the boxes. You can purchase the boxes from a moving company. You can also utilise wardrobe boxes.
  • Tape – you’ll need packing tape to cover the boxes. Make sure you get enough tape for all the large boxes. You can also get the tape from a moving company.
  • Unfastening materials – you’ll also need equipment like a spanner, screwdrivers and allen keys to unfasten belongings like furniture.

If you decide to employ a moving company, you won’t need to get supplies like a moving vehicle. Moving companies provide all necessary supplies, including boxes, at your request.

Full moving van

4. Strategise your moving

Strategising your moving will also make the process less hectic and faster. Strategising involves determining what comes first when the moving will take place and how. When planning the right time to move, make sure you consider your family’s schedule. If you have kids, it would help if you contemplated their school schedule. The ideal time to move for a family with kids would be during their holidays. Moving usually takes a long time and effort. The last thing you want is to have your kids tackle the hassle of moving and tackling school.

Garage sale items with sign

5. Get rid of belongings that you don’t need

You can also make your moving hassle-free by getting rid of old and unusable belongings before the moving date. Go through your belongings and determine what you no longer need, then decide what to do with it. Garage sales are always a wise idea. If you don’t want to do this, you can also donate the items or hire a removal company to take care of items safely. Doing so will help minimise the amount of work while packing and make the moving process more comfortable.

Removal men

6. Safeguard your valued assets

Most people complain of their assets getting lost or broken during house moves. The easiest way to keep this from happening is by packing important documents and assets separately and handling them personally.

Conclusion

Moving to a new home doesn’t have to be stressful. With the tips mentioned above, you shouldn’t have any issues navigating the process effortlessly. The tips will also help you complete the tasks faster.

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