Preparing For Your Move

There are several things you should do when preparing to move house. Many of these take the pain out of what will be a big job for you over many days and weeks.

Initial Planning

Inform your service providers

Well in advance of your move you should inform all the utility companies you deal with so that there are no nasty surprises (extra charges) or delays in the continuation of services at your new residence. Check all the contracts you have with these companies to see if there are disconnection fees. In many cases the service provider will be accommodating and will provide seamless continuation between your old home and new home on the same day.

Declutter

To avoid packing too much of what you won’t need in your new home take the opportunity to declutter. This will reduce the cost of your load and will give less to unpack when you arrive at your new home.

What’s in the attic?

Very often we horde many things in our attics and forget that they are there. So make it a key part of your declutter drive to thoroughly investigate what’s up there.

Prioritise what you use least as first to pack

Find a space (a spare room or your garage) to pack away the things you don’t need to use on a daily basis during your preparations for the move.

Pack what you will need most last

When you get to your new home you will want the least stress as possible and won’t want to be searching for things you need most. So set aside time to pack all the things you will need on the first day in your new home, leaving all the rest to day two, day three, etc…

Use the right box

While in the attic you may also find the boxes and packaging that your computers, TVs and other electronic devices came in. These should be re-used these devices as they were designed to protect the delicate electronics that are prone to damage caused by sharp knocks during transport. Where you don’t have the original boxes we will pack your electronic and home entertainment devices in the appropriate manner.

Packing your boxes

As a substitute to expensive wrapping such as bubble wrap you can use newspaper as an alternative to wrap breakable items. It can also be used to fill gaps between items, acting as a buffer for knocks and bumps. Remember not to over pack your boxes and always reinforce the bottom of each box along its seam with extra parcel tape.

Preparing Your Appliances

The fridge and your food

In the days running up to your move try to avoid the purchase of perishable food stuffs and eat up whatever is in your fridge. If you are taking the fridge with you you will need to defrost it, empty the drainage pan and then clean it out. Consult the manual and follow any instructions regarding the appliances transport. You may need to lower the levelling legs or rollers. You should also wrap all the shelves and tape all moving parts, doors and drawers and tape the electrical chord to the side of the fridge.

Preparing your washing machine

Remove any detachable accessories and pack them separately.Drain as much water as you can from the appliance. This can be done by lowering the outlet pipe to ground level allowing the water drain into a bucket. Check the manual for any other instructions regarding the drainage of water from the appliance. If you you can locate the shipping bolts that came with the device, reinsert these at the rear to prevent the drum from moving in transit. Finally, if the appliance will be spending some time in storage between locations you can put sachets of desiccant in the drum to prevent mildew occurring.

Preparing your clothes dryer

If the appliance is fitted with a hose and/or exhaust duct, disconnect these from the wall, warp them well. They can be placed in the drum, but be sure to also tape the lint catcher in place. Tape the door shut and tape the electrical chord to the side of the appliance

Preparing your dishwasher

Tape the upper and lower baskets in place. Refer to the manual for any special instructions regarding drainage for transport. If the inlet and outlet pipes are removable, detach these and place them inside the appliance. Tape the door shut and tape the electrical chord and any inlet/outlet pipes that can’t be removed to the side of the appliance. Finally, if the appliance will be spending some time in storage between locations you can put sachets of desiccant inside to prevent mildew occurring.

Oven and hob

Consider cleaning the oven of you cooker. Its not a job to look forward to when you move in to your new home. Tape all the racks and any other moveable parts in place. Tape the door and the electrical chord to the side of the appliance.

Preparing Your Home Entertainment

Remote Controls

Try to pack these with the device they belong to, or all together in one box marked : Remote Controls.

Television

Unless your service provider indicates otherwise, you should leave the cable receiver (UPC/SKY box) behind).

Stereos and DVD players

Remove discs from the player tray and if they are available (usually located at the bottom of the unit) secure the drive with the transport screws.

Preparing Your Computer and Peripherals

Your PC

Make a good back up of all your files on an external hard-drive to keep securely in your possession during the move.

Printers

Secure all trays with tape. Refer to your manual to see if there are any instructions regarding the toner or ink cartridges during transport.

Scanner

Use the lock on the back of you scanner to secure the carriage so it doesn’t move during transport.

Final Considerations Before The Move

Health and safety

Make sure that you prepare for your move in a safe manner by keeping your hallways and doorways clear. Be vigilant about stray packaging that can be a hazard. Small bits of bubble wrap can be slipped on and spilled items can be tripped over.

Inform your neighbours

To avoid inconveniencing your neighbours let them know the date of your move so that they can make arrangements to avoid the disruption. This way everyboddy stays on good terms.

Change of address

You will need to notify a lot people, authorities and organisations that you have moved to a new address. Here is a checklist of those who will need to know