Packing up and moving house is a dreaded task at the best of times, and many of us turn to the professionals to get our treasured trinkets from one home to another, unharmed. Professional removalists are the unsung heroes of moving day. They manage to skilfully manoeuvre heavy furniture into trucks and tight spaces without a scratch, and shuffle boxes of books and clothes around in a Tetris formation that ensures they won’t slide around during the journey. However, there are three little things we clients are doing that drive removalists mad, and here’s how you can avoid an awkward or time-consuming situation come moving day.
1. Packing books in large boxes
This removalist pet peeve is a pretty obvious one. No one can lift a huge box packed to the brim with hardcovers and paperbacks, let alone when it has a single line of tape holding the bottom of the box together. Instead, pack books and other heavy items into smaller boxes that are easier for one person to lift, with a few extra lines of sturdy tape on the bottom to ensure it doesn’t give out when the box is lifted.
2. Not labelling your boxes clearly or correctly
Failing to label boxes or labelling them incorrectly will result in you being asked several times where a box goes, only for you to have to open and unpack it to determine its end location. Not only does this slow the process down and make for a longer moving day, but it’s frustrating for all parties involved to continually ask where things need to go. As you’re packing up your home, label each box clearly with large block letters in permanent markers with the room the box should go. Even better, pop a few notes below the label about what’s in the box, so you’ll be able to find essentials like towels, plates and bed linen quickly when you’re unpacking.
3. Not packing fragile items correctly
Removalists do not enjoy being accused of carelessness when your treasured items turn up at the new location broken to bits, when you’re the one who failed to protect the item with bubble wrap and pack them securely into durable boxes. In fact, a lot of removal and courier companies will refuse to move items if they don’t believe they’ve been securely packed. Removalists do not intentionally set out to break things, however accidents will happen if you pile your collection of glass vases into one box without taking appropriate packing and shock-absorbing measures. Ensure anything that is breakable is well wrapped in bubble wrap, newspaper or in a box filled with Styrofoam peanuts so a bump in the road or movement in the truck doesn’t result in shattered items or broken hearts.
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