Organising a move? 10 proven tips to keep you calm

Packing is the part of a move that people dread most. A cellar full of clutter, wardrobes bursting at the seams and a kitchen where everything is “fragile”. Don’t panic! At 4RELO we’ve moved thousands of people, and we know that a good strategy is 90% of the battle.

1. The “haven’t touched it in a year” rule

A move is the best time for a clear-out. Before you buy your first box, go through your cupboards and wardrobes. If you haven’t used something in the last 12 months, you probably don’t need it any more.

Divide your things into 3 piles: sell, give away to those in need, or throw away. Remember: the fewer things you take with you, the smaller the vehicle you’ll need and the lower the cost of your move.

2. Photograph your cables – and save yourself the frustration

Reconnecting your TV and audio equipment in a new home can turn into a real logic puzzle. So what’s the trick? Before you unplug anything from your TV, router or sound system, take a clear photo of the back of the device. That way you’ll see exactly which colour cable goes into which socket. The photo will save you hours of searching for instructions online.

3. Cling film for liquid toiletries

Changes in pressure and jolts can cause shampoo or body lotion to leak inside the box, ruining your other belongings.

Unscrew the cap, place a piece of cling film over the opening, then screw the cap back on. The film creates an extra barrier that keeps the liquid in, even if the bottle ends up upside down.

4. Clothes on hangers? Use “mobile wardrobes”

Instead of cramming clothes into ordinary boxes, use special wardrobe boxes with a hanging rail. They work like a portable wardrobe – you simply hang your clothes in them straight from your own wardrobe. This way, your shirts, suits and dresses travel hanging up and arrive without a single crease.

If you have fewer clothes, use special flat garment boxes, in which clothes lie flat – again, with no need to take them off their hangers. It’s the quickest and most elegant way to move your wardrobe!

5. Pack heavy items in small boxes

The biggest mistake is packing all your books into one huge box. A box like that will either split open or be impossible for anyone to lift. So what’s the right way? Stick to one rule: the heavier the contents, the smaller the box. Pack books, heavy documents and dumbbells into small boxes (e.g. shoeboxes or paper ream boxes). Save the large boxes for light, bulky things such as bedding and soft toys.

6. Put paper plates between your ceramic ones

If you don’t have packing paper or bubble wrap to hand but you’re worried about your favourite plates, use ordinary disposable paper plates. YES! The kind you’d take to a barbecue.

Put a paper plate between each of your ceramic plates. It acts as a soft cushion that stops the glaze from getting scratched and dampens vibrations during the lorry journey. It’s a cheap and lightning-fast way to give your tableware extra protection.

7. A clean mattress without buying expensive covers

A mattress is one of the hardest things to move – it’s huge, unwieldy and picks up dust and dirt in no time, whether it’s being carried up the stairs or sitting inside the lorry.

You don’t need to buy specialist transport bags. Use two large, heavy-duty plastic sacks (e.g. rubble sacks or bags for bulky waste). Pull one sack over the top of the mattress and the other over the bottom, so that they overlap in the middle. Seal the join with wide packing tape.

In your new home, you simply cut the tape, slide the mattress out of the plastic and lay it on the bed, perfectly clean. It’s a “slip it in, slide it out” solution – no scrubbing the upholstery after the move!

8. Don’t empty the drawers (it saves time!)

Light items such as underwear and socks can stay right where they are.

Don’t take the clothes out. Instead, wrap the whole cabinet or chest of drawers in several layers of stretch film. The film will “lock” the drawers, stopping them from sliding out while the furniture is carried down the stairs. Just remember to take any heavy items (books, documents) out of the drawers, as they could damage the runners.

9. Tape the screws to the furniture

Nothing spoils the mood in a new home quite like one missing screw when you’re putting the bed together. How do you avoid it? When you take a piece of furniture apart, put all the small parts (screws, dowels, Allen keys) into a resealable bag. Then use strong tape to stick the bag to one of the larger panels of that particular piece of furniture. That way, the fixings will always arrive together with the wardrobe or desk.

10. Label the sides of boxes, not the lids

Once you stack boxes on top of each other, anything written on the top flaps becomes completely invisible. So what’s the trick? Use a thick marker and write on the sides of the box. Write the name of the room (e.g. LIVING ROOM) and the 2–3 most important things inside. That way, when you’re standing in front of a pile of boxes, you’ll find what you’re looking for straight away.