Moving house is said to be one of the top three most stressful events that we go through in our lives so it is always best to be as prepared as possible.
Now, that’s not to say that nothing can possibly go wrong if you follow these steps, but by feeling prepared our minds are calmer and able to deal with these unexpected hurdles more easily, competently and efficiently.
Here at TopMark Cleaning, we have put together a few useful tips that may help your move run that little bit smoother:
Use a reputable moving company
Ask friends and family for a recommendation. It is hard to put your trust in someone to move all of your belongings but by asking around you can find a company that has made a good impression on someone you do trust. Luckily, the internet can help too when it comes to this sort of thing. Read customer reviews and testimonials if you want to get honest accounts of dealings with removal companies.
Give yourself plenty of time
In the few weeks running up to your move, start walking around the house and collecting anything you are not sure about and put it to one side. Rather than make this a huge task for yourself, if you do it bit by bit and go with your instincts you will achieve more. What about that old lamp you’ve never been sure of? Just bin it! You don’t want to get to your new house and start unpacking a load of old clutter. In fact, moving house can be the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of those possessions that you don’t need anymore!
Pack clothes seasonally
When it comes to packing up clothes, pack a suitcase for each member of the family to get them through a couple of days. If you divide your clothes into seasons it means you have a little more flexibility in the time you have to unpack, and if you don’t need to wear them straight away it means you can concentrate on other things first. Winter clothes can be stored until you are ready to unpack them if your move is in Summer and vice versa if your move is in Winter. The suitcases of clothes will keep the family going until you get fully unpacked.
Keep the children happy!
This may seem like an odd tip but depending on the age of your children, they may need lots of attention in days like moving day. The upheaval affects how secure and safe they feel so it is important that they are prepared to. Ask them to pack a small bag with their favourite toys. This way, if there is ever a quiet moment, they can get the toys out and play without causing the extra stress that comes with trying to remember which box mum put Buzz Lightyear in!
Have a camp night the night before the big day
The day before the big move, try and schedule everything so that on the last night you can all sit down together and have a mini camp night in the living room. All bunk together, order a takeaway and enjoy your last night in the house together. This is great opportunity to talk about happy memories and discuss what will be good about the new house. In the rush of packing and cleaning the house, we often forget that we need time to process the move so this is ideal to help you and the family have a happy, successful transition.
Keep calm, drink coffee
Our last tip is to keep a travel kettle with you at all times! Fill a bag with a couple of mugs, a box of tea bags and some milk. No matter what happens you should be prepared with a nice cup of tea! Whether something goes wrong and you need to take a minute to fix it, or the new neighbours pop round, a good brew is always great to have on hand.
And don’t forget, there’s no need to stress out about any carpet and upholstery cleaning that might need to be done at your new abode, just give TopMark Cleaning a call!