Have you just purchased your new home in Manchester? Well, regardless of how excited you are, relocation is never fun.  From contacting your utilities provider to booking an appointment with a removals company, there is so much to do and, equally so much that can go wrong. The diciest stage of the moving process, however, is the packing stage.  This article takes a look at important things you need to consider when packing for a big move.

• Start packing early. What qualifies as early depends on your moving date and the size of your house. Roughly speaking, two months should be enough to pack in a large house.
• Pack from rooms you least need. This is a great way to get the things you don’t need for day to day living, out of the way. It also means you avoid forgetting, misplacing or wrongly packing them.
• Don’t juggle between rooms during your packing. Here at Manchester Removals, we remind our clients that this is a great way to avoid confusion. It also makes it easy for us to tell where each box will need to go in the new property.
• Give away unwanted items. You can cut down on packing time by giving away items you really no longer need. If you’re not comfortable giving them away for free, hold a garage sale to get back some money.
• Avoid exceeding the packing limit for each box. The standard limit for a box is 30 pounds, going beyond this limit could lead to injuries on moving day as well as damage to items in the box.
• Fill out spaces in the boxes. Use rags or paper to fill out spaces in boxes. This will reduce the possibility of property damage during the move.
• Label your boxes properly. Labelling on the top is useless as there is no way to recognise them when the boxes are stacked. Label appropriately on the sides and use a different marker colour for each room.
• Store the heaviest boxes separately, as they will go first into the moving van.
• Dispose of hazardous materials carefully. If you have paint or insecticide or any other such materials, consider giving them away or disposing of them properly and safely.
• Put together a box of essentials. This should basically include personal effects, a change of clothing for everyone, medications etc.

On moving day:

• Communicate properly with your moving company. Here at Manchester Removals, we expect our customers to let us know when they are expecting us and what they expect us to contribute on the moving day. For example, where will each box go in your new house?
• Get ready for a stressful day and dress accordingly. A good rule of the thumb is to wear jeans and protective footwear, irrespective of the weather.
• Don’t get in the van before all the boxes are stored and ready to move. You need to have a look one last time, after all items are packed to be sure that nothing has been left behind.
• Prepare some snacks. You and your family will get hungry, so have some snacks ready for everyone and if possible pack some food in a flask for later.
• Keep your mobile gadgets charged. You, ideally, want to stay in communication with friends and family. Additionally, depending on the distance of the journey, you will need some form of entertainment to keep young children busy.
• Forget about unpacking on arrival. Unless you’ve moved a short distance, you will likely get to your new home late in the day. The first thing to do is to get your box of essentials, change into new clothes, get something to eat and finally put your feet up after a hard day’s work!