Seven Things You Should NEVER Do When Moving House!

You’re moving house!

You probably have a fair idea of what to do, and there are plenty of guides out there describing what you should do when you are involved in a house move. But what about the things you should never do?

There are plenty of things that can lead to a minor (or even major) disaster, so have a look at our top 7 things you should never do when moving house ...

Forget where the wet washing went

When you pack those boxes from the kitchen, try to put something a bit more descriptive than just ‘Kitchen’ on the label you’ve put on the box. If you are stuck having to move with wet washing, try to have it with your Essentials Box, or at least have a vague idea where it went! Undoubtedly you’ll be able to find it in a few days ... or at least your nose will, but that’s not really recommended!

Pack away your Phone Charger

You’re in total “Packing Mode” now and everything that isn’t nailed down is getting packed into boxes. But hang on a moment … your mobile phone will be your lifeline in the new house, as invariably the landline provider will have some unavoidable delay in getting your line up and running. So keep the charger in your handbag or glove box of your car so you don’t end up with a dead phone, with the charger somewhere at the bottom of a large box, helpfully labelled “Bedroom” …

Leave packing to the Very Last Possible Moment

Sometimes it's unavoidable that you have to move house very quickly. But more often than not, you're well aware that you're moving house well before you actually need to physically move house. So why did you wait to order your packing supplies until the very last possible moment? Not ordering cardboard boxes etc until Thursday afternoon and expecting them to be delivered first thing Friday morning because you have to be out of there by Friday evening is inviting disaster! As soon as you know that you will be moving house, start immediately to declutter, and pack 1 or 2 boxes every single day. Your stress levels will thank you!

Forget the Cat

This probably applies to all pets (including the small ones that spend their lives in little cages or goldfish bowls!) but especially independent cats! Cats have a funny way of knowing when something’s going on. They might not be sure if you’re off on holiday, rearranging your furniture for a party, or moving house, but they’ll know something is happening alright! You can count on Kitty to do a Disappearing Act the very morning of the move, so do your best to shut them in a sealed room from the moment you get up, unless you fancy sitting on the doorstep of your old empty house rattling a box of kibble until the wee small hours of what was a looonnnnggg day …

"Save Money" by booking a Small Van

This is a big one to remember, especially if you’re renting a van to move house yourself! First things first, find your driving license and check what you are qualified to drive. Generally, a “B” license qualifies you to drive not only a car, but also a Transit/Opel Combo/VW Caddy type van. Choose the van you feel most comfortable driving (or find a friend who will!) Just remember one thing … the larger the van, the less trips with all your boxes you’ll have to make, which means less fuel you’ll have to put in the van!

Get Lost on your way to your New Home

So you’ve hired a Removals Company to help you move house; or maybe you and your friends are going to drive in convoy once you have everything packed up. Make sure you know exactly where you’re going!!! Relaxing weekend drives on quiet roads while you were viewing properties are a totally different animal to trying to find your way in a vehicle stuffed to the gills on a Thursday or Friday rush-hour! Or perhaps your “ah, this is where I turn left” moment was along a tree-lined road full of Spring blossoms … and now it’s turned Summer-Torrential-Rain time (let’s not pretend that doesn’t happen!) At the very least, invest in a dependable sat-nav, or at the minimum write out directions on a piece of paper to give everybody!

Overcrowd your New Home

You decided to skip the Decluttering Stage when packing up your old home, didn’t you?! And now you’re trying to work out how to fit everything into your new place! Nothing is worse than tripping over boxes and boxes of stuff you didn’t know you had, haven’t used in over a year, and probably don’t even want for weeks/months after your house move. If you aren’t sure what will fit and where it will go, focus on taking your essentials with you, and put the boxes of stuff you won’t need for a while into a self storage unit to give you the breathing space you need.

The above might seem obvious, but are often ignored. And moving house is stressful enough without adding more to it!