for the smoothest move...
The Bristol Moving Company
A leader in residential and commercial removals in Bristol
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Take the stress out of moving
You might be feeling a little nervy right now… We get it!
Moving can be a stressful time.
Let our team do the heavy lifting – you will be at ease when you see how friendly, speedy and efficient our guys operate.
Whether you move within Bristol itself, or are moving to another location…
Our removal service guarantees that your items are handled and transported with the utmost care and respect.
Our top moving tips...
So, you’ve been given the green light to move on into your new place – fantastic!
But you might want to hold onto your horses for just a minute, before you start eagerly packing all of your possessions for your move.
There are plenty of pitfalls you can avoid, and tips and tricks that will make your move go a lot smoother. Once you know about them, they seem logical, almost obvious. But these are things that are often overlooked.
Trust us! This is our day-to-day, our bread and butter. Over the years we have seen it all, and have even picked up a few nifty little tricks along the way…
#1. Leave Drawers Full and Intact
Drawers are already box shaped. So why empty them and fill up extra boxes?
A good way to save space in the removal van is to leave lighter items such as clothes inside the drawers.
You can make sure the drawers stay shut with a few layers of shrink wrap, and hey presto!
That is a box or two less to pack, saving you time and space.
#2. Small Plastics Bags for Nuts, Bolts and Screws
Remember that anything you disassemble during your move, you will want to put back up again in your new place.
To avoid a long search for the right ones – separate any nuts, bolts and screws for each item you take down.
It is a good idea to put them in a small labelled plastic bag (sandwich bags are perfect for this!), and separate from the rest of your items. This way, you know exactly where they are when needed and they don’t get lost in the moving process.
Taking down IKEA furniture, and then putting it back up again, needn’t be more stressful than it already is!
#3. Photograph Electrical Setups
Before you pack away electrical appliances like TV’s and their respective accessories (Sky box, Roku, Adaptors, Speakers etc.) take a picture of which wire plugs into where.
Obviously, as a removal company, we don’t stick around for this part of your move. But from personal experience, we know for a fact that this little trick can save you a potential 20 minutes of frustration.
It takes 2 seconds to do this, so why wouldn’t you!
#4. Defrost Your Fridge & Freezer
When you defrost your fridge and freezer, there is usually a bit of wiping up to do afterwards.
Make sure you do this a day before your move, so there is no big puddle to clean up after moving your fridge/freezer.
Forgetting this can be frustrating, as water could also leak out during the moving process and potentially damage other items.
#5. Stack plates sideways
As a moving company in Bristol, we know all too well that precautions must be taken against our bumpy, potholed roads.
Some things are soft and bouncy. Dinner plates are not.
You can avoid a lot of disappointment, however, if you pack your plates sideways (think records, if of course, you are old enough or hip enough to know what those are).
This way they don’t bounce against each other, if the journey encounters any unexpected bumps in the road.
#6. Clean the bathroom of the new place before the move
Imagine moving all of the boxes into your new bathroom, only to realise that you need to move all of the stuff out again to clean it.
Your first day in your new house now includes cleaning the bathroom (whilst being interrupted by anybody who wants to use it), and a very cluttered landing.
Now picture moving into a house that already has a nice clean bathroom (because you cleaned it before the move!). You can start unpacking bathroom items right away – and one of the most essential parts of the house is done and ready to use from the get-go.
If you prefer the second scenario (who wouldn’t?) – clean the bathroom before all the boxes arrive.
#7. Pack essential items separately
For the first day or two of your move, you will still need to shower, right?
Yes, let’s assume so.
You might also want to brush your teeth, change your clothes, do your hair, make-up, or indeed, do any other day-to-day “essential” activity (“Marvin, where on earth did you put the teabags!!?”).
Save yourself a lot of rummaging through the boxes and boxes of non-essential items, by separating any essentials you might need before everything is unpacked.
Make yourself an overnight bag, and also a carrier bag for any hot drinks, biscuits and snacks (they make the move a lot smoother!).
#8. Colour Code Your Boxes
A good way to organise your boxes is to use a colour code to denote which room they belong in.
This makes it easier for them to be packed in the van together, so that they can be easily unloaded into the right room.
You can use coloured stickers, or highlighter markers. This works better than just writing “kitchen”, or “bathroom” on the box, as it is easier to see when inside the van, when other boxes may be stacked on top or otherwise obstructing the view.
#9. Number boxes
A good way to keep track of how many boxes there are is to number them. This way none get left behind, and you will know if any are missing when you get to your new place.
Keep a list of what is inside each number too. This way, you know exactly what you have lost if you do lose a box, and it is also safer than writing something like “jewellery” on the box (this could be tempting for opportunistic thieves that may be passing by during your move).
#10. Save on Bubble Wrap and Boxes
You might not need as many boxes as you think.
Why’s that?
Well you may already have lots of things that can double up as boxes. Any laundry baskets, for example, can easily be used to pack clothes. Remember that if there is no lid to a basket, you can wrap it with a few layers of shrink wrap, and that will work just as well.
For fragile items, such a crockery and vases, you may not need to buy so much bubble wrap either. A nice wooly jumper will do just fine.
Socks, when paired up into a ball, also make for good padding when boxing up glassware and crockery.