Some tips on how to quickly settle into you new home after an international move
Posted on December 21, 2022
The build up to any international removal can be an extremely stressful time, but lets not forget the work that you need to do after you’ve waved goodbye to your Movers at your new home. Here we take a look what can be done to reduce the stress of settling into your new home.
In fact, here at ClickMoves Towers we always advise clients that efficient pre-packing and labelling ahead of the removal guys arriving makes the delivery and unpacking process to much easier.
ClickMoves Team leader Scott told us “most people have a few cupboards of stuff that they just don’t want to deal with – old toys, plastic Tupperware, old packing boxes, things that you keep promising to donate or take to the dump – but just never get round to it. It all piles up, and the longer you’ve lived in the property, the worse it gets. So moving home is an ideal time to get rid of that junk, so we always recommend that we send a number of boxes over to the client well before the removal day, so that they can have a good sort through it all and make the decision to get rid of it or keep it. We remind clients that the more they ship overseas, the more we will be charging them – so if they can be ruthless, they can down on the volume and therefor reduce the price – but also there will be less to unpack”.
The other key advantage of good pre-packing is that you can label everything very clearly, and prioritise what needs to be unpacked first (clothes, bed linen, essential kitchenware, TV & remote etc), and what can wait until later (books, ornaments, out of season clothes etc).
Professional Organiser Vicky Silverthorn came up with some nice tips that she shared with the Daily Express
Use Small Boxes
Large cardboard boxes are ideal for moving bigger quantities of items at once, though Vicky revealed that smaller boxes are actually the “most useful”. She said: ” I can’t recommend small boxes enough. It’s unbelievable how many you need to use in your home, and they are great for chipping away at packing things yourself.”
She explained that one of the biggest mistakes people make is overpacking large boxes with heavy items like books, which the removals team could refuse to move for you. To get it right, think carefully about using suitably sized boxes and be realistic about how heavy they are.
Label the Top & Sides
Another top tip is to label both the top and sides of your boxes. Vicky explained that on several occasions, clients have stacked up heavy boxes so the label on the top is invisible – and there’s no way of telling what’s inside without opening them up.
Your excellent ClickMoves team arrives on the removals day, and the Team Leader remarks on how well organised you are (you’re secretly very proud of yourself), and the moves goes like as dream. You sign off on your documentation and the team leader hands you a “packing list” which shows you, a box/package number and contents (the same information is marked on the box/package itself), it also shows you which room is came from (dining room, or kitchen or kids play room etc). Keep this document with you because its critical for the delivery day.
Delivery Day
Get to the property nice and early, and put labels on each room door (Bobby’s room, Sarah’s Room, Office etc). Don’t arrange for painters and decorators, or any other tradesmen to be working at the property on the same day. Get rid of the kids (they’ll not be helpful), get rid of the dog (it will be very unhelpful). Set up an area where the removals team can make themselves teas and coffees (you’ll be too busy to do it for them). With packing list, and marker pen in hand place yourself next to the front door and wait for the ClickMoves team to arrive.
As the guys enter the house carrying a box/package they will announce the item number – “23” check you packing list “23 – Bobby’s Toys” and then point them in the direction of “Bobby’s Room”. Simple as that, and once everything is unloaded from the truck you’ll have everything in the correct room. BUT DON’T START UNPACKING BOXES
The next job is unpacking band assembling and arranging the furniture – the ClickMoves team will assist with this , but you need to tell them how to arrange the furniture. They will then get rid of all the packing materials and debris. NOW CAN START UNPACKING BOXES.
Its generally best that clients unpack and organise their own boxes, because quite frankly it’s a personal taste about which drawer you want to put your socks in a wardrobe. But get as much unpacked as you can within the time limits that you have the removals crew – they will take away as much debris and packing materials as they can on the day (its often not feasible to come back and make a second collection).