• Four decent different colour marker pens
• Some bubble wrap and
• 3 or 4 or 6 rolls of parcel tape or gaffa tape. Or 2 rolls of each. Its Handy to have some upstairs and downstairs, and one hidden under a pile of washing on the sofa 🙂
• Then order some double skin boxes on-line or pop down to the supermarket or fruit and veg shop and ask for a load of banana and apple boxes – this may take a few car trips but can save you £100 or more.
• You could do that lot now in 30 mins on-line 🙂

  See My Links To Buy Good Quality Pens and Tape At Bottom Of Page 🙂

  In an ideal world that would be several weeks before your move due date but the packing side for a normal house can be done in 2 days if you don’t want too sleep to much and enjoy a good speed pack and a lot of mini decisions within a short space of time.

  Before you start, Breathe and plan your next hour or so’s work, don’t just start and be scatty or erratic, just breathe and take it one room at a time and one cabinet or cupboard or set of drawers at a time.

  Remember Everything has to be packed so just relax and Start and Finish one cabinet at a time.

  Trust Me Doing it cabinet by cabinet will save you hours in stress when unpacking at the other end and it also breaks the pack down into mini targets for you to complete – and then feel happy about having achieved completely sorting one area

  So are you ready to be decisive yet?

  1st you need to get:

  • Say 4 boxes per cabinet ready to be filled, lay them out separately next to each other.
  • Then get a dustbin and put that next to them.
  • Then a bedroom draw of t-shirts or socks or bag of clothes to wrap the delicates in.
  • Now you just need a marker pen and more tape.
  • Now’s the time to be decisive. So on your marks, get set, Separate

  You need to separate the items in the cabinet into the boxes, use say 2 for flat stuff and 1 for the heavy stuff and 1 for the flimsy odd shaped breakable stuff, and the bin for the crap we all think ‘may’ be useful.

  Fill the boxes flat and to the top starting with the heaviest stuff at the bottom, quickly wrap any breakables starting with the biggest and heaviest first in your clothes, and if necessary bubble wrap and put them in the breakables box.

  Having 4 boxes to distribute your things will make it easier to pack a nice firm well filled box that doesn’t cave in on the sides or top. These boxes must then be OK to be picked up and moved at least 6 times before unpacking, and be stackable in a van.

  The alternative is to constantly waste time trying to make a lot of random shapes all go in one box. Trust me this will only waste your own time and wont work and you will end up with a half packed cabinet and a lot of random items in piles on the floor that don’t fit in that box. And guess what your next task would be to make another box anyway.

  So start with 4 or 5 boxes ready and love life.

  Finish the cabinet completely then label the box straight away – cabinet x – or fragile ornaments then stick a bit of tape on top and move those boxes straight away to the corner of a room downstairs that’s near ish your front door.

  Well done that’s one mini target completed. So smile, breathe, pat yourself on the back and move on to the next one.

  Do not leave the boxes in that room as it will only create clutter and confusion for yourself, get things boxed off and in a nice corner by themselves.

  Going Up and Down stairs many times is part of packing your house so don’t catch yourself having a going up or down pile. If it needs to go up take it up now. If it needs to go down throw it down or take it down now. It all has to be packed in a box. The main thing is you finish that cabinet your on at the moment, and the boxes get put out of the way.

  Great removal hindsight here – Label by cabinet or piece of furniture and the room – some people spend weeks packing pristine boxes with sticky labels ( that fall off ) and yet end up with a load of boxes all saying front room on them, which they have to dare to open to see what they have to sort out 🙂

  To avoid this just simply write on the box itself in marker pen and label them by cabinet and room – then even if you change your mind where you’re going to have that piece of furniture you will always know where the contents are.

  This is amazing when you come to realising you’ve packed or lost something you really need – as this is when a room full of boxes labelled Front room is USELESS – the only thing you can do is open them all to see what’s in them then route through them all just for one damn name badge or school tie or tv remote.

  Remember be ruthless and keep only essential items aside until the last day or two.

  An Essential Last Day List may help you be more ruthless in your packing. If you want to make one then here is a few reminders of what’s likely to be on there:

  • Medication for 4 days, phone chargers, List of phone numbers and alarm codes and passwords, Kettle, Toaster, hair dryer, Coffee, Tea, Milk powder 4 cups 4 glasses, basic cutlery, paperwork relevant to moving, instruction books for appliances, a pan or two, a cordless drill with new bits, alan keys, socket set, a few decent or new screwdrivers.
  • Top Tip – You may find it a lot easier on your brain if you Pack The Last Day Box First. Then keep it handy in the kitchen and live out of that one box for a few days. Because then you know in yourself Everything Else Has To Go or be dealt with or be thrown – This way it will save you dithering during decision making, and that way you can always add to it when you have a Ah Haa moment.
  • When packing always remember that the heavier an item is, the smaller the box you should use
  • I also like to make a valuables bag to keep in the bedroom or top of the stairs which you can add to as your going around. I think a large thick handbag or rucksack or small suitcase is better for this than a box.
  • These have handles and so are easier to carry and they are more distinguishable than a brown box. They also fit in your car easier at the last minute or van drivers cab if you’re travelling with the driver.
  • Leave lightweight linens and clothing in their drawers. Pack extra linens, pillows and stuffed animals in large bin liners and tape closed.
  • Don’t Under fill! This may seem stupid after the previous tip but partially filled boxes may collapse if heavy items are placed on top of them. Try to distribute your things evenly in the available boxes.
  • Suitcases and Luggage Where possible use your suitcases and other luggage to pack some of your things. They are good for serving dishes and glassware wrapped up in bubble wrap and with newspaper or socks to fill extra spaces and then add a folded bath towel on top to protect things.

  Andy’s Tip Of The Top Tips

  • Gaffer tape is better than brown parcel tape. 3 strips are stronger than 8 parcel tape strips. You can rip it with one sharp rip with your fingers – No scissors required. No yoga teeth tape biting manoeuvre required, just one sharp rip with your fingers. IT’S EASIER TO FIND THE END OF IT and fewer strips needed – so It’s quicker to use. If ! it should get tangled, then you still don’t need scissors. If it gets damp it will still stick, parcel tape wont.
  • Buy 2 Pink Marker Pens for the girls and ladies boxes ( see links at bottom ) Buy 2 Blue Marker Pens for the boys and men – this will save you yourself hours via a instant visual colour reference ( and us to ) – and Just Think – if you ever just need to throw at least one box hard against a wall one day you can always choose your partners colour 🙂
  • If you want to label the boxes say Sam’s room or Jo’s room, then when you get to your new house make sure you label the doors of the rooms for the removal men the same. We don’t mind if you choose to use names or simply front bedroom back bedroom but on removal day we often get told to put things in Sam’s room when its labelled back bedroom – so just try to be consistent if poss. This is where pink and blue markers come in great.
  • To all you sticky noter’s out there – There Crap and they fall off, especially when I walk past with your wardrobe 🙂 and when the front and back door are open.

  Banana Banana Banana Banana Banana Boxes Banana Boxes Banana Boxes Banana Banana Boxes Banana Boxes

  They’re amazing. Soft Squashy Fruit Travels 12,000 miles in these and it’s okay to eat when it gets here – Enough Said Yet ? – Okay 12,000 miles after being in a field and on a truck to the ship- Then in crates on ships then on fork lifts, then on truck’s then fork lifts then warehouses then fork lifts then delivery vans then fork lifts then smaller delivery vans then man handled by driver then man handled by shop keeper then squashed in your boot and then eaten.

  And let me get this right you just want your books and ornaments going down your drive and safely moving 5 miles 🙂

  Banana Boxes Banana Boxes Banana Boxes Are Free. ( from your local veg shop ) ( They are often sick of seeing them. Or Supermarket – Morrissons – Lidl – ( Not sure about Tesco’s )

  Did I mention Apple Boxes and Wide Berry boxes – 1 box 1 draw H’mmmmm – EasyLife

  Banana and Apple and Fruit Box Facts :-

  ( if you get the good strong ones with a base )

  • Double Cornered for protection. With Strong Metal Staples
  • Thick Rigid Strong Cardboard. There almost like the Dovetail Jointed Cabinet Version Of Cardboard
  • No need for tape / making up
  • They have a strong top lip over the corners so half a lid already.
  • Already stackable before you start packing – This saves you hours and hours and hours choosing what to put where – just don’t fill them over the top line
  • Already Stackable Also Means Virtually Un-Squashable in this case.
  • Let’s think about this – of all the general ‘bits and bobs’ in my house what’s the heaviest that is going to need the strongest box – I’ll tell you for free – It’s your spanners and tools from the garage and your kitchen plates. They Both Deserve A Apple Box.
  • Now have a good 360 degree scan around the room at all your things and what size and weight they are and then read this list – are you ready – get set – go – quick 360 scan

  FRUIT BOXES ARE:

  • Perfect for heavy spanners, stick a lining in and perfect for tubs of nuts and bolts
  • Perfect and strong enough for Kitchen Plates
  • Perfect size and shape For Glasses and cups
  • Perfect for Trophies and Medals
  • Perfect for small pictures
  • Perfect for Picture Frames
  • Perfect for Shoes ( Not Boots )
  • Perfect For Cd’s and Tapes
  • Perfect For Dvd’s and Video’s
  • Perfect size For Sky Boxes , Dvd Players, Freeview Boxes
  • Perfect for Nintendo’s , Playstations, X – Box’s
  • Perfect for Small Garden Tools
  • Perfect for Computer Wires, Wireless Routers, Remote Controls, Chinese Takeaways – oh sorry I was getting carried away and a bit hungry then
  • Perfect for Brand new Unopened Toiletries and bottle of bleach and sprays etc. Opened Ones must be stored vertically and labelled and Certainly Not in a banana box
  • Same width as your bedroom draws so one box one draw – Simple’s
  • Perfect for your car
  • Perfect for most car boots
  • Perfect Depth for most wrapped ornaments and small statues
  • You can fit more small books in a banana box safer than a standard flimsy square cardboard box
  • Even Perfect width for tipping entire draw contents into 🙂 should you so wish ( or should I say your lovely kids entire draw contents into 🙂 well except the Lego draw maybe
  • Apple boxes have No Lid Which Is Amazing for You – Think about this carefully – They stack so don’t need a lid to make them stack. You can already see what’s in them without getting your glasses on and looking for your own diagonal writing. If its fragile it’s already in the strongest box and wrapped up in clothes or bubble wrap so all you need is a thick jumper or thin pillow on top
  • Pick up the box, Fill it, Move it, Finished
  • No messing removals
  • No Taping up boxes No Broken Plates – Are You Catching My Drift Yet?

Blackpool Removals Other Top Tips:

Mirrors and Pictures – Large mirrors or pictures are often surprisingly one of the first things to go in the van ! as they trap nicely and securely behind your big bits of furniture, so get them ready. Cover both sides with bubble wrap and heavy cardboard, then bind with tape. If you have a few to do then watch this video on how and where to cut a box up to make a few super duper mirror covers for mirrors removals in Blackpool :