They say moving house can be as stressful as a marriage breakup or even a death in the family!
You need to understand that on moving day, even though your removalists will be doing all of the heavy lifting, it can still be a stressful procedure; that is unless you properly prepare for it.
Remembering these 10 easy tips before the arrival of your removal team, will ensure everything will run much smoother on moving day.
• Charge your phone the night before and keep it on you at all times – Your removal team may need to call you about something important before or during the move, and if you don’t pick up that can result in a whole lot of stress right there. Also, it’s a good idea to provide the removal company with an alternative contact number at the time of booking.
• Parking space for the removal truck – Heavy trucks can easily crack driveways; that’s why professional removalists won’t park on them. Reserve ample space by parking cars and placing wheeile bins strategically on the roadway, as close to the house as possible. Remember they will probably be using a 3 – 4 metre long ramp leading up to the back of the truck, so it will require more roadspace than you would first think; in fact 17 metres for a large rigid truck! 2 cars and 2 strategically placed bins should do the trick.
• Manage your dangerous goods – For insurance and liability reasons, removalist trucks should never be loaded with flammables, explosives, poisons, corrosives or other dangerous substances; that means the mower with fuel in it, the gas bottle for the BBQ and bottles of turps and thinners are a no-no.
Prior to the arrival of your removal team, be sure to separate these items from the rest of your belongings and transport them yourself.
• Disconnect your electrical items – Did you know that removalists are not allowed to disconnect or reconnect electrical items still connected to power? This is OHS Law! You will need to do this yourself.
• Dismantle beds and gym equipment – Taking responsibility for this yourself will ensure the removalists will have their truck loaded much quicker, because they’re not getting bogged down. It is a good idea to put the bolts in a plastic bag and tape it to one of the rails, and also to properly pack all the bedding into large T chest cartons.
• Washing machines – After disconnecting your washing machine from water and power, make sure you lower the hoses to drain them, but don’t lose the washers; place the hoses into the bowl to keep everything together.
• Fridges and freezers – Over the days/weeks leading up to your move, consume as much food out of the fridge and freezer as possible. On the day prior to the move, leave yourself enough time to properly clean them out with hot, soapy water; while you’re at it, empty the condensation tray at the back, and add a couple of drops of vanilla for a nice fresh smell when you turn them back on; you will really appreciate this!
• Pot plants and outdoor furniture – Red back spiders love to hang under these items; they should be killed before handling, particularly when moving into Storage. Their untidy webs are a dead giveaway, so remove them using a stick, then simply step on them or spray them with the correct insecticide. Also, large terracotta pots can easily crack when being moved due to the weight of the soil, so it’s a good idea to empty the soil into plastic bins first.
• Photographing/Labelling the back of TV’s/Stereos – Remembering to do this before they are moved allows for quick and easy reconnection when setting back up
• Leave a “Safe Spot” carton on the kitchen bench and make it the last thing you grab before locking up – Doing this can be a real life-saver when you need to lay your hands on certain items upon arriving at the new place. Things such as key sets (particularly for the new place), prescribed medications, charging cords, laptops and I pads and important documents. Even an electric jug, tea, coffee, UHT milk, sugar, biscuits and some disposable cups if you are that way inclined.