MOVING TIPS

7 steps to moving home with Planet Removals

Make an inquiry and get a quotation

Make an inquiry

Contact Planet Removals and speak to us, we will oversee your removal.

Your estimate or survey

A visit that should take less than an hour to allow our surveyor to speak with you to get a clear understanding of the removals services you need, assess and measure your belongings and identify your wrapping and packing requirements. Alternatively, you can arrange a video survey via your smartphone or tablet.

Your move quotation and move plan

The paperwork you receive will include the costs for your move and a schedule of activities on move day. If appropriate, your move quotation will include a number of options for you to consider.

Choose your services and book your move

Choosing the removals services, you need.

Take some time to read the removals quotation and move plan, and compare the costs of the recommended options. At this point it is worth reading our Terms and Conditions and insurance booklet.

Booking your move

Formally book your removal with Pickfords by completing the paperwork.

Pre-move planning

Now that your move is booked, there is a lot you can do to make the removals process go smoothly. Find out more at 020 8004 6400

Prepare for move day!

PLANNING

Planning is key; reduce expense, stress and allow for good use of time.

Working on paper:

Make an inventory list on a room-by-room basis.
Go through your current space with a digital camera, or a notebook and paper to make a record of your things.
You could make a list with two columns; one column for your current space, one for the future space. This helps you get an idea of what you have and where it will go. It will also help prioritise the ‘essentials’ from the discretionary items for the changeover period.
Develop a second list from this initial assessment.

Using ‘Master Bedroom’ as an example, consider the following:

What needs to be packed together?
e.g: Clothing, Ornaments, Jewellery, Cosmetics, Lighting, Artwork, Electronic equipment

What needs to be cleaned or laundered before the move (depending on transit time?
e.g: Window treatments, Duvets/ Pillows/Cushions

What needs to be donated or recycled?
Moving is the perfect time to downsize! Being forced to manage your possessions with money and time encourages de-cluttering.

What needs to be measured?
e.g: Bed, Wardrobes, Shelving, Other furniture. To fit through doorways and to plan its location in your new space.

SCHEDULING

Use a calendar to plan the process on a room – by – room basis.
Time management: The average home can take up to 1 month to pack if you are doing it yourself.
Allow as much time planning as possible so that packing period is manageable in evenings after work and in weekends. In an office situation allocate particular team members to project manage the move so that business can continue as usual.
Downsize: This translates to ‘downsizing’ temporarily too. Reflecting essentials and discretionary items.
Review the schedule regularly to make sure you’re on target.
Share the packing work and enlist help! Consider the other work that needs to happen at the same time as the packing and delegate accordingly.

PACKING

Pack a suitcase as if you’re all going short holiday. These are items you will need for the first few days. This means that you don’t have to start digging through boxes!

e.g: some changes of clothing, toiletries, phone chargers, children’s storybooks, anything that will be needed in the first few days in the new space.

Create “Open Me First” boxes Pick one or two boxes per room as “Open Me First” boxes. Put in them the things you’ll need first at your new location. Then mark the sides of the boxes so you’ll know which ones are which.

Room-by-Room: Work on a room by room basis to keep things organised.

Ergonomics:

Keep boxes at a manageable weight.
Keep a bathroom scale handy to keep box weights within agreed limits.
Pack boxes on a table top to reduce strain.
Stack boxes heaviest and largest on bottom, lighter as you go up!

Packing Up Boxes

Labelling and organisation is key for efficient packing, keeping track of your items and ensuring safe passage of fragile goods.

Pack soft items around fragile items. Using space efficiently. There is a case to mix up items from the linen cupboard with items from the display cabinet!

Smaller items: When taking apart items to be moved, such as tables, securely tape screws and other small parts securely to the underside of the item. You’ll always know where to look and save time putting things back together.

Packing Electronics: Extra care is recommended in packing electronics. We recommend using original packaging where available. Include manuals if you have them filed. If necessary, record wiring details with digital camera. This is where it is worth investing in specialist packing materials.

Taping: Using packing tape, tape boxes along the seams where the flaps meet together. Then tape perpendicularly at the center of the first tape, forming a cross.

Box Inventory and Labelling

Identify boxes with a clear, thick marker. On both sides.
Make sure your box labels are clear.
Have ‘open me first’ boxes for the essentials.
Mark Fragile where appropriate.

MOVING

UNPACKING

Commercial or Office Moving Tips

How to Pack for Moving Office?

Preparation is key on any move but especially on an office move. Devising an office removal checklist will ensure a very successful and hassle free move.

How to Pack your Office belongings quickly and securely.

There will be rules that need to be followed, like when is the move date? What is coming and what is going to the bin? What to do with unwanted furniture and how to dispose of unwanted documents?

Simple and practical items can save your office move are- Bubble wrap, packing tape, sticky labels and coloured markers!

Packing the Filing Cabinet

This is the first place to pack- as it will require the most time and holds the documents of your business and your clients.

Before packing a thorough go through is advisable- see if anything can be shredded, then recycled or can be moved to digital file.

Always take direction from the office manager and your employer as to how the files should be packed before beginning this process.

Top Tip:

Files/folders that are being moved in order (alphabetically, numerically, depending on how they’re arranged) in file specific boxes. Ensure the box fits the files so there will be no movement within the box throughout the moving process.

How to pack your Desk

Knowing the size of your new office space will determine what stays and what goes on the office desk pack up. Stationary needs to be packed in accordance to what you will need so sort through the paperclips, notepads and other supplies. The key is to only take with you what you need.

Top Tip:

Always mark the box with your name, its contents and if the packed box needs special handling. As it’s a business there may be confidential information inside so mark also on the box. Remember to always note on the exterior its contents- this will save on unpacking time at the new office location.

Furniture and heavy items will be moved by the moving professionals but ensure that you have removed all materials from drawers before the move so they make it to the new location!

Moving IT Equipment:

This area is more specialised and might require an IT expert to pack expensive computer and telephone equipment to avoid damage. Some electrical equipment may require to be packed in anti-static packing materials.

Think about where your office is moving to, wall space, desk size and overall office space- it may be bigger or smaller than your existing space and this will determine how much of the existing office furniture can come to the new office space.

Why Choose us?

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SECURE STORAGE FACILITIES

PROFESSIONAL TEAM

WORKING TO DEADLINES

COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT

EXPERT PACKERS

FULLY INSURED

LOWEST PRICES

VALUE FOR MONEY

RELIABLE SERVICE

12+ years experience

Helpful moving advice and tips

Prior to moving day: Declutter

Declutter and throw away things that you can do without prior to your household removals session.

This will help you decrease the overall costs of your move and will certainly speed up the whole process of household furniture removal. You can also check out our moving checklist for more tips on how to prepare for the house move.

Bonus tip: Wrap your furniture

Use stretch wrap to protect your household furniture for the move. It’s your responsibility to take care of your furniture prior to the moving day. Wrapping it in stretch foil or bubble wrap will protect the furniture from damage and scratches.

Before the pros arrive: Parking space

If the house removers park far away from your home, this will certainly inflate the cost of the service, as it would take them longer to transfer your belongings into the van. Thus, do your homework in advance and organise a convenient parking space as close as possible to your house.

Bonus tip: Pack a bag of essentials

Make a list of things you will need during the process of relocation and add everything in a bag you’ll be caring with you.

We highly recommend you pack your handbag with essentials a few hours before leaving the old destination.

Post-removals options: Cleaning

After the service: New beginning

Once the house movers have unloaded the last box of your belongings, you can get on with the unpacking. Start with the essentials first and leave less important household furniture and boxes for the following day. If you require our assistance to unpack your homeware and furniture, we’ll be more than happy to help!

Bonus tip: Unpack room by room

Don’t unpack chaotically. Start with the smaller premises and then move to the bigger ones. It will save your time and effort when unpacking with a clear plan.

Complete Service

Fantastic Removals is all about bringing you a complete solution to your problem. Consider this, we can do a video or a live survey of your property to determine the scope of your move and how much help you will need. Keep in mind that we can help you with packing or simply provide you with packing materials so you can handle it all yourself if that’s what you prefer. On the other hand, we can disassemble some of your furniture to move it more easily.

You can take advantage of a comprehensive end of tenancy cleaning service that guarantees the return of your security deposit. You can also book long term, short term or student storage service with us. The movers will load and transport your items to a facility where we’ll keep them until you’re ready to move in.