Furniture Removal Tips
[ ] Make sure you book your removal well in advance
[ ] Pack as early as possible once your date has been confirmed.
[ ] Label contents of all boxes … especially the one marked kettle!
[ ] Take cuttings of your favourite plants from the garden to take with you.
[ ] Organise to redirect mail.
[ ] Check insurance cover whilst your contents are in transit.
[ ] Pack an overnight bag so those essential items are easily to hand.
[ ] Organise a garage sale BEFORE you shift- you’d be amazed how many people shift ‘stuff’ only to ditch it later. Or instead of putting unwanted items in the bin, why not give them to charity – or find a good home for them?
[ ] Check where the nearest take-away is
Plan ahead
This may seem obvious, but the most important factor to a stress free move, is to be organised.
[ ] Start early say 2 – 3 weeks beforehand, pack into boxes as much as you can and as soon as you can. It is easier to live without the fine china for a few weeks, than it is to be still packing as the removal men are carrying your furniture out of the door.
[ ] Set out a minimum amount of crockery etc that we can make do with, and then pack the rest.
[ ] The best boxes are a consistent size- approach your local supermarket and score some banana boxes. They are robust and easy to carry – and usually FREE.
[ ] Another suggestion is large carry bags from the $2.00 shop or some people have bought wool press bags. However these are very big and can get heavy quickly. Ideal only for clothes.
How Many Boxes Will You Need?
This is one of the harder parts of calculating your quotation as unless you have moved previously or are already packed and raring to go it can be difficult to estimate exactly how many cartons or boxes you will need.
We have found that the best way to do this is to estimate your cartons on a room to room basis, as opposed to attempting to make a ‘guestimate’ at the end. By this we mean as you are walking around your home and listing your furniture and belongings try to visualize contents of cupboards and loose items in piles and then count how many piles you think there will be for each room.
While banana boxes are in our opinion the best way to transport your belongings safely, we do not insist that these be used, but in terms of your estimate please be sure to inform us if you are estimating banana boxes or other size boxes as this will affect your quote. If you are still a little uneasy about estimating your carton needs when you come to complete your inventory, work on 6 – 10 boxes per room.
A larger removal carton is the same size as the old wooden Tea chest, which are approximately 435 x 410 x 600mm. You can see various types of cartons available through www.kennards.co.nz
Electrical items like TV’s [especially Plasma] and computers are best packed in their original boxes if possible.
Packing Hints
1. Always use genuine removal cartons of similar size and shape; this will assist the removal guys to load efficiently.
2 .Use larger cartons for bulky items like kitchen pots, pans and crockery. Make sure you use plenty of paper around fragile items.
3. Use smaller boxes for heavier items like books, records and tins of food.
4. Don’t overfill a box, and always tape the top and bottom of the cartons.
5. Wrap fragile items with bubblewrap or paper, soft linen can be used to fill gaps and mark the box fragile.
6. Use a room numbering system on each box to indicate where you want the boxes put.
Moving Day
Time Saving Suggestions
1. Disassemble beds, desks etc before move. Keep screws and bolts in a plastic bag or container.
2. Leave food in fridge until removal truck arrives; they will indicate when to empty it.
3. Don’t water pot plants for three days prior to move.
4. Empty water beds one day prior to move.
5. Empty all cupboards and drawers.
6. Remove microwave plate, and pack safely.
7. On removal day, you can help by taking small items to the truck.
8. Be sure that someone is always present to indicate the placement of your items.