Moving House? How To Move From A to B Safely and Stress-Free

Moving houses can be extremely stressful. Ensuring your belongings, vehicle and yourself stay safe during this process is essential. But with a little bit of planning and preparation, you can rest assured that the move won’t be as stressful as you anticipated. Before moving day arrives, you ought to have a plan in place you can hit the “road” running with. When it comes to packing, there are multiple factors to consider to ensure you protect your car during the move. So you avoid damaging your car and your belongings. With the help of the Novus team, we’ve compiled the ultimate moving checklist, so you can get to moving the most efficiently

Preparing for The Move

1. Pack Early

Hold your horses. Before you start frantically loading your car up to move, there are a few things you should check, have, and plan for. There’s no real big secret to making a move easier, other than being prepared early. Although it’s common knowledge, a lot of us are guilty of putting it off, as the task alone can seem overwhelming. However, it’s important to recognise procrastinating packing early can be a sign of anxiety, and your future self will appreciate you taking the initiative earlier rather than later.

As last-minute packing is one of the biggest stress inducers when moving houses, to avoid stress, we recommend you avoid holding off on packing. Packing last minute can leave us feeling overwhelmed and anxious, which is detrimental to our mental and physical health. To prepare for your move, we suggest you begin the planning and packing process as early as you can. This way, you won’t find yourself fretting about the mountain of tasks you need to complete off your to-do list. After all, stress can reduce your concentration and can become a bigger issue when it’s time to hit the road. Remember, you have all the power in diminishing your moving stress by being prepared. So, put on a motivating playlist or acquire the help of a family member or friend, and begin packing today.

2. Tidy and clean the inside of your car

Cleaning your car before you pile it full of your belongings may sound counterintuitive. We won’t sugar coat it, it’s likely to get somewhat dirty again, especially if you are relocating outdoor equipment, pet beds and kids toys that can scatter into what seems like 50 pieces across your car. What if we told you the benefits of cleaning your car before the move outweighs these thoughts? With a clean car you can ensure:

• You have more room to pack the things you need to move.
• Your car is free of debris that has the potential to damage your items and your vehicle.
• The vehicle will be easier to clean once the move is done.
• No loose items will be able to damage the inside of your vehicle.

If we need to persuade you anymore, know that driving with unnecessary items can also add weight to the vehicle. Which in turn has the potential to cause stress on suspensions, brakes, and other important components.

3. Avoid using large boxes when possible

Although it might seem ridiculous, especially when moving, we recommend you avoid using large boxes and here’s why. While some items require larger boxes to be adequately stored in, they also tend to take up a lot of room in your vehicle. The solution?

Pack your clothes into soft or plastic bags. This allows your clothes to become more flexible in fitting into smaller areas in your car. In turn, this also means less likely damage to your car interior.
If you don’t have access to these or run out of bags, you can also use smaller and more flexible storage containers you have on hand.

4. Declutter and choose what you take carefully

After months and years of living in one place, it’s easy to accumulate enough belongings to look like we could belong on an episode of hoarders. Jokes aside, owning too many belongings not only drains and frustrates you when you’re trying to find something, but it also makes it difficult to feel motivated to get things done. Seize this opportunity, and put time aside to declutter. Not only will this make moving easier, but you’ll mentally and physically reap the benefits of a cleaner environment.

• We suggest starting with sorting your essentials first and then getting rid of anything you don’t need.

5. Repair any damages to the vehicle

When travelling and transporting a large number of items, your vehicle must be in top condition to do so safely.

• This includes tyres, windscreens, petrol, and oil.
• If you have any windscreen damage, it is ideal to have it repaired before you take a big journey or important move.

How To Best Pack Your Car

Moving day is here, and now it’s time for all your preparation and time to pay off. With your items sorted and packed, you can start moving your items into your car. Before you start loading your car without a strategy in place, there is an efficient method of moving. Adhering to these tips will make this stage of the process go smoothly, and prevent damage to your vehicle, so it’s worth reading and taking them on board.

1. Pack the essentials first

Unfortunately, the inside of your car isn’t a bottomless container unit, so it offers limited storage space. With this in mind, pack all of your essential items first in case you don’t have room left for everything. Even if you have to make multiple trips, at least you will have your essential items unloaded at the location first. Imagine moving and leaving your mattresses to last? This is exactly why we suggest you move any bedding, refrigerator, toiletries, food, clothing and valuables first. To prepare for this, choose what you will take carefully and label your boxes in the preparation process.

2. Don’t overload your Vehicle

If you didn’t know, overloading your car is dangerous for many reasons. We know it seems like your car couldn’t be defeated by some boxes? But in fact, excess weight can cause your wheels to bulge out and heat up increasing the risk of a blowout. Yikes. If you plan on taking the highway, forget it. Your suspension control won’t be able to handle high speeds safely. Even if you take the back roads, you still risk your safety. Your then roadworthy brakes are now compromised, with their ability to halt efficiently is reduced with excess weight. This is why it’s vital you don’t overpack, and just commit to making multiple trips or hiring a removalist to help. We want you to get from A to B as safely as possible, so it’s never worth loading your car on a moving day. Again, this is where packing the essentials comes into play. When you pack your essentials first, you get rid of anything you don’t want before you move, rather than waiting to throw it out once you get to your new place. Once you move, you will be heavily occupied with unpacking and settling in that you don’t want the added task of decluttering during this process.

3. Make sure you secure items

If you have any small or loose items, tie them down, put them in bags, or have your passenger hold onto them. Having loose items rattling around in your car during the journey is distracting to the driver and an annoyance at a minimum. Loose items also increase the likelihood of your interior being damaged, which could mean a new interior fitting, exterior painting and even glass repair. To prevent potential damages and repair fees, make sure your items are secured and checked before you leave the driveway.

4. Check for vision obstructions

As we previously mentioned, your safety is always paramount whilst travelling. This is why it’s important to check for obstructions before you start driving, by sitting in the driver’s seat and checking for obstructions. After you’ve packed your car and secured your items, it can be easy to forget that the surfboard secured to your roof combined with a boot full of boxes can interfere with your visibility. With some time put aside to checking your visibility, you can ensure no items are creating blind spots. Remember to check your mirrors too and ensure there are no obstructions. If you want to test it out, even go for a drive around the block first to ensure everything is in place and there are no loose items.

Whether your trip is short or long, don’t risk any damages or incidents that can make moving even more stressful than it already can be. With our checklist of how to adequately prepare for your move and how to pack, we can assure you that you’ll be able to experience a less stressful and safe move. After all, moving house is a new chapter in your life, and shouldn’t be weighed down by stress. If you do happen to damage your vehicle’s windscreen on your journey, don’t fret, any damage to your car can be mended. To receive a quote on your windscreen contact the friendly and experienced team at Novus, who offer local or mobile services to get you back on the road in no time. To learn more about everything auto, check our regularly updated blog!