Preparation Tips

We know that moving can be a massive undertaking and you’ll have a to do list to help keep things in perspective, work your way through this page step-by-step. When you get to the end, you’ll be fully equipped to tackle even the most unexpected on moving day.

Ask yourself these questions before you do anything else:

Do I have enough boxes?
How will I protect my breakables?
Which items of furniture can be dissembled? How long will it take?
Will the large items fit in my new place? And will they fit through doorways and down hallways?
Do I have the manpower?

Mirrors & Glass

From time to time we get jobs where a large mirror, glass framed picture, mirrored wardrobe or glass top table needs moving. It’s very important that you make sure these items are safely wrapped up in protective bubble wrap, the more the better. However tightly we pack things in the van, they will still move around slightly, especially if there are any potholes in the road. This increases the risk that valuable and delicate items will end up chipped, cracked or completely smashed.

Please remember that it is your duty to ensure that any fragile items such as the above are properly protected. If you don’t do this and they end up damaged in transit then you only have yourself to blame.

Dismantling Furniture

If you have any furniture or units, etc that can be dismantled then try to do it before our removal team arrives. This will save you time and money. We can do this for you and even reassemble them in your new home (Optional Extra that is previously arranged) – but it takes time and costs money. If you do it yourself it’ll help reduce your final bill.

Thanks to the invention of flat pack designs, many common household furniture pieces can be easily taken apart, transported and reassembled by even the most reluctant of DIY enthusiasts. It may seem like an arduous task, but by taking apart wardrobes, beds, bookcases, tables and other large items of furniture you help to make loading the van much easier.

Help From Volunteers

We get a lot of bookings for just 1 man and a van. We’re told extra people will be available at the pickup and drop off to help with the lifting and packing. We’re absolutely fine with this, but removal work isn’t as straightforward it might look. Yes, your volunteers may give you a helping hand in exchange for a few beers or a favoured owed in future, but in our experience untrained helpers can do more harm than good, damaging goods by packing or carrying them incorrectly, chipping paintwork and not to mention causing injuries to themselves.

Getting large items round corners requires strength and skill, so make sure your volunteer helpers are strong, fit and know what they’re doing.

Inexperienced helpers can be more of a hindrance than a help; items can get damaged and the whole job ends up taking much longer than it would have done had the client booked one of our two or three man teams. Experience counts and our people are strong, fit and experienced. Getting the right people in saves time and can actually save money.

Part House Moves

If only certain items are being moved from a house, make sure that everything that needs to be moved is ready and someone is around to supervise the loading. If you don’t do this, then there’s a real danger of confusion, with the wrong items taken and/or left behind. Our staff are skilled, but they’re not psychic, it’s your responsibility to make sure we collect the right things.

Protecting Your Floors

An excess of foot traffic, heavy objects and dirt being tracked in from repeated trips outside – particularly if the fickle SA weather decides to add the added problem of rain to moving day – can all lead to dirty, damaged floors. It’s not practical for you to take shoes on and off so it’s a good idea to put down newspaper, cardboard or old sheets to protect your floors and carpets. This will also protect them from sharp edges and splinters which can scratch floors and snag carpets.

For carpeted areas, floor protection is particularly important. The last thing you want to do after a busy day of moving is spend all evening scrubbing marks from carpets after all.

You can buy floor protection online and in some DIY stores and it is usually quick and easy to apply. Specialist carpet protection is not expensive and is designed not to be a trip hazard and easy to remove. It will keep carpets free of dirt and debris. Floor protection can also be purchased for wooden and hard floors and will lighten the load on moving day

Make sure you Measure Up

Again, it seems like a simple request but we like to make sure we’ve got all the bases covered. We’ve been in this business for a long time and it is astonishing the number of times we’ve moved people into new homes only to discover that a large item such as a sofa won’t actually fit into their new home.

It is vital that you measure up beforehand and make sure that furniture will be able to fit in your new place. This doesn’t just apply to the main rooms of the new home, such as whether the table is too big for the dining room, but whether the item in question is too wide to be manoeuvred through the hallways and doors.