Tue 15 Jun 2010
Relocating? Develop a Moving House Checklist
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Organising a moving house checklist is the first thing you should undertake to keep track of the many tasks essential to a well organised move. The actual moving process should begin a few days prior to moving day and these tips will help you develop all the last minute tasks necessary for a successful move. These tips cover areas such as what you should do in the days prior to packing, what you should do the night before your local, international or interstate removalists arrive and the things that you should not do.
Before packing your belongings:
- Defrost your refrigerator and freezer and drain the water hoses. The doors should be left open for a couple of days prior to packing so that any remaining moisture is released that might still be in the appliance.
- Gas cylinders must be purged professionally before being moved.
- Make sure you do not have any library books or stray videos from your local video store. If you are moving interstate or internationally, this might cost some money later on. Don’t forget to check your DVD/VCR players and game consols.
- Important items such as keys, passports and travel documents should be put in a safe place so that they are not accidently packed.
- What are you going to do with the children on packing day?. With all the things you have to do and the many removalists in your home, it would be very helpful not to have to worry about the kids. Arrange for a relative or someone else to look after your kids on packing day.
- Make sure that you understand all the quarantine requirements of your destination. To be safe however, wash items that might need quarantine such as BBQ’s, garden tools, mowers, golf equipment and bicycles.
- If you are transporting your PC and printer, lock down your hard disk if necessary, but also remove all the ink cartridges from your printer.
- Dangerous goods cannot be stored or transported. For example ammunition, cans of paint, gas cylinders (unless empty), bleach products, linseed oil, kerosene, petrol, cleaning fluid, aerosols, vegetable oils, batteries, charcoal, matches and lighters are all prohibited items.
A few don’ts
- Don’t forget to keep a list of high value items such as antiques or paintings for packaging and transit protection insurance.
- Don’t put breakable items in drawers
- Don’t put items of liquid in drawers that could move around such as sauce bottles and perfume.
- Don’t put too many items in drawers and overload the furniture.
- Don’t store perishable foods such as cereals, flour.
- Don’t polish furniture before packing – a newly polished surface can cause furniture to condensate when wrapped
- Don’t store or transport jewelry, money, legal documents, passport, taxation papers, insurance policies and other high value/irreplaceable items. Take them with you and keep them close at hand.
- Don’t forget to check your home for any belongings the crew may have left behind. Do this before they lock the doors of your van or container and leave.
The night before:
- Try and turn off all air conditioners and use them only if necessary during the packing. Furniture kept in a constantly cooled climate may condensate when suddenly exposed to hot air. Allowing your furniture to adapt to the hot air can be helpful in eliminating moisture problem during transit.
- Pack your suitcases and move them (with other valuables) to a safe place such as a neighbour’s home. This will prevent them from being accidently packed.
- Put your personal telephone and address book with your carryon luggage if flying. You may want to get in touch with people quickly on arrival.
- Dispose of all flammables, dangerous and hazardous materials – throw away or give away bottles of nail polish and liquids in glass bottles
- Place keys to your house and car in a safe location
Remember: Being organised and having a good plan as well as a having a moving house checklist that has all the jobs that you need to finish will ensure that not only is your move successful, but it will be as stress free and as hassle free as possible.