furniture removal - house moving

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MOVING

  • BOOK IN ADVANCE - Some days (especially Friday, Saturday and Sundays) are more popular than others and are often fully booked. Dont get left without a moving company. even if you havent confirmed the new address, we can still pre-confirm your booking if you know the date and the area/town/region you will be moving to.

  • GET RID OF UNWANTED BULK - The less you have, the quicker the move and the cheaper it will be! Sometimes it can be cheaper to sell some furniture before you move, then use that money to buy something new once you're settled. This is an especially good idea if you're moving long-distance, that way you don't have to pay someone to move it! Owens Moving Co. may also be able to help you get rid of old furniture, please contact us.

  • LABEL YOUR BOXES - This will help our moving crew identify where to put things when we get to the new place. You don't have to write what is in each box, just Identifying boxes by room can be a huge help. Avoid labelling boxes as "miscellaneous" or "misc." You can also buy cheap colored stickers and color code the rooms by placing one sticker on the door handle of each room of the new house, so any box with a sticker can be matched to the room easily.

  • EMPTY HEAVY FURNITURE - We encourage customers to empty the refrigerator and de-ice the freezer before moving, this will prevent ice melting and spilling things across your carpet, through our truck and possibly soaking into your other belongings. Heavy furniture like drawers and cabinets can be moved much easier and safer if they are empty. Clothing can be left in drawers but please remove heavy or valuable items and pack them separately, some furniture has been known to fall apart if moved with heavy items.

  • PREPARE A MOVING DAY KIT - Having a kit with everything you will need on moving day in one place can take a lot of stress out of your move. Your kit should contain cleaning products, light bulbs, toilet paper, a change of clothes, cell phone charger, a few snacks, tea and coffee etc. Unpacking goes a lot better when you've had a cuppa!

  • BE ORGANISED - The time it takes to move can vary greatly depending on how organized you are, it's much quicker and easier to shift a dozen boxes compared to 30 loose items. Start packing well in advance, if you are going to run out of time before your move, get in touch with a local cleaning company and ask if they can help you pack to help save some of the stress

  • CONNECT UTILITIES - Arrange to have Power/gas/phone/internet connected in advance, not all services (especially internet) can be connected on short notice.

  • TREAT YOUR MOVERS - And no, I don't mean us (although we would of course appreciate it!) If you get friends or family to help you move, shout them lunch or dinner on the day, provide something to drink and offer to cover their petrol. Some people consider these 3 things customary and might even be upset if you neglect to thank them appropriately.

  • ALLOW TIME FOR CLEANING - A lot of people forget to calculate time for cleaning the old place, this can be very important if you are renting and need your bond back. Ideally plan to go back the next day to do a good clean, vacuum and grab the last few things you might have missed on moving day. Doing it all on the same day could add to stress, especially if things take longer than expected or something gets delayed, as can often be the case.

  • PACK BREAKABLES CAREFULLY - Be sure to pack your breakables carefully, if you run out of bubble-wrap and scrunched up newspaper, clothing can make good packaging material.

  • WATCH THE WEIGHT - Avoid packing heavy items into large boxes, heavier things like books and plates should ideally be packed into medium or smaller boxes. Not only will this make it easier to move, but will make boxes less likely to bottom out.

  • TAKE PHOTOS - Take plenty of pictures of your new place before you move in and of your old place after you've moved out and finished cleaning, it seems so simple but a lot of people forget to do this and can end up having trouble getting their bond back.

  • REDIRECT YOUR MAIL - Dont forget to update your postal address. NZ Post will handle your redirections for you for a small fee, it is cheaper if you do it online and as of writing this they will even do it for senior citizens FREE for 2 months! It's still a good idea to leave a forwarding address at the old house in case some mail comes through after the redirection expires. Also note, not all couriers have access to NZ Posts redirection service.

  • HIRE A SITTER - Getting someone to watch your kids and/or pets on moving day is a great idea and one less thing to worry about. Young children (as helpful as they try to be) often just get in the way and add to the frustrations of an already stessful day so why not just send them on a play-date?