Move Your House Easy Ways

Planning, organising, and pre-packing help you move into a new home with ease

Moving house can be a bittersweet experience. If done with a little planning and packing, it can remove the stress involved in the process, and can make settling into your new home a pleasure.

Moving out


Once you have fixed the date that your packers are coming, think of all the things that have to get done - a trip to the bank to deposit your valuables, keeping your important documents (passport, cheque books, and house deed) in one place, trying to inform various service providers about your new address. Remember that you can physically move in a day but mentally it takes a while to disconnect with your old routine, and get used to a new habitat. So, take time to prepare yourself.

While moving into a new home, it is a huge task to do all the packing neatly and in an organised manner.

As you move


On the day of moving, keep a couple of marker pens handy, and wait for the packers to arrive. Try to keep a track of what they're throwing inside each carton. Make sure they go about each room and drawer in a co-ordinated manner so you know that which cartons emerged from which section of your home. Label the cartons with specifications, for instance, a carton with your books can be labelled 'books' or more specifically, 'books from showcase'. If any of the furniture has to be dismantled, let the packers know so that they appropriately dismantle the pieces, marking them as A, B, C or D and can put it back together just as easily.

Moving in


When you have numbered your cartons and captioned them with what's inside, it's easier to unload them in the right room, and then later, into the right space or cupboard. Supervise the unloading of all your packets, cartons, and consumer durables, and count them once done before you go indoors. Test your house locks, especially of the main entrance and the balcony doors, and see that everything works.

Seeing those cartons can frustrate you for a while, as you will want to clear up everything in a day or two days, but it usually takes one week to clear up most of the items in the cartons. First, reassemble the furniture pieces that need to be put together. Then, your husband's and children's wardrobe and clothes get set into place, and then the bed linen. Don't unpack all your child's toys. Leave it to be opened when the need arises. Then, of course, setting up the kitchen, the hub of all action, comes next.

Discard old and unused items that you may have inadvertently brought along to reduce clutter. Organise the spices, the cutlery and the crockery in convenient shelves or cabinets. Get your drapes and rugs out, and finally, set up your bedroom.