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Top Tips for Organising a Small Move

Packaging Supplies Norfolk - Hamiltons Removals' packing supplies

One of the fastest-growing sections of the removals market has been the growing trend for small moves. Hamiltons Removal provide a range of packaging supplies from our base in south Norfolk that are suitable for all types of moves – be they commercial, domestic, large or small. Here we look at what constitutes a small move, and our top tips for ensuring it all goes smoothly.

What is a Small Move?

A small move can refer to the distance moved. Sometimes removals companies specify a certain radius or mileage between the two addresses. Sometimes the ‘small’ aspect means you are only moving some of your items or staff – remember this can include commercial as well as household moves.

For students, it may mean moving to a new room or dorm at college or university. In the wider world, it may mean moving to a smaller property such as a flat, apartment, or bedsit, where a lot of the larger items may already be in place.

It may also mean a partial move with some items to be moved later – particularly if there’s no time pressure to complete (such as a first-time buyer who still has somewhere to live in the interim, such as their parents’ home).

Top Tips

Thereare some key pieces of advice that are just as true for small moves as they are for large ones. Firstly it is important to make sure that everything is clearly labelled. By keeping a separate inventory you will always know where everything is and what you still need to do/move. Packing as far in advance as possible will also greatly reduce stress and make it much more likely that when the day of the move comes, it will go smoothly.

Even if the distances travelled and the amount being moved are small, give yourself plenty of time to make the trip between the two addresses. Some things like bad weather or roadworks can eat into your journey time and add extra pressure if you are already running late or your time is limited.

Another important aspect is to get familiar with the moving vehicle you are driving (if you are doing it yourself). You don’t want to damage your prized possessions if you aren’t familiar with the steering and the brakes.

Always make sure you have some essentials to hand (food, drink, teabags and a kettle), and be sure you know where any necessary paperwork is. In the same way, pack an overnight bag as if you were going to a hotel – that way getting ready for bed at the end of the day won’t involve lots of unpacking of suitcases.

There are still plenty of advantages in employing a professional moving company like Hamiltons Removals for a small move.  For example, we have professional packers who may be able to help with large, heavy or fragile items, minimising the chances of breakages. At the same time, we also offer extra services like insurance.

Packaging Supplies from Norfolk Moving Company Hamiltons Removals

As part of our services to customers who want to organise some or all of their domestic or commercial moves. You can now order a competitively priced small moving kit and declutter kit from our online shop. This contains 10 medium boxes, five large boxes, two rolls of tape, one pack of 5kg wrapping paper, 20 metres of bubblewrap, two marker pens and three inventory sheets.

If you order it today before 1pm then you will get it delivered the next day. If it’s ordered after 1pm on a Friday will be despatched the following Monday for Tuesday delivery. We also offer medium and large moving and declutter kits, and you can order further packaging materials from our online shop too. If you would like to know more, you can also call us on 01379 855203.


Five Top Tips for a Successful Decluttering

Packing Materials Norfolk - A woman organising clothes to declutter their home

There are lots of benefits to having a ‘stock take’ of your home. There’s less to clean, less to tidy up, it creates more living space, and it’s good practice if you are considering a move in the near future.

Hamiltons Removals supply high-quality, competitively priced packing materials from our base on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Here are our top tips for a successful decluttering, even if you aren’t going to move house soon.  

Have a Routine

You don’t need to get rid of everything in one go. Do it room by room, and even then, accept that you may not be able to do the whole room in a day. Setting aside a certain number of minutes each day for decluttering will help you greatly in this regard.

If you have children, get them involved as well, and not just if it’s their bedroom that needs clearing out. You will make them feel part of the process, and they may even enjoy it!

Put Your Possessions into Categories

One way of making progress is to create categories for your items. One of these should be marked ‘dustbin’, another ‘give away’, another ‘donate’, another ‘keep’, and lastly ‘relocate’.

So the first one takes care of all the items that are destined for the rubbish bin, and will be of no use to anyone. Give away can be clothes which no longer fit you, or are of no use to you whatsoever (these can be sold as well as given away to charity shops, friends or family). Relocate can mean putting away somewhere else in the house (even if it’s just putting a pair of socks in the right drawer). And, keep are those items which you still use or can’t bear to part with.

Do all the Rooms

You might think that the main living spaces (such as the lounge) are the only rooms you have to worry about – wrong! The bathroom may be full of out-of-date beauty products and medicines. Similarly, the kitchen may be full of ingredients that are past their best before date.

Again, get the children involved – it is the summer holidays after all. There may also be financial benefit for them if they can sell on old toys that they don’t use any more.

Be Prepared to be Brutal

There may be some things you want to keep because of their sentimental value (such as clothing you wore on a first date, a favourite toy from your childhood). However, these may not fit you any longer and may be full of holes – so is it really worth keeping them for that reason? If it doesn’t serve any useful purpose, get rid of it, or give it to someone else who’ll be able to make more use out of it.

One way of working out which items you use regularly is to only hang the clothes you use the correct way – anything you don’t wear should be put back-to-front. Give yourself six months and see what your wardrobe looks like,  then get rid of all of those items not hanging the right way round.

A similar approach can be used with other items too. For example, put all your kitchen utensils in a big box, then only put them into the right drawer once you have used them. Again, give yourself a time limit, and anything left in the box after six months can be discarded.

Buy Quality Packing Materials

Wherever your unwanted ‘stuff’ is going to end up, make sure you know what it is – so put it in a clearly marked container. Even if it’s only going to be in there for a short period of time, you don’t want it to get damaged.

Hamiltons Removals have a range of declutter kits in different sizes – small, medium, and large. All the boxes are extra strong and double walled, so there shouldn’t be any risk of items falling out or being damaged in storage or transit. Tape, marker pens and inventory sheets are all included in the price. The bubble-wrap is also easi-tear for simpler packing.

These packing materials, which are put together at our Harleston base on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, can all be ordered at our online shop.

Safe Storage from Hamiltons Removals

If, after all that, you still haven’t decided what to do with some of your decluttered items, why not put them into self storage until you reach a decision?

Hamiltons Removals have two safe storage sites near Diss, at Harleston (rooms for smaller items) and Aldeby (units for bigger items) on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.  Both of these sites are protected by CCTV, and your items will be securely locked. If you would like to know more about our self storage services, click here or call us on 01379 855203.