Using a Professional Packing Service

As someone who has moved home both internationally and locally over 6 times in the past 6 years, I think I’m somewhat of an authority when it comes to information on packing up your belongings. Yes, I have done it on my own (with the help of family and friends), and I always used to think this was the best way to go about it.

Why? I hear you ask. I thought packing my own items gave me more control over where things were and how well they were packed. However, when I think back to the amount of boxes I had when I first moved, and look at what I have now, it’s apparent that items have gone missing, or have been broken over the years.

It doesn’t matter how carefully you pack things, they will, at some point be in the hands of a professional moving team. If you don’t use a professional packing service, ensuring your items are safe inside the boxes during transit is pretty much down to you.

These days if I’m moving (and I hope this doesn’t happen again for a while), I always enquire about a professional packing service when negotiating with a removal company. The reason for this is that any company that offers this type of service will insure your items from the minute they’re being packed to the minute they arrive at your new home.

They only employ professionals who know about “all things packing”, and they use materials that will protect your items when they’re on the move. For example, I had many framed pictures when I first moved, and the amount of times I’ve had to replace the glass when I reach my new destination doesn’t bare thinking about.

If you use a team of professionals to do this for you, they will use specialist boxes to pack fragile or unusual items that require something other than a bit of bubble wrap and packing tape. Companies that offer a packing service will also help keep you organised. Their teams will label boxes correctly, and make an inventory as they go.

Just think of the amount of time and energy this will save you, especially when you have a large amount to pack. It may sound a bit mad, but the biggest pain for me is packing clothes. I started out by piling them up in cardboard boxes. This brought with it an issue I could do without. There is nothing worse than arriving to a new home and being faced with an entire wardrobes’ worth of ironing!

Companies that offer a professional packing service use special boxes to pack clothes so they hang just like they do in the wardrobe, (yet another time saver). Of course, using a service like this will cost that bit extra, but if I’m honest and add up how much money I’ve wasted because I’ve had to replace lost or broken items, using a service like this would probably have saved me money in the long-run.

My advice to anyone who’s moving, whether it’s down the road or to another country, is to use a professional packing service. If you think a service like this will suit your needs when moving, why not take a look at http://www.theroadahead.co.uk/getaquote.aspx where there are plenty of experienced removal companies waiting to help.

What Should Be Top of Your Home Removal To Do List?

As everyone knows, moving home is one of the biggest challenges you can face in life. In fact, you only have to do a quick search on the internet to know that many people believe it’s one of the most stressful things you can do!

However, since you’re reading this because you’re about to embark upon a move, there isn’t much you can do to stop it now.

After all, you’ve made this decision for a reason. So, what should be top of your “to do” list? Perhaps packing springs to mind, or making sure you have all the dates correctly entered on your calendar so you know what’s happening when?

Whilst these two points are incredibly important, the one thing you should make sure you have in place is a removals company to help you. I put this top of the list because there is nothing worse than being surrounded by well packed, (and well labelled boxes) only to find that you’re rushing around trying to find a reputable company to help you without breaking the bank.

So, the first piece of advice I will offer you is the minute you have an idea of how much you need to move, the next step is to find a removal firm that can do the job but how? See below!

The Traditional Methods

You could ask family and friends if they know of a good company. After all, word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool and people will be more than willing to tell you who to avoid rather than who you should use. Think of this as a way of discounting various firms that don’t have a good reputation.

The other thing you could do is to turn to a business directory. However, this will involve the need to make a lot of phone calls because ads like this don’t tell you much beyond name, contact details and perhaps the services on offer.

The Internet

Of course, this will be the first port of call for a lot of you. These days, business directories like the yellow pages are online so you can easily type in what type of company you’re looking for and in what location. But, although you might find a few websites that give you more information you still have to do all the hard work. 

One of the very best ways to go about finding a removal company (and it doesn’t matter if you’re just moving to a town a few miles away or planning a move abroad), is to list your requirements on a site that will automatically put you in-touch with removal companies who are likely to be interested in helping you out.

There are several reasons why this is one of the best methods:

• You only have to enter the type of service you’re looking for, where you’re moving to and from and how much space you require once!
• The hard work in terms of “vetting” is done for you. This means you will only be contacted by removal companies who can deliver what they promise.
• There is no need to make a load of phone calls. In fact, all you need to do is keep an eye on your inbox for emails either asking questions or offering a price.

These are just a few of the positives to signing up with an online marketplace for removal companies and if you’re interested in reducing the amount of stress you’re experiencing, taking a look at The RoadAhead to find out more might just be the answer!