The right way to pack your removal van

The right way to pack your removal van

If you’re moving house for the first time, you’d be mistaken to think it will be easy and that you can handle removals with ease and efficiency or any outside help. While you may decide to just go with the removal van hire option, as it constitutes cheap removals you may need some tips on how to best pack the moving van, to avoid damage to your belongings! Here is a step-by-step guide on how to best load your moving truck, for easier access when it comes to unloading and to keep all your furniture and fragile items safe during transit.

Whether you’re moving two streets away or to France, you will need to take extra special care when packing the moving van, if you want your valuables to arrive at your new home safely during the relocation! Everybody always thinks speed is best, but when loading the van you’ll need to take your time and do a good, thorough job of it. So many movers try to cram as much as they can into a moving van, to save them having to make a second journey, but sometimes less is more! By cramming everything into a tight space you risk breaking your belongings or making the van too heavy. This could be dangerous for the driver, as heavy vehicles can’t stop as fast as lighter ones or cars. Bear this in mind if you plan to get behind the wheel yourself. If you do hire a man and van for the job, the driver will keep on eye on what you’re loading up and if paid will even help with moving furniture.

A rule of thumb when packing a moving van is to load up all your larger and heaviest items at the far end of the cabin. Stow away your fridge, dishwasher and larger sofa at the back. Use a dolly-trolley for furniture removals, as you don’t want to drop anything or cause yourself a serious back injury when lifting heavy boxes! Also make sure you’ve got some extra hands to help load the truck! Once you’ve loaded up the heavier items, place other lighter things in between them, like pillows or duvets, to stop them from shifting during transit. Also cover them with plastic sheeting or blankets to avoid scratching surfaces or denting the outer bodies.

Wooden furniture is very expensive so be sure to use furniture padding to protect your shelves or dining table from indentations and scuff marks. It might be worth asking the moving company if they will provide you with padding upon delivery of the removal van. You’ll have to pay extra for this, but it will cost you less than having to fork out on a new kitchen cabinet or washing machine!

After loading up all those bulky belongings, place your mattresses and sofas along the longest wall of the van. This will save on space. Remember to protect your mattresses with coverings such as plastic sheeting. Also take particular care with upholstered items of furniture. Make sure they are well wrapped and padded! Where possible dismantle bed frames and any other bulky items. This will save you a huge amount of space in the van. This is often what moving services do. Protect other fragile items like floor lights by wrapping them up in carpets. Carpets should always be place don the floor of the van and never on top. They way a tonne and if placed on top of other items, might make moving furniture off the van a challenge! Stack boxes one on top of the other, with the heaviest on the bottom.