10 tips for a stress-free house move in the winter

Moving House in Winter

We’ve experienced some inclement weather this winter with the promise of more to come, so if you’re thinking of moving in the near future, here are our top 10 tips for making sure the move goes smoothly and you’re able to settle into your new home warm and cozy!

1. Allow more time

Plan for possible travel delays. Snow and ice, whilst not necessarily bad enough to cause major problems, can make travel, for yourselves and your removal van, a little bit slower than usual.  Also remember that the days are shorter, particularly if you’ve moving around Christmas, so try to plan as much into the middle of the day as possible so you’re not doing too much work in the dark.

2. Dress well

Like any big occasion, you want to dress appropriately. When moving, you want to wear clothes that are comfortable and will let you move around easily. Layers are a good idea to cope with changes of temperature between house / car /outside etc and, if you’re doing any of the moving yourselves, you might get a little warm! Footwear should also be comfortable, with anti-slip soles if possible.

3. Keep some essentials to hand

It’s always a good idea to have some essentials to hand, which don’t get packed along with everything else, so you can make a drink and a snack as you’re preparing to move out of your new property – you need to take a quick refreshment break every now and then! Then make sure that your “essentials” box is available when you reach your new property, so you can make use of it there straight away – you might want to take it with you in your car, see the next tip below.

4. Moving far? Pack a picnic and keep warm

For longer distance moves, we recommend travelling with some cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks, in case you don’t have time for a proper stop along the journey.

In winter, we’d definitely add a flask of coffee or soup to the list, along with some warm clothing and footwear and a blanket for emergencies. That’s just general advice for travelling in winter weather really, but all the more important when you’re moving house – you need to keep your energy levels up and make sure you can keep warm should you experience problems on route.

5. Check your car

Again this is standard advice for travelling in winter, but something people tend to forget when they’re moving home. Make sure your car has had its winter checks, has plenty of fuel, you have some de-icer and an ice-scraper and your windscreen wash is topped up. A snow shovel is a good idea if there’s any risk of snow.

6. Get the heating on

Make sure that you’ve arranged to take over the power supplies in your new home. Then, if possible, speak to the previous owners of your new home and arrange for them to leave the heating on low when they leave, particularly if they’re moving out a day or two before you move in, or if your new home is a long way away so the house might be empty for several hours. Your vendors will want to do a meter reading before they leave of course, but they should do that anyway.

7. Protect your furniture and belongings

We always recommend wrapping furniture and possessions to protect them, but in wet weather, this is even more important. Invest in some protective wrapping – or better still, use a reputable removals company like Ballards, who can take care of it all for you. We always recommend using proper removals boxes and we will supply these when providing a full removals service, or you can buy them for a “do-it-yourself” move.

8. Protect your floors

For safety reasons, you’ll want to clear any snow or ice at both ends of the move. Then you might want to put salt or grit down to prevent re-freezing, but that can create a different problem…walking salt and grit into your house can dirty or damage your new carpets and other flooring. We recommend putting down sheets and blankets to protect your floors – and don’t forget the stairs, as there’s likely to be a lot of traffic up and down. Be careful about safety though and don’t create slippy or uneven surfaces if you can avoid it.  Removals specialists like Ballards can include floor protection as part of their removals service – that’s one more stress taken care of!

9. Think about the children

If you have friends or relatives who can look after your children whilst you move, that would probably be ideal, but it’s not always practical. Children get bored easily of course and will  feel the cold if they’re not running around, so keep them warm and entertained with things to play with and perhaps small jobs to do like “search the toy box for the blue teddy”! It goes without saying that children’s toys should be unpacked quite early in the process, so make sure you know where they are.

10. Get professional house moving help

Our final tip – working with removals professional like Ballards can make life so much easier on the day, as we’ll take care of the little details for you, whatever the weather. With our help, you’ll get moved more quickly too, so you’ll soon be able to start settling in and enjoying your new home.

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