If your previous removal company didn’t mention the items they had difficulty with when they moved you into your home, consider your items’ weight, fragility and size and tell your next removal company. This information helps the removal team come prepared with the adequate tools as well as allowing enough time to dismantle and remove the specific items to get you to your new home as soon as possible.

Items to consider:

• Pianos
• Sofas
• American Fridge-Freezers
• Beds
• Tall wardrobes
• Safes
• Antiques
• China/crystal/glass-ware
• Mirrors
• Paintings (especially oil paintings)
• Heavy potted plants
• Large concrete garden ornaments

The following is a step-by-step guide to packing a box of books.

Step 1: Seal the bottom of the box well: twice along the closing flaps and over the side corners to ensure the weight doesn’t fall through.

Step 2: Line the bottom of the box with paper to protect the books from the box flaps. If the books are more delicate, you can add a layer of bubble wrap.

Step 3: With the spines up, pack the books along the wall of the box, or as best you can fit them in if their shapes are not similar. Ensure the weight is evenly distributed. Scrunch up more paper to fill in the gaps.

Step 4: Place a layer of paper over the spines.

Step 5: Insert a layer of scrunched up paper. (If your box is shorter than our preferred boxes, you may only be able to accommodate one layer of books, in which case you can skip to step 8. Our boxes can accommodate 2 layers of regular-sized books.)

Step 6: Repeat step 3.

Step 7: Repeat steps 4 and 5. The scrunched up paper at the top is to close up any air gaps before sealing to ensure the box is sturdy enough to take the weight of any other boxes that may be loaded on top of it.

Step 8: Seal the box with tape over the long flaps and short sides – as you’ve done with the bottom – and label it.

For example, in the average 2-bedroom flat, we estimate that 60 boxes will be needed (excluding wardrobe boxes). Usually, 20-30 boxes will be used in the kitchen-dining room alone and the other 30 boxes will be divided amongst the remaining rooms. On average, one of our men would spend 10 hours packing the kitchen-diner and 2-3 hours with the rest of the rooms. This is due to the kitchen items being fragile and requiring more care and attention with individual wrapping, compared to the ‘easier’ items from the other rooms – such as books, DVDs and general items – which are quicker to pack owing to their standard and robust shapes. As you can see, even though both sections have the same amount of designated boxes, they differ in the amount of work required to complete them.

]]> http://www.ambermoves.com/diary/saving-money-by-self-packing/feed/ 0 http://www.ambermoves.com/diary/be-prepared/ http://www.ambermoves.com/diary/be-prepared/#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:45:29 +0000 Mr Removal Man http://www.ambermoves.com/?p=1434 Continue reading →]]> In the business of removals, we’ve found that preparation is fundamental. Phone surveys and site surveys help us put together the best plan for moving our customers from one property to another; the materials and man power are specific to each job, with additional supplies packed on to the vans – just in case – and a spare man on standby should the need arise.

Because we never know when we might be called upon to drive 200 miles out of London expecting to collect boxes of books, clothes and a filing cabinet and end up having to deliver a motorbike, 9-foot combustor and a giant stuffed turtle.

Being far from base made things a little harder for our guys. But even though the job had changed, our men were prepared with adequate materials for wrapping, protecting and securing the items inside the van for delivery back to London.

Beyond the fact that people forget how much they actually have in their homes, they don’t realise how long it takes to pack everything; how running stairs adds to the labour over time; how an American fridge freezer requires 4 men to move it even though the rest of your move may only require two men.

Moving costs are directly proportional to volume and distance. Keep those two factors low and you’ll keep the costs low.

Copyright Movember Foundation

Testicular Cancer initiative Movember by encouraging our crew men to grow their moustaches in the hope of raising funds and awareness.

We will be giving the crew man who grows the most impressive moustache a cash prize. So if you see them on the job, please compliment their facial hair and give them a cheer.

We would also like to encourage our male customers to don some top lip whiskers and we will give you a fiver off your bill and donate another fiver to the Movember charity on your behalf. As we are an equal opportunities business, we are also encouraging our lady customers. However, we will accept a comic moustache instead of a homegrown version. Please note, pictures must be taken with an Amber Moves van in the background to qualify.

Click here to read more about the Movember initiative.

As part of her initiation into the company, Amber today took part in a BNI meeting presentation. The BNI provides a structured business environment in which local business people can get together to network, learn valuable new marketing skills and develop the strong personal relationships that lead to trust. Consequently this generates significant business for it’s members, an opportunity which the Amber Moves team makes full use of. It was into this, and a room full of 30 + people, that Amber was to make her debut. In preparation for the meeting Andrew and Amber had created a song to wow; they wanted to catch everyone’s attention and make Amber Moves a memorable company, and in this they succeeded! To the tune of “La Bamba” the duo sang “Call, call Amber” with verses that let everyone know what the company did. Despite technical difficulties they were able to carry on acapella and this energetic and exciting presentation even won the morning meeting’s cup prize.

Turn the Red light on waste and go Green through Amber!

Like Father Like Daughter

Wednesday 5th September was a momentous day for Amber Moves, as it’s namesake Amber joined the team to go on a clearance survey with her Dad, owner of Amber Moves. The pair went out, donning their orange shirts and with clipboard in hands to carry out the very first father-daughter survey in Amber Moves history.

By working together we can ensure Amber Moves saves YOUR home from mediocre moving!

1. Confine them to one room while the removal men carry out their job to reduce chances of pets running to a place of safety (like the neighbour’s).
2. Familiar toys and bedding (with all its old smells) in the new home will help ease into the unfamiliar setting.
3. Give your pets plenty of attention and reassurance before, during and after the move.
4. Following a move, keep your pets indoors – our outdoors under supervision – for a week to prevent them from running back to the old home.
5. On moving day, to avoid accidents during the drive to the new home, do not feed your pets 3 hours before leaving the old property.
6. Placing your pet in a kennel or cattery for a few days while the move is carried out may be an option, as well as sedation if your vet recommends it.
7. Being territorial animals, cats and dogs may need to mark their territory at the new property. Cats may get into fights so check it regularly for wounds.
8. Stick to the routines you had in your old home to help your pets settle in easier.

Our removal men take note of items in less than perfect condition so that if damage is mentioned later, we have a better idea of where the fault lies. It would serve you well to do the same, especially when it comes to those particularly special items.

For tackling this task, you need to ask yourself:

• Do I love it? Is it beautiful? Does it make me happy?
• Do I need it? If rarely, will it be easy to replace it when I do?
• Am I holding on to it for someone else?
• Will I feel guilty if I got rid of it?

The delight of decluttering is an emotional journey. It’s about letting go of things you can do without and the freedom of starting over in a new, clutter-free home.

Today we moved a customer from Harlesden to Oxford and we started at 7am. This customer lived above some shops and starting early allowed us to vacate the area before the morning traffic set in. This meant that we caused less of a disturbance than we would have if we’d started an hour later and the trip up to Oxford was also a lot quicker.

Today we have a particularly awkward situation to deal with. We are moving a customer from a mansion block in Maida Vale that has a driveway. You’d think that this is ideal, but the other tenants will need to be able to use the driveway as well. So we will have to lock up the van and drive around the block every time someone needs to leave or enter. “Why don’t you park in the road?” you might say, but there is a bus stop and red lines all the way along the block. If we tried to find a place to park where we could leave the vans for the duration, then we would have to park two blocks away. So you see, it’s all about finding the balance between parking as close as possible, but also being aware of the neighbours and being considerate towards them.