How it works

Changing apartment is among the most ordinary situations we can come across in our life. And despite the fact we change the place we live in averagely a few times before settling for good, removals are still some of the most nerve-wracking situations that can happen to us. Just working out the logistics of shipping everything you have between houses is an enormous job and when you add securing your belongings for transportation, unpacking as well as selecting the right hauler to assist you with the move, it seems really huge and very nerve-wracking. Luckily there are couple of things you can do to make the move as simple as can be and significantly less stressful.

Packing as well as securing your items for the time of the removal

The most important thing you need to remember while packing is that you should create a clear plan that you’ll have to stick to during the move. It is smart to create an inventory of all the things you need to transport. Such a list can not only help you pack but also will allow you to make sure that all your belongings were successfully shipped to its place of destination. Removal entails shipping a great deal of various items, including a big amount of little things that are easily misplaced under the pressure of time – an inventory will ensure that you will remember to check if they all arrived to the place of destination safely. Another important step is labelling all the cardboards as precisely as you are able to. One of the more common ways of labelling cardboards is by the room name. For example all the kitchen supplies and appliances go into boxes labelled ‘kitchen’, all the pillows and blankets in the cardboards tagged ‘bedroom’ etc. You’ll quickly find out how much time labelling can save once you start the unpacking. Don’t forget to tag both sides and the top of the box, so that you (and the hauler) can be sure which cardboard goes where, no matter how they will be stacked inside the shipping car.

Take special care with delicate items. Enclose them in thick layers of fabric and bubble foil as well as label them in an easily visible place (including a “This way up” label). You also need to make sure that the hauler is aware that he’ll be shipping delicate goods as well as which cardboards requires handling with caution.

When you are shipping furniture, it’s important to empty them prior to the removal as well as transport everything that was inside separately. Any unattached items in closets or drawers can harm your furniture during transportation. Additionally it is smart to close all the furniture doors as well as drawers using tape so that they won’t open during shipment. You can use regular Scotch tape to do that. There is also a matter of putting the furniture into the transporting vehicle. Before attempting to move your furniture from the apartment, be certain that they will fit via front doors, stairways or into the elevator (if your old apartment has one). If so, you can move them without dismantling (find at least one person to help you!). If they cannot, disassembling them is the only way to transport them without harm. Be careful with dismantling – make sure you have all the nails and screws gathered like in a Ziploc bag as well as that you’ve secured all the elements of the furniture sufficiently. Disassembling furniture is also a good idea whenever you need to use the shipping car to the maximum, as dismantled furniture will be much easier to stack efficiently.  

When securing smaller items, such as books, kitchen appliances, cosmetics and so on, cardboards will be the smartest choice. It’s very possible that you will need more boxes than you have – but there is a few methods to get some more. Firstly you may acquire new cardboards in all home-improvement and construction stores. However since you’ll probably require lots of cardboards, you may decide upon a more affordable way. Try visiting nearby shops and ask if they have any cardboards they no longer need. Shops usually have a lot of unnecessary cardboards and most of the time they are willing to give them away. 

Another options, instead of boxes will be using bags, particularly for transporting clothes and little stuff. There is a much bigger chance that you will find the bags at home. As stated above, bags will be a decent choice for storing textiles, magazines as well as small items, but unfortunately they have a couple of disadvantages. Bags are much more flimsy than boxes as well as susceptible to tearing, if you decide to use them for shipping items with hard corners (like books, stationery etc.). Moreover – placing bags on top of each other is much more difficult than stacking cardboards the same way.

One of the most difficult loads to transport are houseplants. It is usually smartest to move them personally, however if something prevents you from doing that, make sure that the transport provider knows what he is going to transport. A day before the shipment water the plants thoroughly and let them sit. It’s important that the plants have enough water to suffer through the transportation, but also to allow them to take in what they can before putting the plants in a cardboard (you need to get rid of the extra water from the saucer, to make sure it won’t soak through the cardboard).

Searching for the right transport provider

Of course, besides properly securing your items for the removal, it is also crucial to find a suitable hauler. What aspects of transportation should you consider when making your decision? Price, obviously, is of importance, especially on lengthy, international routes, however it’s just one of the things to consider. Whenever shipping everything you have you should firstly take into consideration if your cargo will be safe when given to the hauler. Whenever listing your delivery on a transport marketplace, like Clicktrans, you not only can ask prospective transport providers every question you need answered before deciding upon a transport provider but also you may read feedback given by former customers on each transport provider’s profile page. Nothing is more believable than feedback left by someone who’s already hired the transport provider you are considering.  

The cost of removal

Price of removal is pretty difficult to asses, because it changes, sometimes drastically because of the weight and dimensions of the cargo or the route length. If you are transporting many fragile items, the cost is likely to go up. The same goes for removals between countries – routes within one country are frequently more economical than moving your items into another country.