Moving day can be stressful enough, but a bit of forethought can go a long way.

For example, many people take the opportunity to clear any unwanted junk out of their homes and lives. Charity shops, car boot sales, and friends can be grateful recipients of some items, and hiring a small skip for a couple of weeks can be liberating!

Our advice would be to have a clear-out early in the process – ideally before you even put your property on the market. An uncluttered house with tidy cupboards and a clear garage all improve the presentation of your home tremendously, thereby increasing its saleability and possibly its price.

The reduced volume should also bring down your removal costs. You can bring these down further by considering if there are any bulky pieces of furniture that you are thinking of having restored. For example, your current sofa might not look right in your next home unless it is recovered. So, if you are moving locally, why not ask the upholsterer to collect the sofa a couple of weeks before moving day and deliver it, re-upholstered, to your new address?

Do make sure that you plan where larger items are going in advance. It is easy for the removers to put something like a piano in the right room, but difficult for you to move it elsewhere after they have left. As well as making sure that a piece fits in a certain place, do also find out if the access to that place is easy enough.

Finally, direct the removers to pack things you will need on the day such as children’s beds, kitchen and bathroom accessories, clothes, food and work-related items last so they will be the first things to be unloaded at the other end.

Remember - planning is as important to a stress-free move as regular cups of tea during removal day itself.