4 ways to make home moving easier during the Covid-19 pandemic

It’s now been almost a full year since the first national lockdown was implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and for the vast majority of us, life has never been the same ever since. While hopefully we’ll be seeing a return to normal sometime this year, countless sectors are still feeling the sting - especially the property market, and anyone hoping to move house.

Moving house is one of the biggest reasons that many private customers choose us for daily van hire, and while it’s still legal under the current lockdown restrictions, the virus still makes it a heck of a lot more difficult. Over around 50 years in business we’ve picked up one or two useful tips and tricks here at Intack Self Drive, so here are our 4 top tips to help make moving home safer and easier during the pandemic.

Plan well in advance and take extra care to communicate

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges associated with the virus (besides the obvious health risk it poses) is that it’s putting everything into a constant state of flux. Government policies and laws have to constantly shift to keep up, and people’s personal circumstances are frequently being thrown into disarray by the sudden need to shield or self isolate.

This means that when it comes to something as big as moving house, communication has never been more important. If you’re drafting in friends or family members to help you, or planning on employing any professional services for your moving day, it’s worth laying out your plans and schedules very carefully in advance, making sure that everyone is able to stay socially distanced on the day, and with contingencies if somebody can’t make it, or has to cancel at short notice. It’s also a good idea to check back in with everyone one last time before the day, so that you’re prepared to deal with any last-minute changes.

Clean your belongings thoroughly, and avoid black bin bags

We know it’s a chore, but it’s a good idea to pick out the specific items that members of your household will be carrying, and separate them from the items that other people may be handling. For the latter group, take care to clean them as thoroughly as you can to minimise the risk of transmission, and be sure to take hand sanitiser with you on the day for people to use.

Try and avoid using black bin bags for your possessions, as people tend to assume that they’re only used for rubbish, and you don’t want any of your precious belongings accidentally ending up in a skip somewhere. Everyone has become exceptionally wary of germs in the past year, so they might be even twitchier with this sort of stuff than usual! Instead, try and ensure that everything you want to keep is in proper boxes or containers - and if you do have to resort to bags, make sure they’re properly and prominently labelled.

Use the containers you have, and pack precious goods in suitcases

Buying cardboard boxes for moving day can end up being surprisingly expensive, not to mention more difficult with so many businesses being closed to the public. This is a good time to get creative with your belongings - if something’s hollow and reasonably solid, put it to good use as a container for something smaller if you can. You might be surprised by how much space you’re able to save this way! Travel suitcases are ideal for particularly delicate items, as they’re both robust and easy to move. Whenever you do end up using cardboard boxes, make sure to reinforce the bottom of them with masking tape, to avoid that nightmare scenario when the bottom of them gives way.

Make good use of vacuum storage bags

Vacuum storage bags are one of those immensely handy things that lots of people tend to overlook when moving house, but they’re worth their weight in gold for moving things like sofa cushions, duvets and bedding, because they’re capable of reducing them to less than half the size. That means that your delicate comfy stuff is completely protected from getting damp or dusty while it’s in transit. Plus, since plastic is a notoriously poor breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, it’s particularly reassuring for anyone else outside your household who might be handling them too.

So that’s our best advice for making things easier on the day - and if you’re looking for the best prices on reliable transport to get the job done, you’re in exactly the right place. Here at Intack Self Drive we offer the best price on daily van hire and minibus hire, so you can always rely on us to get you from A to B, however much stuff or however many people you’ve got to move

And if you’re looking for vans on a slightly more long term basis, our Flexi Hire service guarantees you the very best prices on longer term hires. If you’ve got any questions or need anything clarified, our friendly team is only a phone call away - feel free to give us a ring on 01254 57811!