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Everything you own is about to be picked up, carried, loaded, driven, unloaded and carried again. Anything you already know you do not want is going to be handled twice and paid for once, on the clock, at hourly rates. Getting rid of it first is the one bit of preparation with an obvious return.
Start with the storage spaces
Loft, garage, shed, under the stairs. That is where the volume is, and it is almost always where the things you have not touched in ten years are. It is also the part people leave until last, which is the wrong way round because it is the part that takes longest.
Do these before you start packing the rooms you actually live in. You will find out quickly how much is genuinely coming with you.
A test that works
Would you buy it again today at what it would cost? If not, it is probably not worth paying to move it.
Does it fit the new place? Big furniture that suited a large room often does not work in a cottage, and finding that out on the day is expensive.
Is it broken, and has it been broken for a while? You were never going to fix it.
Sentimental things are exempt from all of the above. Keep them and stop feeling bad about it.
Sell, donate, then clear
Anything with real value is worth selling, but be honest about the time. Listing furniture and waiting for a collection in the last fortnight before a move is a job you will regret taking on. If you are inside a month, donating is usually the better trade.
Charity shops around Bath may take clean, usable furniture and household goods, though upholstered furniture generally needs its fire safety label intact. Ring first and ask what they are accepting, because available space changes week to week.
Then clear the rest in one go
What is left is the pile that nobody wants. Rather than paying to move it, book a clearance run before moving day. It is priced by volume from around £150, with no VAT, and single bulky items are charged individually if that is all you have: a bed £80, a sofa £95, an armchair £84, a fridge £120.
We bring the van, we do the loading, and it is gone the same visit. Everything goes through licensed disposal under our Environment Agency upper-tier carrier registration, and we re-use or donate what we sensibly can.
Doing the clearance and the move as two separate visits often works out better than trying to combine them, because the move itself then runs faster. Call us on 01225 690 300 and we will work out which order suits your job.
