8 Packing Tips That Cut Your Removalist Bill

Moving house is stressful — but here's something most people don't realise: how well you prepare directly affects how much your move costs.

At OnCall Movers we charge by the hour, depot to depot, so the faster our crew can load and unload, the less you pay. The good news? A huge part of that speed is in your hands. A well-packed home can be loaded in a fraction of the time of a half-packed one — and that saving goes straight back into your pocket.

Here are eight simple things you can do before moving day to make your move faster, smoother and cheaper.

The golden rule: as little loose stuff as possible at pickup. Every loose item is a separate trip to the truck. Every box is one trip that holds dozens of things.

1. Box up everything loose — and label each box

This is the single biggest money-saver. "Packed properly" simply means as little loose stuff as possible when we arrive. Everything that isn't furniture should be in a box: kitchenware, clothes, books, toys, bathroom bits — the lot.

Why it matters: picking up one packed box can be up to five times faster than gathering loose items one at a time and carrying them out individually. Multiply that across a whole house and it adds up to hours.

Label each box with the room it belongs to (and roughly what's inside). It speeds up loading and unloading — boxes go straight to the right room at your new place instead of piling up in the garage.

2. Disassemble beds and bundle the parts together

Take your beds apart before the day. Then tape the multi-part pieces together so each bed becomes as few "items" as possible — ideally just a headboard and a base.

For example, if a bed has separate side rails, tape them into a single bundle with packing tape. Two loose rails become one item to carry. Fewer pieces means fewer trips, which means faster loading.

3. Bag the screws and bolts — and tape them to the furniture

When you take anything apart, put all the screws, nuts, bolts and washers in a snap-lock sandwich bag, then tape that bag straight to the item it came from — the bed head, the base, or the side rails.

Nothing gets lost, and putting it back together at the other end is quick and painless. (There's nothing worse than a half-built bed frame and a missing bag of bolts.)

4. Measure your tables — and flat-pack the legs

Measure your tables and tabletops, especially if they might be wider than your doorways. Most tables were delivered to you as a flat pack in the first place, so they usually come apart easily.

It's faster — and safer for your walls and door frames — to unscrew the legs from the tabletop and leave them as a separate item for us to carry. A flat top plus a bundle of legs moves far more easily than a full table wrestled through a tight doorway.

5. Empty chests of drawers — take the drawers out

A full chest of drawers is one of the heaviest, most awkward items in any house, and heavy items take longer (and more people) to load safely.

Make it easy: remove all the drawers. The frame becomes one much lighter item, and each drawer can be carried and packed on the truck on its own. It's faster, safer, and far less likely to strain anyone or scratch a doorway.

6. TVs: disconnect and bag the cables before we arrive

Before moving day, unplug your TV and coil up all the cables. Pop them in a bag and keep them with the TV.

This does two things: it keeps your TV as one tidy item to pack, and it makes sure cables aren't left behind at pickup or forgotten at drop-off. (A TV with no cables on your first night in the new place is a frustrating start.)

7. Pre-remove fragile TV and furniture legs

Some legs — TV stands, slim designer furniture — are fragile and slow to remove on the day. If something needs its legs taken off to travel safely, doing it ahead of time saves real time.

Take the legs off in advance and stand the TV (or item) against a wall, ready for our crew to box and load. Less fiddling on the day, and less risk to a delicate piece.

8. Disconnect washing machines, dryers and other plumbed appliances

Before we arrive, disconnect the hoses on your washing machine and heat-pump dryer. Doing it on the day is slow — and any water still sitting in the hoses tends to spill out, which is messy and eats into time.

The trick is to disconnect them the night before so they have time to drain. Reconnecting at your new home is usually quick — our crews have done it hundreds of times and are happy to hook everything back up. It's the disconnecting and draining at pickup that's worth getting out of the way in advance.

Your quick pre-move checklist

• Everything loose is in labelled boxes
• Beds disassembled, parts taped into bundles
• Screws and bolts bagged and taped to their furniture
• Table legs removed where needed
• Drawers taken out of chests of drawers
• TV cables disconnected and bagged with the TV
• Fragile legs pre-removed
• Washing machine / dryer disconnected and drained

The bottom line

Every one of these tips comes down to the same idea: the less loose, heavy and fiddly your home is when we arrive, the faster we load — and the less your move costs. It's the easiest way to save money on moving day, and it's entirely in your control.

Prefer to skip the prep altogether? We also offer full packing services — just ask and we'll take care of it for you.

Ready to move? Get an instant estimate with our moving calculator, or call us on 0434 316 986 for a chat. Premium service at better rates — that's moving with peace of mind.