Moving house can be a hard but exciting process regardless of whether it’s your first time or if you’re a serial mover. If you’ve got a loved one who’s ready to make the move, you might want to do your part and lend a hand. There are lots of responsibilities and tasks to get through when moving so just keep on reading for all of our tips for helping friends move as well as what else you can do if you’re busy on the day itself.
Ways to help a friend move (other than carrying boxes)
If you’ve been asking ‘how can I help a friend move house’, we’re here to answer just that. Whatever you’re able to do on the day, it’ll be a massive help to your loved one and they’ll be really grateful for you taking the time to do so.
Here are just some ways you can do your part and help a friend move that is a little bit more than the obvious task of carrying a few boxes around:
1. Grab some bits and bob from the shop
Even if they’ve already hired professionals to come in and do all the hard work, that’s not to say that you couldn’t bring along some snacks and drinks to keep everyone energised. You could also be the person who makes a trip to the closest shop for things like bubble wrap or cardboard boxes if there’s one on the way.
2. Do a deep clean of the new place
Before they properly move into the new place, you can help make sure it’s fit for living by doing a deep clean of the rooms. Can you think of anything better than arriving with all the furniture and knowing each room is spick and span? If you’re a bit of a pro-decorator yourself, you could even give it a fresh lick of paint (just make sure you run any paint colours past the new homeowners first).
3. Check everything is going to plan
Are you the most organised one? Make sure to have your clipboard at the ready (or just your phone) because you’re in charge of making sure everything goes off without a hitch. Have the plans for the day noted down neatly along with relevant details such as times and who’s involved, and just keep checking that everything is going to plan.
You could also even go around labelling boxes appropriately so that it makes the unpacking that much easier later on. It may not seem like much, but they’ll definitely welcome having someone take on these sorts of responsibilities and not having to worry about little things going wrong or being missed.
4. Baby or pet-sitting duties
If the person moving has children or pets, they’ll probably want them safely out of the way when everything is being moved about for the move and that’s exactly where you could come in. Take them out for the day somewhere or just bring them back to yours, all that matters is to keep them distracted until everything is sorted.
5. Offer up your car
Another way you can help them move house is by offering up your car for taking across boxes and furniture to the new address. Now how much you take obviously depends on how big your car is, but they’ll still appreciate you being nice enough to offer – it may just take a few more trips back and forth is all.
Ways to help friends move when you’re busy on moving day
Maybe you’re not available and are busy on moving day? That doesn’t mean you can’t still lend a hand in one way or another and there are plenty of ways that you can help them move before or after the actual moving day:
1. Help them do a big clear-out
Moving home is the perfect excuse for doing a big clear-out! We’re all guilty of keeping things we don’t actually need or want, but when you’re in the process of packing up all your things these unnecessary things can really get in the way.
If you know that your loved one is a bit of a hoarder, then it might be worth taking on the role of helping them clear out bits which will make moving that much easier. Just channel your inner Marie Kondo and keep asking – does it spark joy?
2. Let them use your home as a temporary storage unit
Don’t mind the idea of a bit of extra clutter in your home temporarily? Depending upon the timings of everything and to cut back on the cost of hiring a moving van, they might prefer the idea of keeping some furniture and other stuff somewhere safe, like in your home. Before moving day arrives, let them use your house or garage as a bit of a storage unit until everything is sorted and then they can come and pick everything up.
3. Organise a housewarming celebration
Perhaps you weren’t actually able to help out with the big move itself but want to still do something. If they’ve not already sent out invites for a housewarming party, then you could take on the responsibility yourself to throw a little celebration. Now it’s important to bear in mind that they might not want loads of people over quite yet so you could invite everyone to yours or choose a meeting place for everyone to gather. All that matters is everyone arrives in high spirits ready for a mini celebration for the occasion.
We hope our tips have helped you figure out all the different ways you can help a friend move whether you’re available on moving day or not. And if you know someone who’s recently moved, don’t forget to pick up one of our new home cards that will definitely brighten up their newest space. For more helpful how-to guides like this and so much more, we’d highly recommend that you check out the rest of the thortful blog.
