Moving house is an extremely stressful and difficult time for most people. When you have finally gotten over the mortgage and solicitor phase, and you have finally been given a completion date, it is a brilliant feeling as you can finally see the finishing line. However, now you have the challenge of actually moving your belongings from your old home to the new one, and the added stress of organising everything along the way. You have to do it quickly and efficiently, because there might be other people waiting to move into your home, so you have to be out on time. You have to choose the right packaging materials to help you to move, and picking the right size of box can be a challenge. You have to consider what household items are going to fit in certain sized storage cardboard boxes, but you also have to consider how easy the boxes are to carry when full, and especially how many boxes you will fit into a removal van. The most common size of van for moving is a Luton, because they are the ideal size for fitting your largest furniture inside, and they have a tail lift which helps you to transport your things too.
How should you pack a Luton van?
Luton vans are reasonably large, and it is surprising how much you can fit into each load. They are long and wide, and very tall too. They have tail lifts to make transportation easier too, and you can even fit things above the head compartment while driving so you can use every ounce of space.
The aim is to fit as many things as possible into the van, so that it saves you time and trips back and forth. This is especially important if you are moving home a long way away. It is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle.
You should always start by packing the largest household furniture first. They take up the most room, and so it is easier to fit smaller objects around and on top of them. Large furniture can weigh a lot too, so it is best to have them at the bottom of the pile. Sofas and bed frames, as well as cabinets and wardrobes should go into the van first of all.
After you have packed your furniture, this is when the smaller boxes can fit in and around the furniture. Remember to use all the space that you can, including underneath tables, and on top of sofas. You should put the heaviest cardboard boxes for moving in first, and the lighter ones on top. This is why it is a good idea to label your boxes to say what is inside of each.
Keep the most delicate boxes in the front of the van with your passenger, so that they can hold that box safe to prevent breakage.
How many boxes can you fit in a Luton van?
The number of boxes will obviously depend on the size of the boxes and the amount of larger furniture that you have. Most people tend to use a variety of different sized boxes, with some large, some medium and some small. Assuming you have an average amount of furniture, such as two sofas, two beds, one dining table, and so on, you should fit at least 40 boxes around those.If you are packing a Luton full of boxes alone, with no furniture involved (perhaps you have already moved the furniture) and you use a variety of different sized boxes, you can actually fit 120 large cardboard boxes inside. The average three bedroom house move will require 40 boxes, so you know that you have plenty of room inside a Luton for all of your belongings and all of your boxes.
Always remember that you can do more than one trip back to the old property if you need to, so you don’t always have to fit everything inside first time.
If you have a larger house move, with lots of possessions, it is best to use two Luton vans for the move.
A Luton is the largest type of van that you can drive yourself, without needing a licence to drive a lorry, so they are perfect for people who are moving home by themselves. They are the ideal size for packing plenty of household items inside with packing boxes for moving.
Additional tips
- There are holes at the sides of the Luton van, where you can use rope and cables to secure your possessions in the back of the van while you transport them. This is quite important, because you want to prevent breakage while you drive, and you never know what is going to happen to make you break suddenly, which could damage a lot of your things.
- A Luton van will become very heavy when it is full of your things. This makes driving much harder, because breaking will become much slower, and acceleration will become much slower too. It is best to drive very slowly and carefully, and take the corners very slowly as well, remembering that the Luton van is quite tall and wide.
- If you are hiring a Luton, you don’t want to scratch the sides of the van, so it is important to allow plenty of space on the road and don’t drive too close to the sides.
- Try to reverse and park the Luton as close to your old house front door as possible, because this will make your move much easier and quicker.
- Different hire companies will charge different prices for Luton hire, so make sure you shop around and don’t just pick the first company that you find. Every penny counts when you move house, and you have to remember that there will certainly be some changes that you need to make when you move into your new home.