Loose things are the problem
A van-load is a jigsaw. Boxes stack, and anything that stacks can be built into a wall. Loose bedding, loose clothes, loose kitchen and loose cables do not stack — they fill the gaps that the jigsaw needed.
This is almost the whole of it. The single difference between a studio that fits in one van and one that does not is usually four or five boxes of soft things that were left loose.
What to box first
In this order, because it costs you nothing to live without them:
- Books, files and anything on a shelf. Small boxes — a big box of books cannot be lifted.
- Clothes that are not this week’s. Soft, light, and they fill awkward gaps beautifully once boxed.
- Bedding, towels and cushions. Bulky, weightless, and the classic van-filler when loose.
- Kitchen, except one plate, one mug and one pan each.
- Cables, chargers and everything in the drawer nobody has opened.
Take the bed apart the night before
Not on the morning. A bed is quick to dismantle when nobody is waiting and slow when a crew is standing around, and it is the single most common reason a small move starts late.
Bag the fixings and tape them to the headboard. Everybody says this and almost nobody does it, and it is the difference between reassembling a bed and shopping for bolts.
Load for the other end
The last things on are the first things off. Kettle, bedding, a change of clothes, the toolkit and the phone charger should go on last, so you are not opening six boxes at the far end looking for a teabag.
Be honest about the amount
If you have lived somewhere a while, you have more than you think, and the cupboard under the sink is always the fullest thing in the flat. Ask for a straight answer about whether it is really one van — a firm that will not tell you before you book is not going to tell you afterwards either.