Whether you’re moving from a family home in Halls Head to a smaller place in Mandurah city, or between rentals in Falcon and Wannanup, the order of tasks matters more than the speed. That’s why at Go 2 Storage, we have you covered. Here is a step by step guide on how to work through it.

Sort Before You Pack

Start by deciding what’s actually coming with you. Walk through each room and measure your larger furniture against the floor plan of the new place. A dining table that suits a big open kitchen can swamp a smaller lounge, and it’s far easier to find that out now than in a doorway on moving day.

This is also when to lock in anything with a fixed date. Book your truck or removalist, arrange your internet and power connections, and tell your bank and insurer about the new address. Connections in particular can take time to arrange, so leaving them until the week of the move is a common mistake.

Pack What You Won’t Miss

Begin with things you rarely use, like seasonal clothes, spare linen, books and the good glassware. Pack heavy items such as books and tools into small boxes so they stay liftable. Large boxes full of heavy things are how backs get hurt.

Label every box with the room it belongs in and a short note of what’s inside. “Kitchen: baking trays and mixing bowls” will save you far more time at the other end than “Kitchen” alone.

Some items can’t safely go into storage or onto a truck, and it’s worth sorting these out early. Petrol, gas bottles, paint, solvents and aerosols are the usual culprits, along with fresh food. If you’re not sure about something, check before you pack it. Our storage tips guide covers preparing larger items and what to keep out of a unit.

When Storage for Moving House Makes Sense

Not every move needs storage. But a few situations come up often enough that it’s worth knowing when a short stay in a unit solves a real problem.

The most common is a gap between dates. If your settlement or lease start doesn’t line up with your move-out, you can end up with a house full of furniture and nowhere to put it. A storage unit covers that gap without forcing you into a rushed move.

It also helps when the new place is smaller than the old one. Rather than deciding on every item before moving day, you can take what you need and sort the rest once you’ve settled. And if you’re doing work on the new home before you move in, a unit keeps your belongings out of the way of the tradies.

Units at Go 2 Storage range from 2.3 m², enough for a few boxes, up to 34 m². Access is 24/7, including public holidays, which matters when a move stretches over a few days and doesn’t fit neatly into office hours.

If you’re moving your belongings in yourself, new customers to our Mandurah storage facility can use our free move-in truck. It’s a 3-tonne automatic with a tail lift, and a standard driver’s licence is all you need. A trailer is also available for smaller loads. Terms and conditions apply, and to be clear, this is a self-move option rather than a removalist service. If you’re not sure what size unit suits your load, get a quote and we’ll help you work it out.

Moving Day: How to Plan a move in the Mandurah Heat

From late spring, WA afternoons can get hot quickly! Starting your move early makes the day easier on everyone, particularly if you’re lifting furniture. Keep water on hand, and load the heaviest pieces first while you still have energy.

If you’re using our truck or trailer, plan the route and the timing before you collect it. A rough sequence of what goes in first and what comes off first will keep the unloading from turning into a puzzle.

The First Week After

Resist the urge to finish everything at once. Set up the beds and the kitchen first, then work outwards. Living in the space for a couple of weeks tells you much more about what you actually need than any floor plan did.

If some of your belongings are in storage, revisit them once you’ve settled. Some things you thought you’d want close by won’t matter. Others will turn out to be worth bringing over. 

Ready to start storing in one of our Mandurah storage units? Book a unit online today and make your move easier than ever!

Retirement downsizing isn’t the same as a standard house move. You’re rarely just packing boxes and unpacking them somewhere else. There’s almost always a gap between what fits in the new place and what you actually own, and that gap is usually where the stress comes from.

Why Spring is the Perfect Time For a Retirement Downsizing Move

Take a move from a four-bedroom home in Halls Head into a two-bedroom unit in Mandurah city. The garage contents alone often won’t fit. Neither will furniture from rooms the new home simply doesn’t have. 

Doing this work in spring, rather than waiting until the middle of summer, makes the physical side of the job a lot more manageable. It also gives you time. Rushed decisions on settlement day tend to mean things get thrown out that you would have liked to keep, or kept that you would have thrown out. Overall, a slower process leads to better decisions.

Start With Measurements, Not Boxes

Before you pack a single thing, get the floor plan of the new place and measure your key furniture against it. This sounds obvious, but it’s the step most people skip, and it’s the one that causes the most grief later. A dining table that’s perfect in a four-bedroom home can dominate a smaller lounge room. Knowing this before moving day means you can make the call on what stays with a clear head, rather than standing in a doorway trying to work out if a bookshelf will fit.

Sort by Category, Not by Room

Going room by room sounds logical, but it tends to slow things down because every room mixes decisions of different weights. A better approach is sorting by category across the whole house at once. Do all the furniture in one pass. Do all the kitchenware in another. Do photos and keepsakes on their own, ideally when you’re not tired and can give them proper attention.

This also makes it easier to spot duplicates you’ve been carrying for years. Two dinner sets, three sets of good sheets, or tools you already own are much easier to see when you’re comparing across the whole house rather than one room at a time.

Give Yourself Time With the Hard Decisions

Sentimental items are usually the slowest part of a downsizing move, and that’s normal. If something doesn’t have an obvious answer yet, that’s fine. Put it aside rather than forcing a decision you might regret. That’s when a storage unit is helpful; it removes the pressure to decide everything before moving day. You can settle into the new place first and come back to the harder calls once the rest of the move is behind you.

At Go 2 Storage, our Mandurah storage units run from 2.3 m² up to 21 m², so there’s a size that fits whether you’re storing a few boxes of keepsakes or the contents of a full lounge and dining setting. If you’re not sure what size you’ll need, our team can talk you through it, or you can get a free quote to get a clearer idea before you commit to anything.

Get Help With the Heavy Lifting

The physical side of moving is often harder on the body than people expect, particularly if you’re moving without the help of adult children or grandchildren nearby. If a truck or trailer would make the day easier, it’s worth asking what’s included with your storage provider. We offer a free move-in truck, a 3-tonne automatic with a tail lift that doesn’t require a special licence, along with a trailer for smaller loads. Both are available to new customers at no extra cost.

Settle In Before You Decide What’s Next

Once you’re in the new place, resist the urge to finish everything in the first week. Living in the space for a month or so tells you a lot more about what you actually need than staring at boxes does. Some things you thought you’d want close by turn out not to matter. Other things you put into storage without much thought turn out to be worth bringing over after all.

If you’d like more guidance on preparing furniture and larger items before they go into storage, our storage tips guide covers the basics. And if you’re ready to make the move – explore our space calculator and book online today for an easy storage transition.