Man is without doubt an ingenious animal. We have this knack for finding gadgets and solutions to making hard jobs simpler. Here are our top five twentieth-century inventions that remove some of the problems when moving house; saving you time, preventing damage and saving your money.
1. Protective bubble wrap – thank heaven for Al Fielding and his partner Marc Chavannes. In 1957, they invented Air Cap, which they envisaged as a decorative wallpaper! IBM saw the potential of bubble wrap to deliver their computers safely however, and the rest is history. Now making $5 billion each year, this wrapping has safeguarded billions of precious items in transit. 6-10mm air bubbles are trapped between layers of polythene, making for a very effective shock absorber. Don't hesitate: buy a great big roll of the stuff and get packing. Removal packaging suppliers will be able to supply rolls up to 100 metres in length, much more economically than buying smaller rolls from your local high street shop.
2. Corner protectors – these aren't just to keep babies from bumping their heads. In fact, they're not even the same thing. You can now even get expandable plastic corners and edge guards to fit all different sizes of furniture and appliances. This not only protects the item itself, but also your walls, doors and door frames. When removals men or you and your friends are moving bigger items like tables, dressers and sideboards, it's all too easy to scrape along a wall or bang into the door frames. Pictures and mirrors also need protection at the corners. They can be reinforced, shockproof, expandable: there's heaps of choice.
3. Appliance sliders – also known as appliance movers, gliders or furniture movers – have taken all the back strain out of moving the bigger items on removals day. There's no limit to the size that can be slid safely across your floors, without leaving nasty marks, scratches or damaging your appliance. Even more importantly, you need do hardly any lifting. Furniture skids are even newer and cooler. These little pads are put under the four corners of your fridge, cooker or other heavy piece of furniture. They can even glide over thick carpets. So spare your back and protect your floors – go get some.
4. The alan key – ah, the simple alan key. So much of our furniture arrives flat packed these days, and it can be simpler and space saving to transport it that way, too. Try to keep the alan key that came with your shelves, wardrobes or chairs as sizes do vary. One simple tip is to tape the alan key to the piece of furniture it came with, out of sight. Then, you've got the right tool at hand to disassemble it when it comes to moving day.
5. The tape gun – possibly once of the most time-saving devices when it comes to packing your boxes. This clever tool enables you to tape up your boxes quickly and easily. No more hunting round for scissors, then trying to bite through the tape when you can't find them. No more tape getting mangled, twisted up and waiting. No more trying to find where the end of the tape has hidden itself. You have to love the tape gun, and it feels pretty cool using it, too (come on, admit it).
So with these tools, you're all set to have an easier time packing and doing the heavy moving work when it comes to moving house. Get yourself armed with the right equipment and the job is very much easier. Thank goodness for man's ingenuity.
