Pack the bags that travel with you
Everything else is done. The house is in boxes, the crew arrives in the morning, and what happens tonight decides whether tomorrow evening is bearable or miserable.
Start with the things that must not go in the van. One bag per person, packed by them where possible:
- A change of clothes for two or three days, plus nightwear
- Toiletries, toothbrush, and any medication with the dosage instructions
- Phone charger and anything needed for work the next day
- Something to read or do, because there will be waiting
Then a separate bag for the household: bed linen and towels for every bed. Making up beds on the first night is the single kindest thing you can do for yourself, and after eleven hours of moving nobody wants to be slitting open boxes looking for a duvet cover.
The kitchen box
One box, kept with you, containing enough to make a drink and eat something without unpacking anything:
- Kettle, mugs, teaspoons, tea, coffee, sugar, long-life milk
- A few plates, bowls, cutlery, a sharp knife, one pan
- Washing-up liquid, a cloth, a tea towel, bin bags
- Toilet roll and hand soap. Two rolls, not one
- Snacks that need no preparation
Add a takeaway menu or two if you are staying local, or check what delivers to the new postcode before you leave. By the end of the day, cooking will not be happening.
Cleaning kit and a small toolkit
You will often arrive before the van. That gap is worth using.
Keep cleaning materials and a vacuum with you rather than loading them. A quick pass over empty rooms is far easier than cleaning around furniture later, and it is the only chance you get to see the place empty.
A mini-toolkit saves several trips to a shop that is closed:
- Screwdrivers, both types, and a set of Allen keys for flat-pack
- A sharp knife or box cutter for opening boxes
- Tape, a pen, a torch
- Light bulbs, since previous occupants routinely take them
- A tape measure
Numbers, documents and a charged phone
Write down the numbers you might need and keep them on paper as well as your phone: the removal crew, the solicitor or conveyancer, both estate agents or the letting agent, and the landlord if renting.
Charge everything tonight. Phones, a power bank, the laptop. There may be no working socket you can find easily at the other end, and a flat phone on moving day is a genuine problem rather than an inconvenience.
Keep passports, birth certificates, tenancy or completion paperwork, jewellery, cash and anything irreplaceable in one bag that stays with you. Not in the van, not in a box, and not left in an unlocked car outside the new house.
The last jobs in the old house
- Defrost the freezer if you have not already. It must be empty, defrosted and dry before it travels.
- Strip the beds last thing, and put the linen in the bag rather than a box.
- Check the loft, shed, garage and the back of every cupboard. This is where things get left, every time.
- Take meter readings in the morning, as late as you can, and photograph them.
- Gather every key, including window keys, spares held by neighbours and anything for a garage or meter cupboard.
- Leave the manuals for appliances and heating, along with bin days and anything useful for whoever is arriving. It costs nothing and you would want it.
Get some sleep
It sounds trivial and it is not. Moving day is physical, long, and full of decisions. Being tired makes all of it worse, and there is nothing you can usefully do at midnight that cannot wait until seven.
Set two alarms, be ready before the crew is due rather than at the time they are due, and eat something before they arrive.
The night before: the short version
- One essentials bag per person, plus bedding and towels
- A kitchen box with kettle, mugs, tea and toilet roll
- Cleaning kit and vacuum kept back, not loaded
- Mini-toolkit, torch and light bulbs
- Key phone numbers written on paper
- Everything charged
- Documents and valuables in one bag that stays with you
- Freezer defrosted, beds stripped, loft and shed checked
- Alarm set early
Frequently asked questions
What should I do the night before moving? Pack an essentials bag for each person plus bedding, put together a kitchen box, keep cleaning kit and a small toolkit back from the van, write down key phone numbers, charge everything, and get the freezer defrosted. Then sleep.
What should be in a moving day essentials box? Kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, long-life milk, basic crockery and cutlery, a pan, washing-up liquid, bin bags, toilet roll, hand soap and snacks. Keep it with you rather than in the van.
What should not go in the removal van? Passports and documents, jewellery, cash, medication, keys and anything irreplaceable. Removal firms also cannot carry flammables such as paint, aerosols and gas canisters, and usually exclude plants and frozen food.
Should I clean the old house before or after moving out? After, once it is empty, which is far easier than cleaning around furniture. Book a cleaner for the day after you leave if you would rather not do it yourself.
When should I take final meter readings? On moving morning, as late as you reasonably can, and photograph each meter with the reading visible. Do the same at the new property before switching anything on.
What time do removal companies usually arrive? Most start early, often between eight and nine, to make use of the day. Confirm the window with your crew and be ready before it, since the clock generally starts when they arrive.
Next steps
For the fortnight before this, see two weeks to go, and for the jobs people forget once they arrive, the checklist movers forget. The moving house checklist covers the whole sequence.
RMV Storage & Removals has moved households across London for over fifteen years, with house and office removals, packing services and materials and container storage delivered to your door, across every area we cover. Get in touch whenever you need us.
Written by Riki Migliori, Director at RMV Storage & Removals. Originally published December 2014. Fully reviewed and updated summer 2026.