One carton, taped red, packed last, loaded last so it comes off first. Here is exactly what should be in it.
An essential moving day survival kit is the one box that does not go in the lorry — kettle, mugs, chargers, toilet roll, the few things that make the first night in the new home liveable. The single most useful carton in any house move is the survival kit. One box, taped red, packed last, loaded onto the lorry last so it comes off first at the new property — or better, kept in your own car so it never leaves your sight. After ten thousand moves we’ve refined the contents list and we’d call this the single best move-day-preparation decision a customer can make.
This guide is the practical contents list. The categories below cover what to have on hand for the first 24 hours at the new property. Combine this with the wider 8-week preparation guide and you’ll arrive at the new house with both the immediate essentials and the systematic plan to unpack the rest.
The kettle is non-negotiable. Plus two mugs per family member, tea bags, instant coffee for the non-tea drinkers, milk (bring in a cool bag from the old house), sugar if needed, kitchen towel, a few sponges, washing-up liquid, a tea-towel.
Add: one set of plates and cutlery per family member (single set, not the wedding china), one frying pan, one saucepan, a small chopping board, a sharp knife, a spatula, a wine opener, a tin opener. Salt, pepper, oil. That’s the entire kitchen for 24 hours.
What you don’t need on day one: the food processor, the slow cooker, the spice rack, the second-best china, the third saucepan. Those will surface in the proper unpacking over the following week. The kitchen-packing guide covers the wider kitchen approach.
The bathroom is the most-forgotten room. The list: two rolls of toilet paper (the previous owner has almost certainly taken theirs), hand soap, a hand towel and one bath towel per family member, your toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap), any prescription medications.
For families with younger children: their bath toys, shampoo, toothbrush in its travel case, any specific products. For adults with allergies or medical conditions: specific medications and the prescription paperwork.
A small first-aid kit covers minor injuries from the move itself — bandages, ibuprofen, antiseptic wipes, plasters. Moving day generates more scrapes and bumps than people expect; having the kit accessible saves a chemist run on day one.
Bedding is the second-most-overlooked category. You need: one set of sheets, one duvet cover and pillowcases per bed, the duvet itself, pillows, a blanket. If you have children, their familiar bedding and any sleep-companion teddy or comforter.
The beds themselves will be among the first pieces unloaded from the lorry. Make them up before anything else — the rest of the unpacking can wait, but a made bed is the single biggest contribution to a calm first night.
If you’ve booked the unpacking service, our crew can also put the bedding back on once the bed frames are reassembled. Mention it at survey. Otherwise, pack the bedding into one clearly-labelled carton (FIRST NIGHT / BEDROOM) and unpack it within the first 30 minutes of arriving.
A small toolkit saves a lot of swearing on the first night. The list: a Stanley knife or scissors for opening cartons, a small screwdriver set (Phillips and flat), a hammer, a tape measure, a level. Picture hooks and a small bag of screws.
Batteries — AA and AAA — for smoke alarms, remote controls, kids’ battery-operated toys. The new house’s smoke alarms are almost certainly bleeping because the previous owners didn’t change them; the 2am bleep is one of moving day’s great clichés. Have batteries on hand.
Other random useful items: a torch (and spare batteries), a power strip (your laptop charger plus the kettle plus phone), bin bags (everything generates them on move day), a notepad and pen. The notepad is for the meter readings, the things-to-do list, and the “ask the previous owner about X” list.
One small bag with documents that should never leave your sight. Passports, driving licences, the move contract, the property purchase paperwork, the conveyancer’s contact details, the keys to the new property (handed to you on completion day — don’t put them in your pocket and forget which pocket), insurance documents, the children’s school records, pet vaccination records.
Add: any cash, jewellery, prescription medications. These should NEVER go in the lorry. Standard goods-in-transit insurance excludes irreplaceable documents and valuables; the safest place is in your car or on your person.
Phone chargers — at least two (one for the car, one for the new house). One phone charger gets misplaced on every move; having a spare prevents the “phone died at 7pm” failure mode. A power bank as backup if you can.
The kitchen won’t be functional for proper cooking on the first night. Plan for this. Pre-arrange a takeaway from a local place near the new property, or pack a cool box with sandwich-makings, fruit, drinks and snacks. Add a few bottles of water and milk for cuppas.
For adults: a bottle of wine or beer in a cool bag. The first sit-down at the new house is one of the small move-day pleasures; having something nice to drink isn’t a luxury, it’s an investment in psychological wellbeing.
For pets, their entire daily kit travels with you in the car. Food bowl, water bowl, food, leash, favourite toy, carrier (for cats), blanket from the old house, prescribed medications. The moving with pets guide covers the wider plan. For older relatives moving with you, their specific needs (walking stick, reading glasses, hearing aids, medication, a comfortable chair to sit in during the load) need explicit planning too.
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The standard survival-kit list works for most house moves but several move types benefit from specific additions. Long-distance moves: add a packed lunch and dinner, sufficient hydration for the journey, a separate “hotel night” bag if the move involves an overnight stop, and any prescription medications for an extra day’s worth.
Family moves with young children: add specific children’s items — the favourite teddy, two books, a small toy, the children’s overnight clothes, snacks they actually eat. The moving with children guide covers the broader family-side planning. Children handle the move better when their familiar items arrive with them.
Moves with pets: the pet’s entire daily kit (food, water bowl, leash, favourite toy, carrier for cats, blanket from old house, medications). The moving with pets guide covers the wider pet considerations.
International moves: add documentation specific to the destination (visa paperwork, return-flight confirmations if temporary, hotel booking for the destination), local currency for the first 24 hours, and a small kit of products that may be hard to find at the destination.
Solo moves: add comfort items for the first night alone in the new property (a book or two, a hot-water bottle, a particular comfort food). Solo movers benefit more than family movers from the small things that make the first night feel like home rather than a campsite.
The single most overlooked addition across all categories: a charged phone power bank. One phone charger always gets misplaced on every move; having a spare prevents the “phone died at 7pm” failure mode. Worth the £10–£15 cost.
Booking your move with us is a five-step process. One: enquire via the online quote form or call our office on 01323 848 008. We’ll arrange a survey within a few working days. Two: the survey itself, usually in-home and lasting 30–90 minutes depending on the move complexity. The surveyor walks the property, photographs access points, counts cartons by size, and discusses any specialist requirements.
Three: the written quote, emailed within 48 hours of the survey. Itemised by line so you see what every cost line covers. Four: deposit and date confirmation. Typically 20–25% deposit on confirmation, fully protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee. Five: the move itself. Uniformed crew, our own lorry, no agency labour, blankets washed between jobs.
For pre-move questions, our office is reachable Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. We’d rather have the customer conversation early than late — a small clarification three weeks before move day saves a meaningful misunderstanding on the day itself. For the wider company history and our forty-year track record across Sussex, the about-us page covers the background.
For your specific move, we look forward to the conversation. Whichever category falls under (a routine local move, a complex international relocation, a specialist antique or office job), the principles are consistent: in-home survey, written itemised quote, deposit-protected booking, crew you can rely on, calm move day, post-move follow-up. That’s the standard we aim for on every job.
The kettle. Plus mugs, tea, milk. The first sit-down with a cup of tea is the moment the move stops being chaos.
Your car, not the lorry. If you absolutely must put it in the lorry, tape it bright red, label it FIRST NIGHT, and load it LAST so it's the FIRST off.
One shared kit for the household, plus a small overnight bag per person (clothes, toothbrush, pyjamas, phone charger). Children's overnight bags should include a favourite teddy.
Pre-arrange a takeaway, or pack a cool bag with sandwich-makings and snacks. The kitchen won't be functional for proper cooking in the first 24 hours.
Separately, in the survival kit. You'll need the Stanley knife, screwdriver, hammer and tape measure within the first hour — they shouldn't be buried in a packed carton.