What You Should NOT Pack for Your House Relocation

Posted on 26/10/2016

Items You Should NOT Pack When Moving

Packing is the most essential part of any house relocation. You have to organise all of your possessions and pack them carefully in moving boxes. You have two options – either to do the relocation yourself or to hire a professional removal company to help you. Choosing a reliable company can save you a lot of stress and anxiety. However, you need to keep in mind that each company has a list of “non-allowables”. These are items that the company will refuse to transport. You need to be aware of these items so that you don’t waste any valuable time on the moving day, unpacking your boxes and taking things out. Transporting such items may be very dangerous so you really need to protect yourself and your possessions by not packing those in the first place. Here is a list of the most common products and items a moving company may refuse to transport.

1.    Hazardous materials

A hazardous item is anything that is considered flammable, explosive or corrosive. Hazardous materials include: acids, ammonia, cleaning solvents, fertilisers, liquid bleach, motor oil, nail polish, nail polish remover, paints, pesticides, poisons, pool chemicals, etc. These products can be very dangerous for your health and that is why you need to protect yourself and your stuff by leaving them behind.


2.    Perishables

Although perishable foods and plants are not flammable or hazardous, they are also included in the list of “non-allowables”. Movers will refuse to load them on the removal van as they might attract rats, bugs and other pests that can cause serious problems. Common perishables that you need to avoid packing are: plants, herbs, frozen or refrigerated food, open food products, produce, etc. If you need to transport these items, make sure you pack them very carefully and safely. Ask the company first if they will allow you to load them on the removal van.


3.    Personal items

There are certain personal items that a company may refuse to transport. Such items are: collections, cash, car or home keys, financial documents, insurance policies, jewellery, medical and dental records, computers, laptops, medicine, school records, etc. Professional moving companies consider these items extremely valuable and advise people to pay special attention to their safe transportation to the new place. You should keep them with you to ensure that they won’t be damaged or lost during transportation. Most of the companies want to limit their liability in case these personal items are damaged or lost so they will refuse to have them on the van.


Moving house is not an easy thing to do. Not to mention it is rather time consuming. You need to check in advance what kind of items the removal company you’ve chosen will allow you to transport. This way you will save yourself a lot of last-minute preparations. Keep in mind that any product that may cause damage to your belongings shouldn’t be packed. Moreover, pay special attention to the most valuable items such as cash, keys and important documents. Take them with you in the car. This way you will minimise the risk of losing or damaging them.