Moving home should be exciting and optimistic, and with these top 10 moving home traditions, you can make sure luck is on your side in your new household.

1. A pinch of salt

Salt is linked with a lot of superstitions, but when moving home the belief is that you should sprinkle a little salt in each room, before sweeping it away the following day.

2. Welcome guests

Invite friends, family and neighbours to visit - they may help you move or unpack, bring gifts, or spot some of the teething problems you need to iron out in your first few weeks.

3. Keep the kettle out

A refreshing cuppa can keep spirits lifted during a long moving day, and the aroma of fresh coffee makes a house feel lived-in immediately, so keep the kettle within easy reach.

4. Shoes on the table

It's bad luck to put shoes on the table at any time, but when you're moving house it's easy to dump things on the first clear surface - but shoes are best kept on the floor, leaving the table free for other items.

5. Umbrellas inside

Another of the best-known traditions is to avoid opening an umbrella indoors. This isn't just bad luck, it can also spell disaster as the umbrella bursts open to its full size in a confined space.

6. A coin for a blade

If you receive a blade - whether it's a craft knife for opening taped-up moving crates, or a cutlery set as a housewarming gift - it's traditional to give a coin in return, so the knife doesn't 'cut' your friendship.

7. Crossing the threshold

Usually reserved for newlyweds, plenty of people revive the tradition of carrying their partner across the threshold when moving into a new home together.

...and three tips that are not just good luck, but are genuinely good ideas when moving home too.

8. Let in the light

It's meant to be lucky to light every room of the house to ward off bad spirits, so take the opportunity to put new bulbs in every socket - you don't want to be plunged into darkness before you've learned the layout!

9. Sage advice

A Native American tradition is to fill the property with smoke from smouldering sage while visualising your plans for the future - a sure-fire way to test the smoke alarms, too.

10. Rainy day moves

Superstition says don't move house on a rainy day, but you might not have much control over that - so at least make use of professional home removals services to get your possessions safely under cover sooner.