Working with a full-service moving company is an excellent way to make your relocation as low-stress and efficient as possible. But when you hire professional movers and packers, it’s important that you understand they won’t be handling every aspect of your move.
If you want to have a successful, low-stress relocation, you’ll still need to complete several move-related tasks before the day your movers arrive. Not sure what you need to do? The experts at Ace Moving & Warehousing have the details below.
Measure Doors and Windows
Some of your largest belongings — like desks, dressers, etc. — may have come into your home disassembled. If you ordered these items online, chances are they came in a box and you assembled them inside your home. The same idea applies to furniture, such as couches and tables, that you paid to have professionally assembled.
When it comes to moving large items like these, the size of your doorways may be a limiting factor. You’ll need to know about any limitations before your movers and packers arrive, which means you’ll need to take some measurements.
Measure your exterior doorways, as well as the doors in each of your interior rooms. Also consider measuring large windows if you can easily remove the panes to get large items outside. Knowing whether your furniture will need to be disassembled in advance will help expedite the packing process later on.
Downsize Your Belongings
If you own a bunch of stuff you rarely or never use, chances are you won’t use it in your new home either. So before your professional movers arrive, consider downsizing your belongings to make the packing process as speedy as possible.
Create piles for items you plan to pack, donate, sell, and throw away and be diligent about getting rid of stuff you don’t really need. A good rule of thumb: If you haven’t used something in the last six months, you probably don’t need it.
If you just can’t bear to part with certain things, consider scoping out storage solutions for those items. If you want your movers to help you transport things to storage, be sure to set those items aside and label them. You don’t want them to accidentally end up with the belongings that are going to your new home.
Create an Inventory of Everything You Plan to Move
Creating an inventory of all the belongings you plan to transport will help tremendously with organizing your move. It will also serve as proof of the contents that are supposed to be inside your moving truck on move day.
Be sure to document the current condition of your items too. If something suffers damage or goes missing, an inventory will help you identify issues quickly. Inventories are useful for moving companies, too, as they help your movers to create a detailed quote, so you don’t get hit with surprise charges you weren’t expecting.
Make Alternate Moving Arrangements for Non-Allowable Items
Even a full-service moving company has federally imposed restrictions on what they can and cannot pack and transport. These items, which are known as non-allowables, include many common household things like:
● Chemicals and cleaning supplies
● Flammable substances, such as propane tanks, motor oil, car batteries, etc.
● Household batteries
● Weedkiller and pesticides
● Nail polish, nail polish remover, and potentially hazardous products
If you’re unsure what’s allowed and what’s not, check out the full list of non-allowable items here.
In addition to things your movers are not allowed to move, there are certain items they choose not to move as they have a high risk of damage. These things include plants, pets, perishables, and a few others. You’ll need to make arrangements for moving these things on your own.
You can move them in your personal vehicle or, in some cases, you can hire a specialty mover who will handle your pets and plants. Start planning for these items as early as possible to ensure you have the appropriate arrangements in place on move day.
Separate and Pack Small and Valuable Items
Chances are you own a number of items that you should probably move in your personal vehicle. While your professional movers and packers can move these things, if they’re highly personal or valuable, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them throughout the transport process.
What types of things are best moved in your personal vehicle? Stuff like:
● Medical, dental, and school records
● All important documents
● Jewelry
● Medicines
● Laptops and other valuable electronics that contain potentially sensitive information
For more details on these items, check out the Atlas Van Lines list here.
Take Photos
Taking photos of every room in your home, as well as the current setup of your electronic systems, is an important part of every move. Photos will help you identify where your belongings are supposed to go, and they’ll also allow you to re-assemble and set up electronics much more quickly.
Organize and Clean
Before your movers and packers arrive, you need to make sure they won’t be packing broken or dirty items with your new, clean, or delicate stuff. Make sure you:
● Wash linens and clothing items your movers will be packing.
● Clean your refrigerator and stove if you’ll be taking those things with you.
● Drain fuel from any fuel-powered tools you plan to take with you.
● Remove batteries from all battery-powered devices.
● Clean dirty items your movers will pack so they don’t stain or damage the clean items you’ll be transporting.
Need Professional Movers and Packers?
If you’re looking to make your upcoming relocation as low-stress as possible, get in touch with our team at Ace Moving & Warehousing in Minneapolis. Our professional movers and packers are experts at efficiently and safely packing household belongings and strive to provide the best customer service in the industry. We also offer a range of moving services to make your relocation as easy as possible, from custom move plans to storage solutions and more!
To learn more or get started, request a fast moving quote, send us a message, or give us a call at 763-755-2045.