Moving Company

Nowadays, moving companies are everywhere. And each is better than the last one. But just like every professional, movers also need a certain amount of assistance from homeowners. Of course, you don’t need to lift anything. There are tons of other ways to help the movers and the faster they are done, the less you’ll pay.

Some essentials need to be taken into consideration before the moving company arrives. To help you in your quest, we’ve compiled a list of 10 “commandments” that’ll definitely do everyone a huge favor.

If you follow them all, your movers will be more than happy. Most of all, you’ll reduce the workload on them which will facilitate the moving process. In the end, you’ll move out faster and without wasting money and time. Here they are:

Step #1: Box Your Stuff

First and foremost, packing is the most important part of moving. Everything must be fit in boxes and bags. A good starting point would be to have boxes of various sizes as well as some packing supplies (bags, bubble rolls, plastic sheeting, tape and etc.). The supplies will be needed for fragile items, but you may also have good use of a few telescope boxes to move out artwork, mirrors, and flat-screen TVs. There are many other things to consider, but generally – the better you pack your stuff, the less chance of unwanted accidents there will be. You can further aid the movers and yourself by color coding and labeling each box and package.

Step #2: Unplug All Devices and Appliances 

One of the steps to making the movers’ job easier is to unplug all electronic devices and appliances. Obviously, leaving that job to them won’t be a very effective idea. Especially if your movers have to spend half an hour on their hands and knees just to disconnect every single device. Even though it might not be that of an issue for the company’s employees, it may eventually hurt your pocket. For this reason, it’s a good idea to make things easy on everyone by unplugging all devices and appliances before moving. After that, you can put them in Ziploc bags and label them.

Step #3: Steer Clear of the Walls 

The process of boxing and packing doesn’t have to begin a day before the actual moving. You can always employ the “little-by-little” approach weeks ahead of your move. To put it simply, you can pick an out-of-the-way wall space and start leaning all flat-shaped stuff one by one, every day. By the time the moving day comes, you’ll have organized all your pictures, paintings, clocks, mirrors, and other stuff without any effort. Most of all, you’ll have saved your movers a good amount of time.

Step #4: Make Sure Everything Fits through the Doorways

Of course, we’ve all had that one moment when we assembled a piece of furniture in a room but when we tried to move it through the door, it simply didn’t fit. Luckily, most professional moving companies know how to deal with such problems. By measuring everything that may come out too large and bulky, you’ll be able to give useful information to the moving company. In this way, the movers will come properly prepared and they’ll handle these pieces of furniture in no time.

Step #5: Put Aside the Stuff You Don’t Want to Be Touched 

When moving out, make sure you put aside the things that you don’t want the movers to touch. This includes personal and private stuff like documents, smartphones, chargers and whatever that may come to your mind. Essentially, you should designate a special place where you can put all the stuff you don’t want the movers to pack or move.

Step #6: Clear and Defrost Your Freezer

Unsurprisingly, this is pretty self-explanatory – if you forget to defrost your freezer, you might waste a lot of time waiting for the ice inside to melt. Doing that ahead of time will give you the benefit of finding good use of all that frozen food. What’s more, you won’t have to forcefully break up the ice sculpture in your freezer. Just unplug the appliance and open its door to let the ice melt. Don’t forget to put a bath towel to soak up the water.

Step #7: Break Down the Furniture if Possible

Having a bunch of plastic and metal shelves and cabinets can be a tough challenge even for the best professionals. To provide logistical assistance, you can disassemble them. The plastic furniture is typically easy to break down into smaller parts. So, if you have some spare time, any help will be welcome. Ultimately, you can tie the different parts in manageable bundles of 3 or 4 shelf pieces.

Step #8: Plan Things Ahead

In this hectic lifestyle we all live, planning things ahead is really a rarity. You’ll be amazed by how fast days and weeks pass by before the day of moving. But if you manage to do it, you’ll be able to tell what exactly goes and what doesn’t. This will save you tons of time as well as unwanted headaches. What’s more, the movers will have particular instructions on where to place each item when they move it in your new home. At the end of the day, nobody would want to have to think about where to put each piece of furniture.

Step #9: Make Sure You’ve Drained All Gadgets That Use Gas 

If you have a lawnmower, an old moped or a gas leaf blower, you might need to drain it. Because moving companies are not allowed to put gasoline and oil containers on their truck, you’ll have to make sure any gadget that uses inflammable substances are properly drained and prepared for the moving. If the movers are still reluctant of taking them, you can leave the items with someone, turn them in your local store or simply sell them.

Step #10: Be Present During the Moving Process and Tip the Movers

Finally, make sure you’re present during the moving process. You need to stay out the way, but you can’t leave the movers all alone the whole time because they might need you. When it’s all done, don’t forget to tip them. A standard tip of $25 to $50 will do the job but you can pay 10-15% of the total moving service, depending on the workload and time. Also, make sure you provide snacks and drinks throughout the day to keep the movers happy and energized.

Conclusion

A fast and effective move involves proper preparation. Planning things ahead is important to saving time and additional effort. For this reason, you should make sure the moving company does its job with the least obstructions.

Providing a straightforward experience will do everyone a favor. Don’t wait until the last minute and make everything simple by following these 10 steps on how to prepare your home for the moving company.