Moving is a stressful process. But with proper planning and a professional moving company, your stress levels can be brought down considerably.
While movers make your life easy, finding the right company is often a difficult choice because there are just so many of them out there. A platform like Muval, where you can compare different movers easily comes in especially handy when you set out to find a company, so make sure to check it out.
We should warn you, however, that hiring movers is not all you have to do to make your move absolutely smooth. So here are 7 things you should consider doing before your movers arrive to take your move to the next level (of ease)!
1. Declutter, declutter, and declutter
We said it thrice because it’s that important. All of us accumulate far more stuff than we need over the years, and moving is a brilliant time to get rid of the clutter.
The lesser the items you have to move, the easier it’s going to pack them and unpack them in your new place, which is an equally important aspect of moving as packing.
Plus, if you get rid of the clutter, your movers can focus more on the items that you actually care about, reducing the risk of any damage.
Ideally, you should try to remove the clutter from your property before the movers arrive but if that’s not possible, make sure to designate a place for the clutter and let the movers know that it doesn’t need to be taken along.
2. Pack properly!
The urge of packing all the heavy items together is real but you must fight it. If you pack all the heavy items together, there’s a really high chance that a box is going to blow out during the move, leaving you with damaged possessions and a higher move bill (because most movers charge by the hour).
Plus, sometimes the boxes might become too heavy for the movers to lift them. If you throw in a mix of heavy and light items in each box, your movers will definitely thank you.
3. Remember, items like jewelry and cash are your responsibility.
Your moving company has no liability for items like cash and jewelry, so it’s important that you round up all such items (including small electronics and other valuables) in one place and take them along with you. Not everything goes into those boxes!
4. Get your camera clicking.
Because it’s so cumbersome, a lot of people ignore this. But you should try to take pictures of all the items that are going to be transported. If that’s too much for you, at least take pictures of some of the more fragile items.
For a single item, take pictures from multiple angles as well as close-ups. These pictures will come in really handy when filing for an insurance claim if any of your items get damaged during transit.
5. Make sure the movers can maneuver easily inside your house.
Walk around your house and plan for how movers can take your items out safely and easily. You should measure large items like the furniture (and compare them to the doorways) to see if they’ll easily pass through. If not, consider removing the doors from their hinges to allow for more space and informing your movers so they bring appropriate tools with them.
Also, make sure no obstacles (no matter how small) lie in the way of the movers, as they can easily lead to falls, injury to the movers, and damage to your items.
Another good idea is to remove all items from your walls, including clocks, pictures, and mirrors to reduce their risk of getting damaged as movers maneuver around in your house.
6. Consider the weather.
It might be raining or snowing heavily on the move day and you must take that into account. If the weather decides to throw a tantrum when your movers arrive, you’ll need to protect your carpet and floor. While most movers would do that for you, it’s still a good idea to confirm this with your moving company and in case they leave it up to you, install some plastic carpet mask.
You can also spread some sand or salt along the pathway to reduce the chances of slippage if it’s snowing.
7. Get insurance.
Even professionals can mess up sometimes and accidents are extremely unpredictable. So consider purchasing moving insurance, especially if you’re moving across long distances.
All movers are required to offer at least two kinds of insurance when moving across long distances. One option is released value protection, where the moving company compensates you at a fixed rate (for example 65 cents per pound for each article). The company will not be responsible for replacing any of your damaged items.
Released value protection requires you to pay nothing, so it’s a good option if you’re tight on money. But if you can, try to invest in full value protection insurance, which is the better and more comprehensive option!
