Moving is stressful, difficult, and, in fact, quite dangerous. Many people underestimate the dangers involved in spending a day loading up heavy items, packing fragile ones and generally dealing with the moving process.
To gain some insight, and better prepare you for your moving day, here are the main things your movers either cannot or will not pack, as well as the reasons why. Remember to have a backup plan in place when packing them, either doing it yourself or handling packers who can work with said items. Additionally, most movers will gladly help you pack, so long as you know it voids the insurance for that item.
Finally – each company treats items for transportation differently. It’s best to ask your movers directly whether they will move these items.
Dangerous substances
For most businesses, this is common knowledge, but most non-specialized California movers won’t move tanks of gasoline, paint thinners, fireworks, or other flammable, or otherwise perilous substances.
The simplest way of handling this, instead of trying to move them yourself, is to replace them at your destination and sell/give them away. While not economically appealing, these substances can take a tough situation (car accident) from dangerous to near-certainty lethal – make informed choices for you and your loved ones.
Perishables
Most food items will be off the table when it comes to moving. Even if your house movers offer to pack food for you, consider the impact that a broken glass jar full of a type of food can have on your packed furniture. Anything and everything from mold to leaks should be considered – and for the most part, the risks will outweigh the reward of transportation.
It’s highly advisable to only move food that is boxed or canned – as it will resist during the harsh conditions of the move, and likely stay good throughout. Keep in mind to check the recommended storage temperature, to avoid any issues later.
Personally valuable items
When moving, any number of things might happen. Especially in the case of long-distance moving companies, especially if multiple trucks are employed, things might, very rarely, get lost. Naturally, that’s not an issue most of the time, and insurance will easily cover any potential losses – the one exception is the emotional value attached.
That’s why family heirlooms, personal collections, or precious jewelry are all recommended to be carried on your person during the move. Generally, if it can’t be easily replaced once you arrive, you should probably carry it with you – just to be safe.
Documents
When it comes to your documents, you should practically never let someone remain in ownership of them, away from you, for a prolonged period. Moving is no exception – since it’s hard to replace, getting it lost might mean months upon months of legal issues getting it back.
Another simple reason for keeping all your necessary documents with you – transportation might require them! Whether it’s the acts for your car or elementary things such as your passport or birth certificate – make sure you have these things on hand, and avoid potential legal trouble easily.
Your day-of bag
If you’ve been following moving recommendations, you know that you should have a special moving bag you take with you during the day of your move. It will typically hold valuable documents, personally valuable items, some food/snacks and water, and a couple more things to make moving easier on you, and have the bare necessities covered. We’re only mentioning it because it has happened before – make sure you don’t give this bag to your furniture movers, and always keep it on you during the move.
With all these points covered, Express Moving Van Lines would like to wish you an extraordinarily successful move.
