Bad Weather Moving Tips
Moving Day can be stressful enough when you’re moving with great weather conditions… It’s definitely not an easy task to load up everything you own in one truck, move it across the city or even between states, and then set up everything in the right place at your new home. However, relocating under unpleasant weather conditions such as rain, snow, and ice can exacerbate the problem. Here are the strategies we’ve learned work best for completing a successful NYC move in bad weather:
Make sure your belongings are adequately protected.
Divine Moving’s professionals are always prepared to wrap your furniture in moving blankets and plastic wrap before exposing it to the elements on the way to our trucks. We also bring floor runners to your home to minimize the frequency that our movers have to walk on your carpeting with muddy shoes. However, there are steps you should take before our movers arrive to make sure your stuff is kept safe from water and wind.
First, you should make sure you’re only packing your smaller odds and ends into new, sturdy boxes as opposed to “free” used boxes available at grocery stores and other retailers. Used boxes have already been weakened from storing merchandise through transit, and depending on what items they contained, may be damaged from moisture and contain pests. When used boxes are exposed to stormy weather, it’s likely that they will fall apart while being lifted into the truck, or even collapse from the weight of other items during the drive over to your new location. Ask us about the professional boxes we sell for your move.
You should also consider wrapping your mattresses in mattress bags to protect them against precipitation, pests, and dirt before they’re moved. These bags are fairly inexpensive and are also available for sale from our store. Simply ask your scheduling agent to have the crew bring some out on your moving day, and your movers can place your mattresses in the bags before loading them into the truck.
Check out your moving company’s trucks first.
Did you know most moving companies don’t own the trucks they use every day? Usually, moving companies rent trucks from U-Haul, Enterprise, or a similar company each morning before heading out to their customers’ homes and businesses because it’s cheaper than purchasing and maintaining their own fleet. Fortunately, Divine Moving owns all of its trucks, so we stay up to date on any issues that could potentially harm your belongings, such as holes in the roof caused by driving underneath tree branches, pests or spills from previous renters. Our trucks are marked with our logo and built for household moves with air ride suspensions and more.
Have your movers park strategically.
When moving in bad weather that could harm your belongings, it’s a good idea to minimize the amount of time your things are being carried outside between your home and the moving truck. If your house has a driveway that can support the weight of a moving truck, have your movers back into the driveway so they can quickly move things from your front door to the truck. If you’re living in an apartment complex or moving out of an office building that has a parking garage, check to see if the garage has the overhead clearance to allow the truck to park inside. This way, no precipitation should have to touch your belongings at all. If the complex doesn’t have a garage, try and schedule a moving date with your property manager so you can reserve space in front of the building where the truck can be parked for a few hours.
No matter where you’re moving from, be sure you do not ask your movers to park in a yard or field. When it’s raining, snowing, or hailing (or even if it has recently stormed in the past couple of days), a heavy truck will sink into the mud and have to be towed out of the ground.
Address safety concerns before the move begins.
If you know there are safety concerns in your home or office complex, make sure you take care of these problem spots and warn your movers before they begin the job. Are there any wooden steps that become weak and slippery when wet? Does water pool in any lower areas of the ground? Does any snow need to be shoveled, or do any walking surfaces need to be salted before ice can freeze? Make sure we take care of these issues before anyone gets hurt.
Unwrap belongings when the move is over.
While it’s important to wrap belongings bringing them into the rain or snow to prevent water from getting in, it’s also vital to unwrap furniture and pictures in a timely manner once they’ve been moved to their new location. These items may already have had moisture inside before being wrapped, and locking this moisture in can cause mildew to grow.
More bad weather moving tips and general moving tips can be found here:
