The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Move Online
It’s widely known in the moving industry that summer is the busiest moving season of the year. With that, there’s an extremely large number of do-it-yourself movers that turn to the Web in an effort to plan or coordinate their relocation project. However, what they often find is that there’s no single online resource that cobbles together all the various components one needs to move from point A to point B. It’s as equally difficult to find an honest breakdown of the options people have that can save them some serious time, effort and expense. That said, here’s an “industry insider’s” perspective on everything you need to know about planning your move online — from the do-it-yourself move, to the full-service door-to-door relocation.
Packing Materials
Cardboard is the industry standard for packing up everything from your dishes to your winter coats, but recently some new, earth-friendly contenders have emerged in the packing material market. Eco-friendly or not, here are our favorite spots to find boxes, tape, sharpies, box cutters and everything else you’ll need to wrap, pack and protect your favorite things
Packing and Loading Help
People almost always underestimate the time it takes to carefully pack up their home, especially if they try to do it themselves. Hiring packing help from a service below can be inexpensive and a huge time-saver. When it comes time to load, hiring moving labor help can be an inexpensive, time-saving option, whether you use the help just to lift the heavy pieces or to load everything.
Prices and reviews on local moving services like packing, loading, unloading and unpacking help. The best local movers can be compared and booked
These ladies take the worry and stress of packing precious valuables off your shoulders. They have gone through extensive training and have experience with packing even the most fragile of possessions.
Complete Guide
The moving industry today has become one large family where you have a variety of options to select from, in a bid to make your move much more affordable and stress-free.
This emergence of different moving options is due to the various needs of the consumers and increasing demands for moving services in diverse categories. According to studies, about 15 percent of Americans move or relocate every year, and this is a significant increase compared to the last two decades.
Whichever move it is, whether the long-distance or local move, there are options available for your need. The major two moving options a consumer can choose from are either full-service moves or do-it-yourself (DIY) moves.
In full-service moves, moving companies take control of your entire moves ranging from packing, disassembling of your sofa and other pieces of furniture, loading and unloading the moving truck, to driving the truck to your new home.
A reputable full-service company includes all these services in its quote with insurance package and required liability protection for your household items during moving based on your need.
TIP or Not to TIP – And How Much?
It has become habitual to tip movers as in most service industries today. Tipping a crew for a job well done supplements their average wages and it is always appreciated. And if you finally decide to give a tip, figuring out how much to tip is not that easy.
Depending on the kind of your relocation and the services you availed there might be a number of personnel involved in your relocation like the packing staff, loading and unloading personnel, and the unpacking crew and not to forget the supervisor or the driver. It can be very confusing tipping this large number of people. You may want to device a systematic order how to give your tip.
When to give your tip?
Giving your tip before or after the move is acceptable. Or you may want to device your own manner of tipping. You may want to tip each of the crew after they have excellently accomplished their tasks. For instance, you may want to tip the packing and loading crew at the origin after they have completed their job efficiently. And take care of the rest of the crew (the unloading personnel and the driver or supervisor) at the destination.
How much to tip?
The amount of your tip is voluntary and personal. So there is no really a fix amount on how much you should give. It will generally depend on the circumstances of the move, like the size of your move, the distance, the weather, and the quality of service you have received. However, some moving experts suggests that you tip from $20 per crew and as much as $150 or more if your relocation is reasonably large and if there is one set of personnel for both the starting point and destination. You may want to compensate the supervisor or the driver with a higher tip because he will be occupied all throughout the move and will be responsible in securing that success of your relocation.
Other ways to tip the movers.
Your tip doesn’t always have to be in monetary form. You may want to provide cold drinks during summer relocation, or a warm cup of chocolate if you’re moving on winter will be a good gesture of appreciation. You may want to arrange lunch for the whole crew, but before you do this, make sure that you coordinate it with the supervisor or the person-in-charge.
LOAD A MOVING TRUCK LIKE THE PROS
Want to know how to load a moving truck the professional way? Yes, there are an infinite number of ways to pack a moving truck. Much of it is common sense. But the purpose of this blog post is to provide some serious step-by-step guidelines to load a moving truck properly. The information you need to know is segmented into three parts: general guidelines for packing furniture and the equipment you’ll need; packing specific furniture pieces; and step-by-step packing the truck.
Safety first! Any moving truck you rent will have a ramp and you need to make sure it’s fully engaged, clean of debris and dry, and covered with non-stick matting if necessary
During the loading process, ensure the weight of all items is distributed evenly from front to back and side to side
The truck should be loaded in layers, each self-contained and independently secured. The goal of any layer is to avoid hitting or rubbing into an adjacent layer
All furniture should have blanket pads draped over exposed surfaces. The majority of damage done to items is by them rubbing against each other during transport. For added protection, use Plastic wrap in addition to blankets for fragile or hard to move items
If your truck is too big for your items, ensure each piece of furniture is strapped independently to the back or side wall of the truck with blanket pads protecting exposed surface areas.
The following items have been singled out as the common household pieces that require special attention.
Aquariums should be emptied with pads placed inside and out and then stretch wrapped. Place them on top of a box
Bed frames should be strapped toward the back of the truck
Chairs should have legs individually wrapped or bubble taped before wrapping the entire chair
Couches should be loaded on top of a blanket pad, on the floor of a truck, with the feet faced toward the side wall and the back faces out to protect incoming items
Drawers should be loaded faced toward the side wall to ensure they do not fall out during transport. All loose drawers should be secured with rubber bands
Grandfather clocks. Remove weights from inside the clock. Wrap and label pendulums. Wrap the clock in plastic or blanket pads
Hide-A-Beds should be secured using a strap so the metal insert doesn’t prop open during transport
Metal should not be loaded close to furniture as it has the potential to tear through plastic wrap during transport
Mirrors and glass should be wrapped and put between the mattress and box spring and strapped in
Wooden furniture should be wrapped well with plastic wrap, paying close attention to the edges and sides. This is especially important for cherry oak wood!
Rugs should be rolled up and taped
TV’s should be wrapped and faced against a box and strapped. Flat screen TVs should never sit sideways or on their backs.
Your boxes will be your first layer, stacked high against the back wall of the truck to maximize space. Load the heaviest boxes on the bottom. Stack vertically with the lightest, most fragile on top
Lay a blanket pad on the floor and load mattresses and box springs next. Stand them vertically. Loose glass pieces should be placed in between (as per above). Strap to the side wall. This, with your boxes is the first layer
Next, lay another blanket pad on the floor and load couches vertically with feet toward the side wall, pillows removed. Secure each couch by straps to the side wall. Pillows can fill the empty space. Furniture pieces, such as dressers can be placed in between with blanket pads draped over.
The next layer is more furniture, covered in pads and/or plastic and secured to the side wall when complete
Appliances and wardrobe boxes are loaded last and will be the first items off the truck.
Domestic Moving Guide
This person is responsible for:
Determining you and your family’s moving needs
Explaining the many services and service options available
Performing a survey of the contents of your home that will be moved
Referencing items that will require special packing/handling and describing the method
Discuss your schedule to pre-book pack and move dates
Describe the complete move process from beginning to end
Packing and Loading
Pack-and-Load Professionals are key members of our moving team, responsible for:
Preparing the residence for moving. Protecting the floors and walls
Packing, wrapping, crating of the complete contents of the home
Preparing a detailed inventory of items to be moved
Tagging each carton/item with numbered and color-coded labels
Loading your goods onto the interstate vehicle
Moving interstate, a local Destination Agent will handle the following:
Delivery of the shipment to the residence
The complete off-loading and placement of all items, room by room
Total unpacking and removal of all debris
Inventory/Paperwork
Your driver will prepare a detailed Inventory & Condition Report of the items to be moved. In addition to tagging every individual carton or piece of furniture with numbered and color-coded labels, they will record each item— and a description of any existing damage—on the inventory form. You should accompany the driver as they prepare the inventory, pointing out any special concerns or handling considerations along the way.