You’ve organized, donated and packed. You’ve selected the perfect moving company and, at last, the big day is finally here. Moving day has arrived, along with excitement and—if you’re being honest—perhaps a little anxiety.
As is the case on your wedding day, being nervous on moving day is completely understandable. Your watching strangers carry out your most treasured possessions and entrusting them to keep them safe.
Here’s the good news: there are things you can control on moving day—things your movers need from you on moving day that will help your moving crew and make the big day go smoothly.
1. Make Sure Packing is Complete BEFORE Moving Day
There’s no nice way to say it—unless you’re paying for professional packing services, it’s downright rude to force your moving team to wait around while scramble to finish packing up boxes.
You know when your moving day is, so plan accordingly, budget your time and make sure everything is packed up and ready to move before your moving team arrives. If you do make them wait while you pack, you better believe you’ll pay for their time while they wait.
2. Keep Your Movers Safe
You can do a lot to ensure your team stays safe during the move. Make sure you’ve left clear pathways through boxes to allow for easy walking. Move any potential tripping hazards up against walls. If you’re moving in the winter, take the time to shovel walks and consider salting them to reduce the risk of slipping.
If you have young children, consider asking family or friends to keep them out of the house during the move. The same goes for pets—you’ll want to keep them kenneled during the move or consider paying for a day at your local boarding facility.
3. Stay Out of the Way
This may be the single most helpful thing you can do on moving day—and for, some, it’s the most challenging. Let the professionals do their job.
You may very well be the local Tetris champion, and may feel certain you know the most efficient way to pack boxes, but you hired professionals for a reason. While you may move a handful of times over a lifetime, your removalists do it hundreds of times a year. Trust in their experience and skip the micromanaging—everyone will be the better for it.
4. Keep Important Stuff With You
There are some things you’ll want to move yourself, and your moving team will likely be grateful if you do.
If you have fragile or highly valuable family heirlooms or documents, consider storing them in a safe deposit box prior to your move.
Similarly, consider moving things you’ll need access to—important papers, jewelry, prescription medications and cash—yourself in your own car.
5. Tell Movers When Boxes Contain Fragile Items
Your movers are amazing, but they aren’t telepathic. Unless you tell them or write it on the boxes, movers won’t know which boxes contain fragile items.
Knowing what is fragile and how many boxes contain delicate items is going to affect the packing strategy, so let them know as soon as possible. Consider collecting all fragile items and stacking them in one location to help your team find them easily.
6. Be Available for Your Team
It can be tricky, sometimes, to determine your job on moving day. Do you try to help? Stand there and watch? What’s the proper etiquette?
Your job on moving day is to be a friendly observer. Let the movers do their job, but be available should they have any questions or if unexpected issues arise.
7. Be a Kind Host
A little kindness goes a long way with your moving team. They are working hard for you, and you can show your appreciation with a few meaningful gestures.
Be sure to leave one restroom available for use. Make sure it is stocked with toilet paper, hand soap and paper towels. Have beverages available—it’s up to you how fancy you want to get but, at the bare minimum, you should have water bottles within easy reach.
8. Organize Your Boxes
You want your movers working as efficiently and quickly as possible. After all, time is money when it comes to moving—so, the faster your team can finish the better it will be for your wallet.
You can help the movers speed up the unloading process by organizing your boxes. Clearly label your boxes for the rooms in which their contents belong (kitchen, living room, dining room, etc). If you have multiple bedrooms, label them Bedroom #1, Bedroom #2, etc. Create labels over the doorway of each bedroom in the destination home that correspond with the box numbers. This will allow the movers to unload the truck and deliver the boxes without having to ask where they belong a hundred times…and your wallet will thank you for it.
There’s often an element of stress during a move. But, by following these tips, you can reduce the amount of stress you feel, increase the efficiency of your moving team and spend your moving day looking forward to a fresh start in your new home.
If you’d prefer to leave the effort and hassle to professionals, we hope you’ll consider Holloway Removals for all of your packing and moving needs. We are happy to create a custom estimate for every service you want and nothing you don’t.
After all, it’s your move.
