Preparing for Movers

Moving is a very chaotic and expensive time. Hiring professional movers is a great way to save you time, energy, and money, and being properly prepared for us can save you even more. Below are some tips on the best way to prepare for the day the movers come.

1. Leave walkways and tops of furniture clear. Leave space for the movers to carry your boxes and furniture through all rooms and hallways. Make sure the tops of furniture are clear of boxes and other items as well.
2. Disassemble furniture. Disassemble any furniture that requires disassembly for moving, such as multi-piece desks, entertainment centers, beds with headboards/footboards, and mirrors attached to dressers. The manufacturers of particleboard furniture recommend complete disassembly prior to moving to prevent damage.
3. Empty furniture that stores items. Empty all contents from storage and file cabinets. Safes and jewelry boxes should be emptied, and the contents transported with you. Only clothing items and linens may be left in dressers, armoires, and chests of drawers. All refrigerators, freezers and wine coolers must be completely emptied, and we suggest emptying and disconnecting them 8 hours prior to your move. Please remember to empty the drain pan at the bottom of the unit, and to remove the glass turntable from microwave ovens.
4. Disconnect appliances. Be sure to unplug and disconnect all electrical, water, gas, communication and data lines prior to arrival by the movers.
5. Remove wall hangings. Remove all wall hangings, pictures and mirrors from your walls.
6. Strip the beds. Remove all bedspreads, blankets, sheets and mattress covers from your beds. Waterbeds must be fully drained and the mattress must be boxed.

While we encourage you to take advantage of our packing service to ensure your belongs are packed efficiently and correctly, many people pack themselves to cut costs. Below are a few more tips to on how to pack to ensure the moving process goes as smoothly as possible (see our blog post about Packing Tips for even more!).

7. Label your boxes. Label the front of each box with the name of the room that you would like the movers to place that box in at your new location. Double check that you have obviously labeled any boxes that contain fragile items such as china and glassware.
8. Box all non-appliance items. Please ensure that all of your non-appliance items are placed in boxes with flaps or lids and that the boxes are taped closed.
9. Box electronic equipment in the original factory packaging. The American Moving and Storage Assn. and manufacturers recommend that due to fragile nature of the internal panels, all televisions and monitors should be packaged in the original box and packaging or in a special box or crate designed for flat screens to insure safe transportation.