Should You Help Your Movers or Simply Get Out of the Way?

You’ve hired the movers and moving day is coming up quickly, but is there anything else you need to do to prep your home for a move? For most families, it may feel like you’re overstepping to get anything ready for the movers since the movers likely have a system in place for how they pack and load your things.

They are liable for getting things moved safely which means that packing up your house for them may cause a feud later if something were to be damaged on their watch. How do you help the moving crew out without causing a bigger project for them? Take a look at these things that movers wish you knew to help them out before moving day.

Get appliances and other electrical belongings ready

The first way you can help your movers is to get the appliances ready now, instead of trying to do so on moving day. That goes for any appliance or anything electrical that can be unplugged and taken down before the move (hint - see last week's blog post!).

You don’t want your moving crew to have to try to figure out how to disassemble your washing machine, or worse, find out that they are not allowed to do that for you due to liability. Make sure you have appliances disconnected before the move and prep them in advance, such as defrosting the freezer in advance. Unplug your DVD player, coffee maker, clocks, lamps, and anything else that will need to be unplugged for the move.

Remove things from the wall

Next, check out each room of your house to see what is currently on your walls. You’ll find the moving day to be much easier if you remove these items now rather than to wait for the moving day. Remove pictures, paintings, mirrors, clocks, and anything else you’ve gotten used to being out of sight and out of mind. Put all of these items on one wall space so that they can be packed at one time.

Make a room for things not meant for the movers

If you have things that aren’t going to be moved for any reason, dedicate one space in the house for these items rather than trying to sort them out one-by-one on moving day. Your movers will appreciate if you’ve already sorted things and have a room that contains the items they aren’t meant to move. Many people choose a kitchen counter for things like phone chargers, mail, first-week box, and medicine, to avoid the movers trying to pack these items for you.

Prep your outdoor goods

You probably forgot about those outdoor items that need moved or didn’t realize they needed to be prepared as well (hint - we've given tips before on how to move outdoor items!). Your mowers and blowers are not going to be moved if they still have gas in them, so be sure to drain anything you own with oil or gasoline in them. You can run them out of gas or siphon them into a neighbor’s mower. Don’t try to bring propane tanks because your movers likely won’t accept them.

Pack some of it ahead of time

While you may be wondering if you should be packing up your house ahead of time, most of the time it’s better to have the movers handle this job to make sure everything is packed carefully. You can pack things but make sure they are labeled and marked if they are valuable.

You could always pack some of it beforehand if you have bubble wrap and proper boxes, but your movers will have all of this too. Be sure to discuss ahead of time what you’ll need to be moved so that your movers can prepare for the move. Perhaps put together a Moving Checklist.

On moving day, be sure to give your movers plenty of space to get the job done and tipping for a good job is standard. Your moving day can be simple if you do some of the prep work and stay out of the way on moving day in order to allow the professionals handle your move with care!

Moving your grill and other outdoor living essentials

You’ve packed up your kitchen and you have a plan for your house plants, but have you considered how you’re going to move things like the grill and other outdoor gear? It’s one of those areas that are often overlooked by families that are moving because they tend to get caught up in how they are going to move everything inside the house first.

It’s easy to forget about the details of the outside of the house, but that is just as important. When it comes to moving your favorite summer cooking device and outdoor gear like patio furniture, golf clubs, gardening tools, and outdoor kitchenware, make sure you use this guide to move them carefully and avoid any damage.

Moving outdoor essentials

When you have outdoor toys and essentials to think of such as the kids sporting goods and your golf clubs, you’ll want to make sure you securely wrap all of these items before loading them on a moving truck. You’ll need pads to keep your golf club heads and other delicate items protected and then you’ll want to bubble wrap and secure with packing tape. Be sure to use the appropriate boxes for all of the sporting goods since everything will have a unique shape.

The same goes for your gardening supplies, patio furniture, lights, and other outdoor supplies. Use bubble wrap with tape over the items, along with extra padding on delicate items, before packing into boxes to avoid damage on the truck. When it comes to your outdoor kitchen, you may find it’s easiest to have it packed with your indoor kitchen supplies, and then separated at the new home.

How to move the grill

One of the most challenging areas of moving is when it comes to the grill. It’s not only that busy moving time of year for many, but it’s the best time to barbeque and entertain. Once you’ve packed up your outdoor kitchen, patio furniture, and party supplies, you’ll want to work on the grill.

Make sure you don’t move it if you’ve recently used the grill because you’ll need to be completely cool before attempting to move it. You don’t want to hurt yourself or others, as well as any items that come in contact with the grill from the heat it would radiate. Then, you’ll need to take extra precautions depending on the type of grill you have.

If you have a propane grill, you’ll have to disconnect your gas source and empty the fuel from the tank. Don’t move the full propane tank and don’t empty it if it’s actually a rental. If you own a charcoal grill, you’ll just have to clear it of briquettes before the move.

Once you’ve taken these safety precautions, you can simply disconnect each piece and carefully pack all individual pieces. Protect each item before loading it and disassemble as much as you can to make the move of the grill safer and easier. With an expensive item like your grill, you’ll want to make sure you don’t cause any damage to it by neglecting to disassemble or forgetting to cover it with a moving blanket. Lastly, make sure you’ve hired a professional moving crew to handle the move of the grill so that it will be moved safely and effectively.

Don’t allow that brand new shiny grill of yours to get damaged moving it to the new house. Hire a professional moving service to get it moved without any damage so that you can start cooking in the new house that will start to feel like home.