Tips for Taking Inventory of Your Possessions Before Moving

When it's time to move, understanding what you own is rather helpful. Knowing what you have and what will be moving to your new location with you will help you choose the right size truck, get an accurate quote from a Chicago residential moving company, and ensure all your belongings make it to your new location.

There are so many things to do when moving; taking a full inventory often becomes overlooked. Don't allow this to happen to you as there are too many good reasons to take an inventory of your possessions.

Top 3 Reasons to Inventory Your Belongings When Moving

Before you start packing, you want to take an inventory of all your possessions. Here are three reasons why taking a full inventory is important when moving.

Understand What you Have and What You Need

Moving into a new place often means getting new things to fill the space. An inventory of your possessions will show you what you have and what you need.

More Efficient Packing and Unpacking

With an inventory of everything you own, you'll be able to more efficiently pack your items in the right categories. As long as you label everything properly, unpacking will also become much easier.

For Insurance Purposes

If something happens to your items during the move, you will likely need a moving inventory for the moving company and the insurance company. You want to make sure you check with both companies before moving to find out what they require for your inventory list.

While these three reasons make it easy to see why you should have a moving inventory of your possessions, you'll also be able to get a more accurate moving quote when you can tell the movers exactly what will be going.

A Few Easy Ways to Create Your Moving Inventory

There are several ways to go about creating an inventory and you want to make sure you understand what your moving company and the insurance company will require. Here are three easy ways to create your inventory.

Pen and Paper

The old-fashioned way might work best for you. Simply get a clipboard or notebook and start writing down what you own. You can create categories for different items and include a simple description.

Excel Sheet or Other Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet makes it easy to organize your inventory and save it to your computer. It works much like pen and paper, but you can likely use a program on your phone, tablet, or computer instead of writing it by hand.

Inventory Apps

There are several apps you can add to your smartphone or tablet for inventory creation. One of the best apps is the Home Inventory app, which is available for iOS. This app will help you catalog your belongings from one room to another. It can even help to estimate the weight and cubic footages of your items for movers.

A few alternative apps to choose include:

• Sortly (iOS and Android)

• Nest Egg (iOS)

• Magic Home Inventory (Android)

• Momento Database (iOS, Android, and Desktop)

Any of these apps will make taking a home inventory before you move very easy.

Video/Picture Inventory

Another method, which may be required by your moving company and insurance company, is to take a video or picture inventory. Instead of or in addition to documenting the things you own, you can record video proof or take a picture of everything you own.

No matter the way you go about creating your inventory before you move, this is a vital step you want to take. There are many good reasons listed above for creating a home inventory and your inventory list will provide plenty of benefits.

How to Prepare a Floor Plan for Your Movers

You may think floor plans only have to do with choosing an apartment, home, or condo. While they are very important in the home search process, a floor plan for your movers is also important when moving day comes around.

Preparing a moving floor plan will help you decide what to take and will also help to direct your movers. It's not as easy as simply taking the things that were in one bedroom and marking them to go into a new bedroom. Here are some of the things to understand about preparing a floor plan for your movers and for your move.

Consider Where Furniture Will Go

Your moving floor plan starts with furniture, as it needs a place to go in your new home. If possible, print out a floor plan for your new home and try to imagine how your current furniture will fit into the new home.

Not only will this help to mark where you want movers to place your furniture, but it can also show you what fits and what doesn't when it comes to your current furniture. Moving is a great time to upgrade or replace furniture, but you may also want to keep some or all of the pieces you currently have.

In addition, if you own furniture you know won't fit or you don't want anymore, preparing a moving floor plan will help you realize it. Once you know what you won't be keeping, it's time to sell or donate the items you don't want to move. This will help to save you some cash on moving day and make the day a bit easier.

Take Measurements

The best way to make sure furniture and even wall decor will fit into your new home is to take measurements. Get accurate measurements of each room, along with the wall space, if possible. Then, use these measurements to help figure out where things you want to keep will fit.

It's also a good idea to note where light switches, electrical outlets, heating vents, ceiling lights, and cables are found within each room. With this information, you can put together a floor plan for your movers and make their job a bit easier.

Consider Other Items in Your Moving Floor Plan

Furniture is the most important item to place in your moving floor plan, but there are other items to consider, too. Plants you want to place in specific rooms, rugs, and decor items should all factor into your floor plan for the movers.

While some items, such as silverware and the coffee maker are obvious choices for the kitchen, not all items will be so cut-and-dry. Make sure you assign each item a place in your new house and write it out. This will help your residential movers know where to place everything, especially if they are unpacking your items for you at your new home.

Before The Professional Movers show up on moving day, take time to create a floor plan for the mover and for you. Your moving floor plan will help to ensure you and your movers know where everything goes. Of course, you can change your mind later, but a good moving floor plan will save you from having to move large pieces of furniture from one room to another.

3 Tips for a Smoother Winter Moving Experience

Nobody really wants to move in the winter, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. When you need to move during the colder months, it can be difficult. However, you will gain the benefit of moving outside of peak moving season, which means residential moving companies may have more availability.

When you need to move during the winter, there are some things you can do to make your winter moving experience smoother. Here are three of the top tips to help you with moving during the colder months.

Pack With Extra Care

Fragile items, such as dishware and glasses may be more susceptible to breaking during the winter. If these items will change temperatures during the move, you'll want to make sure they are wrapped extra to better protect them during the move.

Anything antique or super fragile items you own may be better of packed and put into your own vehicle. The back of a moving truck will likely not offer any type of climate control, so packing your most precious fragile items in your own vehicle may be a good idea.

Fully Prepare for Your Movers

After hiring The Professional Movers to handle your move, you'll want to fully prepare for the mover to show up. If you have a sidewalk, driveway, or another pathway, make sure it's shoveled and properly salted. The last thing you need is movers struggling to get your items into the moving truck due to a slippery walkway.

You may even want to lay down cardboard or plastic drop sheets to ensure you don't have to clean up much after they are done. This will also help to protect the flooring from stains and damage.

If you're unsure what you should do to prepare for the movers, ask your moving company ahead of time. They will be able to tell you what's best and what you can do to make the job as easy as possible on the movers.

Prepare for Delays

Winter weather can be a bit unpredictable. You may end up with delays due to snow, ice, or cold. Make sure you're prepared by leaving extra time for travel and having a contingency plan.

Things can change rather quickly in the winter and you could end up delayed during a long move or even just a short move across town. Make sure you plan your route ahead of time and be prepared to make changes as the weather and conditions dictate.

Moving during the colder months doesn't have to be difficult. You don't need to be scared of scheduling a winter move. With the right moving company in Chicago, you won't have anything to worry about as your movers will know how to handle the winter months and what to expect.

Along with these tips, make sure you take extra care with your pets and children when moving during the winter. It can be very cold in Chicago and the last thing you need is something happening to those you love during the move.

How To Properly Wrap Your Belongings for Safe Transport

Protecting your items when it's time to move matters and the best solution is to hire The Professional Movers to do your packing, moving, and unpacking. Even with the right residential moving company on your side, it's best to understand how to properly wrap your belongings for safe transport.

While you may hire professional movers to handle some of the packing, you may do some packing yourself, too. Here are some tips to help you wrap your things and keep them safe during your upcoming move.

Fragile Items Come First

Pack the most fragile items first and use plenty of packing materials when wrapping these items. You can choose to purchase moving supplies for wrapping fragile items or you can use things you already have, such as towels, sweaters, blankets, and even pillows to protect these items.

The key to packing fragile items is to ensure they are padded and won't move around when the truck is in motion. Choose a box larger than the item or items. Then, wrap each item in some type of protective wrap. Once placed in the box, add shredded paper, partially blown up balloons, bubble wrap, packing paper, packing peanuts, or another packing material to fill the entire box.

In addition, make sure to label the boxes with fragile items with an arrow and the words "This Side Up". It's also a good idea to write "Fragile" on the box in big red letters so you and your movers know to be careful with that particular box.

Protecting Furniture

When it comes to packing items for transport, it may seem like fragile items take the most time and attention. However, you don't want to forget to protect your furniture. With a microfiber cloth, blankets, or another padded covering, you can protect your furniture from scuffs, dings, scratches, and other types of damage. You will also want a plastic wrap to wrap your furniture.

Before you place the padded cloth or blanket over the furniture for protection and wrap it, you want to make sure it has been properly cleaned. Wrapping it with a small pebble, grain of sand, or other types of dirt could lead to a scratch during the wrapping and unwrapping process.

Make sure you thoroughly wrap the furniture, especially exposed wood or other areas that can become easily damaged. If your items are properly wrapped, you won't have to worry as much about the moving process.

Wrapping Glass Items

Any glass items you plan to move should be wrapped with a layer of Glassine. This type of barrier paper offers the protection you don't get from simple packing paper or plastic wrap. Glassine offers a wax-line finish to help protect glass items from stains and smudges. Anything with paint or print on it should be wrapped tightly with Glassine.

Not only should you use it on glass, but also ceramic and porcelain items. Secure the Glassine with packing tape before packing each item into boxes to keep your items protected throughout the move.

When it's time to move, whether you're going across the city of Chicago or moving from out-of-state, you want to make sure your belongings are well-protected. The best solution is to hire The Professional Movers to do your packing, moving, and unpacking for you. With the right residential moving company in Chicago, you won't need to worry about your items during transport.

Should I trust the moving company with my fragile items?

One of the biggest concerns you are probably facing with your upcoming move is the fear of how your fragile items will get to destination safely. It’s scary to think that some of your most valuable items may not make it unscathed and that is a chance someone takes when moving.

Fortunately, you can increase your chances of keeping them safe by hiring a professional moving crew. You may think that you can keep your fragile items safer doing it yourself but you’re actually better off hiring movers. Here is why you can and should trust the moving company with your fragile items on your upcoming move.

Moving is a complicated process

Don’t try to handle a move on your own; hiring a professional moving company means things will get done properly. It’s more complicated than wrapping your china dishes in some packing paper and taping shut the box. There is a method to proper packing and handling everything with the care that only experienced professionals are going to do well and do efficiently.

They have the proper supplies

Not only do they have the expertise in managing your fragile items, but they carry all kinds of packing solutions that will fit even the strangest of items. They carry the proper boxes and packing materials for things like fine art, pianos, electronics, and fine china.

They keep a variety of sizes and specialty wrapping to ensure that your fragile belongings don’t shift, bend, break, or become punctured during a move. While you may be able to locate some of these items on your own, you may not know the proper way to pack it so that it doesn’t become damaged during the transport process.

They know special tricks

Along with their experience and having the right supplies, they will know tricks you don’t because they do this so often. They know that fragile items shouldn’t be fit to the brim of a box but that they should be mixed with soft items to avoid movement in the box.

They know how thick of a box to buy for the right items and they know not to make a large box too heavy making for a higher risk of accidentally dropping it. They know to keep electronics out of extreme weather conditions and will provide you with only new packing supplies rather than anything used that could be damaged or susceptible to problems in transit.

Research moving companies

The best way to feel confident going into your move is to research a potential moving company. Find out how previous customers felt about their move and what their reputation in town is like. Once you see that other customers had a great move and felt like the crew carefully packed away fragile items with care, you’ll feel more confident going into your move.

Any company that rushes through the process and doesn’t bring the proper supplies is not the right one for you. A great moving company will be open with communication, take the time to survey your home before the move, and will bring the proper supplies needed on moving day.

Don’t try to haphazardly pack your own home and move it in your own truck on moving day. Hire a professional moving company that won’t cause you to break your most precious items but will ensure they get to your new home with the utmost care.