You’ve planned, arranged, packed, and scheduled with the best out of state moving company. Your time to finally move has come. The moving day can be so much exciting, but similar to everything as regards moving, it can be overwhelming.
If you have packed and properly arranged your belongings, this implies that a huge work has been done. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have any more work to be completed on the day of your move. There is work to be completed to ensure a smooth move.
Before your moving day comes, it is advisable to make a checklist of things you will do on a moving day to have a smooth moving. This list helps get ready for the moving day and lowers the level of stress that accompanies the day.
Knowing the things expected of you on the day of your move helps you with your list and also, lowers your stress level on that big day.
We’ve compiled some ideas on how to reduce the stress, and how to make good use of your moving professionals on both moving days.
10 List of Things to do and Expect on a Moving Day
1. Rise Early
It’s the day of your move – which is the busiest and most important day of your relocation. You want to rise early, fresh and relaxed so that you have enough time before the movers arrive and don’t need to do things in a hurry. You will need all the energy and stamina you can gather and during the next 24-hour time, so ensure you retire to bed as early as possible the night before and ensure to get a nice sleep (as tough as it may be, knowing what it will be like the next morning).
Set an alarm clock for a quick start, take your morning cup of coffee (and a decent breakfast) and be in a positive mode as your big transitioning is about to start. These tips for a successful and seamless moving day will assist you to make the most of the day.
2. Be Ready When Movers Show Up
The number one thing to expect on the day of your move is plentiful fuss and people going in and out of your precious home. For better results, you should be prepared and have everything ready once your movers show up. You should have completed packing and have all the boxes ready to be loaded into the moving vehicle. If you hire a professional packer, you should have everything ready for packing.
In addition, you should get every important thing ready for completing the job in the efficient way possible. Remember that you must clean your house before you vacate. You can hire a professional cleaning and junk removal service to handle this right after you leave. Hopefully, you’ve drafted a moving checklist, and your entire pre-moving tasks should be done before the moving day.
3. Take Inventory
Your moving company will generally create a written inventory of your goods, being the first thing they do, inspecting the condition of each item and attaching a number for the inventory. You should verify the assessment and agree to it, and check to make sure that no item is listed wrongly on the inventory. The importance of the inventory is to make sure that everything gets to your new address in the state in which they started; it is also done to prevent the filing of damage claims on an item with existing damage. Ensure you agree with everything before you attest your signature.
4. Take a Lot of Pictures
With the entire moving boxes and semi-disassembled furniture all around, your old home will possibly not look like your sweet home again, but you can still take advantage of taking a few photos of it – they will just remind you of your former life as well as your big relocation project, but will also:
- Work as evidence of the current state of your furniture, appliances, and any other belongings that will be taken care of by movers (any item that is in the boxes should have been photographed before packing);
- Work as evidence of the condition you are leaving your former home in;
- Work as evidence of the last meter readings;
- Assist you to reassemble furniture and reconnect appliances as well as electronics after your move.
5. Move Items that are not to be loaded into the Moving Truck Aside
Some essentials should move with you during the move. They add things like medications, overnight bags, vital documents, gadgets, and electronic devices. You can put these items in a different box and paste a sticker or label on the box before you set them aside. Place them aside so they don’t get mixed up when you are moving. These are necessities that you will need when you reach your new home.
6. Ensure Moving Day Safety
One of the major things to do on moving day is to take important precautionary measures to prevent injuries and accidents in the time of tough moving activities. Ensure it is safe and easy for the movers to move your belongings out of your home and into the moving vehicle:
- Reserve an easy parking place for the moving truck, as close as it can get to the entrance of your home.
- Clear the way from barriers: Remove debris, snow, fallen leaves, ice, mud, and other potential hazards from between the front door and the moving vehicle. Get rid of potted plants, planters, and other items away from the porch, driveways, and walkways; remove boxes as well as other barriers from the corridors and the entrance of your home; detach the spring on the screen door to leave it open all the time; remove hanging items like pictures, wind chimes, and mirrors;
- Give enough free space to allow the movers to carry your items around. Ensure there is enough room around belonging to allow easy grip and lift off the ground for the movers; detach doors from their hinges, and so on;
- Book elevator for the time of your move (if needed).
Dress appropriately:
- Consider the weather and pick your clothes accordingly;
- Put on long-sleeved and long-legged clothing that is made of soft, breathable fabric. Don’t wear loose, baggy clothes because they can get stuck on something and cause you to fall;
- Select comfortable, strong shoes- consider high-top sports shoes that have better ankle support as well as anti-slip soles.
- Wear work gloves and a protective hat;
- Tie your long hair back securely (if you have one);
- Don’t wear long pieces of jewelry because they can get hooked on something and either break or affect your safety.
Protect your home against damage:
- Use protective materials like plywood sheets, carpet film protectors, floor runners, large pieces of cardboard, and so on to cover the floors and carpets. Try to lay old rugs or other anti-slippery coverings on stairs as well as areas that will experience much traffic to assist in preventing bodily injuries;
- Use blankets or old clothes to wrap banisters;
- Use foam paddings to cover door frames;
- Apply corner guards where necessary.
Protect kids and pets from harm:
- Have a reliable person (a close friend, family member, or neighbor) take care of your children and pets at their place as the movers are working at your home; or
- Designate a quiet room for someone (family or friend) to keep your children and pets busy and away from the moving stress; or
- Hire an expert sitter for your pets and kids.
Just do all you can to make sure your loved ones, movers, and yourself are safe on a moving day.
7. The Moving Company May Draft an Inventory
Where you have hired the services of professional movers, expect them to create an inventory list of your items to be moved. They do this to make sure that your entire belongings reach your new address and also to be able to block any future liability claim of belongings. Where you are moving with the help of family and friends, you will necessarily have to create an inventory of your belongings to be moved. Even when you have hired the services of expert movers, we still advise that you create an inventory of your shipments to be able to make a perfect comparison of the movers’ inventory.
8. Expect that your Movers will Control the Move
We understand that it is your move. However, the movers will be in control of deciding the best order to load and package your belongings. This is so true when you have hired professional moving services. Professional movers have their ways of packing and loading different belongings. They also have a technique of arranging the moving boxes into the moving vehicle. In this process, you will have to relax and allow the professionals to handle the move.
Where you are moving outside the help of professional movers, we advise that you create a plan on the move and who moves each item. This plan will be helpful for you to be properly coordinated when it is time to move. You must be coordinated to have a seamless and sweet move and make sure that you don’t leave anything behind at your former home or lose items in the moving process.
9. Check and Verify for Forgotten Items
Immediately your belongings have been moved out and loaded on the moving vehicle, do a last walkthrough of your house or apartment to ensure nothing has been forgotten. Check each room and all the closets, shelves, and cabinets, visit the attic, garage, and the basement, check the crawl space, below the stairs, on the walls as well as in any other spots where items may be hiding.
If you plan to leave furniture pieces behind, ensure the entire drawers are cleared out. Make sure you complete your inspection before the movers leave because you don’t want to find forgotten stuff right after the departure of your movers.
10. Get Refreshments Ready for your Movers
This is important; due to the much stress that associate with moving that your movers will go through. After a while, movers will need water, a cold drink, and snacks for refreshment. Make a stand for this or a small area where these items are kept so that when they need it, you are prepared for it. If you are unable to prepare this, just save some cash to order from any nearby restaurant.
The Exact Moving Day Process
The moving day process will vary a little based on how well you are prepared. If you are highly prepared and you don’t encounter harsh weather or any hassles, it could go a little smooth like this:
- Rise and eat some breakfast (you will need much energy)
- Complete any last-minute packing before your movers’ arrival
- Movers come and assess the items you want to be packed with you
- Movers begin to load the moving truck(s) with your shipments
- You pack your necessities bag, valuables, and other belongings in your vehicle
- Movers complete packing, close the moving vehicle, and journey to your new home
- You check the old home to ensure no item was overlooked
- You enter the road and start the journey to your new home
- Movers unload all shipments into your new household and the room designated on the gently labeled boxes.
- You carry in all the shipments loaded in your vehicle
- Movers check their checklist to make sure everything has been properly delivered
- You first begin to unpack the most important belongings for each room
- You are now fully moved in and just need to get completely unpacked.
If you hired your professional long distance movers to assist with packing, unpacking, disassembly, and assembly of furniture, they will handle all these tasks.
Conclusion
During the process of moving on the day of your move, expect to have discovered something you forgot to pack or have something you need to repack. Also, expect delays if it is a busy day. Moving day doesn’t often go smoothly, but if you expect the hassles, they won’t meet you unprepared. Now that the things to expect on a moving day are clear to you, we hope you will be able to properly get ready for your move to avoid any avoidable stress.
Hiring a cross country moving company will do much in ensuring the moving day process run smoothly and easily. Ensure you are properly prepared or you could be doing a lot of last-minute packing, which can cause a delay in the moving day process.
