A Positively Moving Experience
Professional Winter Moving Tips
Winter is one of the most popular seasons for residential moves – in this blog entry, the residential moving experts here at Noah’s Ark Moving and Storage will detail some professional tips for safe Winter moves.
Keep winter items on hand.
As you’re packing your house for your move, make sure to leave essential winter supplies out, and not in the moving box. Keep snow shovels, ice scrapers, salt, winter clothing, like scarves, jackets, mittens and earmuffs on hand in the event that winter weather crops up during your move or after your move in.
Winter protective packing
Make sure that all containers and boxes that you’re using during your moving packing can hold the weight of items placed inside them. You don’t want to deal with broken box bottoms that might spill your belongings into snow, slush or rainy streets. Make sure to take care in pack certain items during cold weather. Plastic and glass items can become brittle in sub freezing temperatures, making them much more easy to break or crack. Use as many layers of protective newspaper balls, bubble wrap, or moving blankets when packing up. Breakable items like fragile glassware, antiques, furniture and wooden items that are held together with wood glue can also be easily damaged in cold and sub freezing temperatures. These items should also be packed with great care in order to prevent any moisture or frost from reaching their surfaces. Lastly, make sure to pack electronics with extra care during cold weather. These items are easily damaged in cold weather, or by condensation. Pack all your electronics together in a few boxes. We recommend taking these boxes with you inside warm vehicles as opposed to the truck which can get much colder.
Cold weather moving kit
Pack a winter kit to keep in your car during the moving process, including flashlights, flares, blankets, dry food, bottled water and jumper cables. In fact, this sort of emergency kit should be kept in cars at all times for ultimate safety. If you’re moving during the winter, however, also remember to pack a set of extra gloves, hats, boots, winter coats, or any other warming item that you can access easily at any time during your move. You don’t want to have to search through all your boxes to find warm winter gear at your new home as you might want to take a day off before packing.
Winter floor protection
If you’re moving somewhere that experiences cold weather, you should be prepared for the risk of damaging your floors with snow, ice, slush, or even salt. Keep this in mind especially for moving days when it snows – as this will involve multiple people moving inside and outside your house over and over again. Protect your flooring by putting down plastic tarps, cardboard or rugs before moving day, or right before you load up all your boxes inside your house. We recommend purchasing non-slip floor protectors with grip bottoms that can help prevent any falling or slipping while also protecting carpets and wood floors from damage.
Clear moving areas
Make sure that all areas of your new property, including propping parking areas, staging areas and all areas of walking around your home, outside your home, and in between the entrance of your home and the outside are completely clear of ice, snow, frost, black ice, sleet or any other moisture. You might want to plow shovel, or spread salt or gravel around all outdoor areas. This will ensure the safety of you and your movers during the entire winter moving process. Walking on slippery ice is dangerous enough without having to carry heavy items while doing so. So make sure that all areas in front of your home – and in between your home and the moving truck are completely clear and dry, providing adequate foot friction for a safe move.
