When you move home or relocate to a different city, there are countless tasks you need to do before you can settle into the new place. The prospect of making all the moving day arrangements can seem stressful and confusing — especially if you haven’t moved before — but the actual process is less taxing than you might imagine it to be, and ultimately should leave plenty of time to spare on your hands.
Nonetheless, once the moving day finally rolls around, problems are bound to arise, no matter the extent of your planning or preparations. Moving can become problematic due to a wide range of issues.
In addition, despite your failproof preparations, you are bound to face problems at your destination once the belongings have been transferred. It is important, therefore, to plan ahead for the potential problems bound to arise before, during or even after the move.
By factoring in the moving day problems ahead of time, you can address them on the fly.
Let’s now discuss some of these common moving day problems.
Too many belongings
As the moving day gets nearer, you realize the extent of your belongings as you constantly run out of cardboard boxes to fit them into. It would serve you well to start decluttering now if you have time till the moving day. Getting rid of the nonessential now will free up valuable space when you would need it, and you wouldn’t have to pack as much or have to ask the movers to make several trips to get all of your belongings from your old space.
Regardless of the decluttering, there will be several items you won’t know right away about to whether get rid of or store away. Finding yourself in such a pickle, you should rent out storage space in, for example, the Rockwall boat storage, or any other storage spaces like it, and take your time to finally decide whether you want to part ways with the belongings for good or not.
Haphazard packing
There’s no need to rush things when packing for the move. You may think that cramming everything into boxes as quickly as possible may save you time, but you would cause unnecessary damage to your belongings.
Packing too quickly will likely result in broken dishes and other damages, as well as damaged clothing when they get squished together inside the boxes. It’s much better to take your time in packing the things, so that they don’t get damaged on the way over.
You might also be tempted to just start grabbing random items off the shelves and tossing them into boxes as you go. The reason why you shouldn’t be packing this way will become apparent once it’s time to unpack those boxes: You won’t know which item went into which box.
Instead, try packing items into boxes according to categories or the room they would go into, and then carefully label that box, so you will have a much smoother time unpacking.
Selecting the day to move
Holidays are notoriously common moving day option because everyone gets a day off from work or studying. However, holidays and weekends see the worst traffic as people often travel on these days or are out having fun.
Therefore, the traffic situation on the weekends is horrible. The commotion on the roads will cause the moving trip to take more time than it would have if the traffic was sparse. Plus, you also get charged more for the trip since it would take longer for the movers to complete the trip, find parking space, or unload at your new home.
For a completely hassle-free moving day, choose a weekday and a time of day that isn’t the rush hour.
Weather can also put a damper on your moving day plans as rain and snow can make it difficult to drive or unload trucks. With your truck parked curbside, your boxes could still get wet in the rain during the trip from the truck to the house.
Damaging furniture and other belongings
One of the most common moving day problems is damage to furniture or other valuables on the journey over. It’s best to disassemble any furniture, down to their most basic units, and wrap them in protective covers.
Taking such precautions will ensure that none of your belongings get damaged unnecessarily by bumping against each other. If you’re worried about scratches or dents, you can also use furniture gliders while moving heavier pieces.
Floor scratches are also common when moving heavy furniture, especially if you are hauling them all by yourself. Here’s a way to avoid this: You can use blankets or paddings under each piece of furniture, which will help protect your floor from any scratches or dents.
Getting scammed by the movers
Anecdotes of people getting scammed by the movers abound. Almost all of these stories involve fraudulent movers who charge more than they should or others who steal valuables from their clients’ home.
Some of the moving companies were even reported to have withheld valuables until full payment was made. Not all movers are pros at their job, and you are bound to hire the wrong ones if you don’t do your own research.
Always hire licensed, insured, and experienced movers who have positive reviews from other customers and are familiar with your area’s local laws regarding moving companies’ responsibilities during different stages of the move (pick-up, delivery, etc.). The best way to avoid getting scammed by the movers is to research them beforehand and ask for verifiable references.
Forgetting about young children and pets
On the moving day, you should plan ahead about what to do with your children and pets as you can’t leave them unattended with dangerous tools, boxes, and other items lying around out in the open.
Ask someone else in the family or at least an adult friend who lives nearby to look after your children/pets until you are done moving. You could also put them in an empty room with their favorite toys or television, so you can pack the rest of the house uninterrupted.
If you could find no one for babysitting the children, you can look for nursery homes that charge by the hour and have them stay there for the duration of your packing and moving. Similarly for pets, you can send them off to a kennel where they can be kept safe till you are finished packing, loading, and unloading.
Injuring yourself
People like to help with the moving. But, if you don’t pay attention, while lifting something heavy off the floor, you could strain your back. With so many objects lying about, you could bump yourself against something dangerous and injure yourself.
Moving heavy furniture can be exhausting, so take frequent breaks throughout the day. Rest, snack on something, and stay hydrated.
If you’re doing a lot of walking or standing, make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes that will protect your feet from blistering or tiring easily.
If you’re lifting something heavy or carrying boxes around all day long, make sure you don’t overdo it! It’s important not to injure yourself before the move even begins. Let the professionals handle most of the lifting.
Conclusion
Moving day isn’t easy on anyone. There may be a lot of planning that might have gone into your move, but it’s always best to do some research and find out the most common issues faced on moving day, so you can prepare ahead and avoid the unnecessary stress. If you follow our guide, you will be able to anticipate these issues and save yourself the trouble.
