Moving can feel risky (and exciting at the same time). There are so many things to manage, your multitasking skills are being put to their greatest test, and you’re worried about damage to your valuables. Here are some best ways to keep your valuables safe during a home move.
A damaged item will spoil the excitement of your new place and may leave a significant dent in your bank account.
That’s why we’ve brought together 6 ways you can ensure your possessions reach their new home unharmed. Read extra carefully if you’re moving across long distances!
1. Don’t Do It Yourself!
The greatest danger to your valuables during a move is you. As annoying as it sounds, you’re probably moving for the first time in your life (or maybe second or third), which doesn’t count as a substantial moving experience.
In contrast, if you hire local removalists with Muval, you’ll be helped by moving professionals that have participated in house moves hundreds of times. They know the correct way of handling, moving around, and storing your valuables, which reduces the chance of damage.
Plus, many moving companies provide transit insurance, so even if your items do get damaged, you’ll be compensated for them.
You should especially consider working with removalists if you’re moving across large distances, where the risk of all types of mistakes becomes considerably higher.
2. Follow the Checklist Manifesto
One of the most common ways to lose something valuable is to simply leave it behind (or misplace it) while moving.
Anyway, make sure you create a grand checklist of each item that you’re going to move and fill it up as you pack your items. This will ensure nothing has been left behind.
A better way to do this is to create a separate checklist for each area of your house and fill it up as you pack. You’ll be sure that each item has been packed and know exactly which box contains it! Don’t forget to paste the list of items each box contains on top of it.
3. Pack Correctly
If you pack clumsily, the likelihood of your items getting damaged during transit will increase sharply.
And one of the most common packing mistakes is packing all the heavy items together. While that’s convenient, it increases the risk of a box blowing out, damaging all the items it contained. So make sure to pack each box with a mix of heavy and light items — your back will certainly thank you for that.
Here are some other helpful packing tips:
- Use appropriately-sized boxes — large boxes for lighter items and small boxes for the heavy ones
- Don’t leave empty space in a box — consider buying some padding material (or use towels, paper, or extra cloth)
- Don’t use the same box for items from different parts of your house
- Use plastic boxes instead of cardboard — they are sturdier and easily stackable
4. Don’t Rush It
If you’re moving across large distances and have items (like art pieces) that can’t be transported properly right away, don’t rush it and risk getting them damaged.
Instead, consider temporarily storing them with a self-storage company, which is generally extremely affordable, flexible, and secure.
Once you’ve moved the bulk of your items, you can come back and focus on how you can move these items safely.
If you don’t want to waste money on a storage unit, ask a friend or family member to keep your delicate items for a while.
5. Try to Get All Your Items Covered (With the Right Insurance)
Before you head out, check with your home insurer whether your policy covers items in transit. If it does, ask them what kind of valuables they don’t cover. Make a list and then try to get insurance for these items from your moving company.
It’s also a good idea to understand the different types of insurance movers offer. The lowest of these is basic carrier liability, and movers are bound to provide you this by law.
However, this isn’t really useful if you want to protect your items because you get compensated at a set rate (for example $0.5/pound), which is normally very low.
If you want meaningful protection of your items, consider purchasing full replacement liability, at least for the more expensive stuff. Although this is the most expensive insurance option, you’ll get the full cash value of any item that’s lost or broken if you go with this.
6. Think Before Loading Up
One disadvantage of not hiring movers is that you’ll have to load the moving truck yourself. And doing so randomly will increase the chance of items shifting around (and getting damaged) during the transit.
Conclusion
So before you set out to load the truck, plan out how you can do it in the most compact and safe manner. Place the heaviest boxes on the lowest level and build from there.
If you’re completely clueless about truck loading, consider consulting someone who’s more experienced!
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