When you go on the internet, there are tons of articles telling you what you SHOULD be doing during a move, but there are seldom articles about what you shouldn’t be doing. We’ve seen those “moving fails” videos and gifs, but we want to teach you how to prevent yourself from becoming a viral video (and not in a good way!).
We want to help you and empower you to make the right choices when it comes to your move. Moving is stressful enough as it is, and we want to minimize the stress as much as possible.
Here are the top 10 mistakes you can make during your move — and how to avoid them.
A small truck can be a simple moving mistake! Not to fret, we always make sure we have enough trucks to complete the job. Whether it takes 1 or 3… We’ve got it!
1. Your Truck Is Too Small
Ah, the age-old statement: “I can probably make it fit.” always shows up when you’re moving. It can be intimidating to try to rent a big truck, or worst case scenario — you don’t even have a truck! One thing you want to make sure with a move is make sure you have enough space to transport your belongings. This means planning ahead, and definitely booking a truck or movers. Here at Kleiner’s, we do a virtual site visit before your move so we can estimate how many trucks you’ll need — whether it be one or more. Also, all our trucks come with movers, so you can leave the hard work to us!
2. You Ask Your Friends to Help — But They Never Show Up
You can always rely on your friends… right? Moving is hard work, it takes teamwork to make the move possible, however, if your friends don’t show up on your big day, you’re in trouble! It’s quite a stressful situation when you have 8 hours before you have to vacate your old place and no one shows up. This is when movers like Kleiner Services Inc. come in — we’re like the reliable friends that help you move. Except we actually show up. On time too! One thing to keep in mind is to make sure to book in advance. Many movers fill up on the last week and the first week of the month. Book as soon as you know you’re moving. If you do end up using your friends for a move — make sure to thank them properly. You can do this by providing meals and snacks on the move day, and offering to help them in the future when they need it. Here are more ways to thank your friends for helping you move.
3. You Break Things
This seems obvious, but it’s a big one. One mistake you can make while you move is that you break things as you move! Proper packing can prevent this. Luckily, we have lots of tips on how to pack your items! We put together some guides on how to pack breakable items such as glassware and dishes. Also precious items such as photos and artwork. The key is to not leave any empty spaces in your box. Fill it up with crumpled newspaper or packing paper. This provides a cushion for your items, so they don’t crash with the sides of the boxes as you move.
4. You Use A Box That’s Too Big
Speaking of proper packing, you always want to prevent using a box that’s too big. Sure, packing a big box rather than a bunch of small boxes seems easy at first, but this is not the case at all! Bigger boxes slow down the move. Although boxes are the standard, you can use other containers to help you move! We have put together a list on what other containers you can use to store your items. Using smaller boxes means that you can transport the items more easily, and faster, making it a smooth move.
Overloading a box to the point where it doesn’t close or gets too heavy can be an easy moving mistake!
5. … And You Overload It
The reason for using small boxes is to prevent the boxes from getting too heavy. Although it may be tempting to try to save on the number of boxes you use, in the long run, it’ll cause you more trouble. It is much better to make your boxes as light as you can for easy transport.
6. You Don’t Measure Doorways
This is something you don’t think about! You may have gotten the couch in your living room piece by piece, but moving it out of your living room is a whole other story. You must measure the doorways to see if furniture will fit through, or to see if you have to disassemble it.
7. You Pack Last Minute
We tend to underestimate our moves. That kitchen you might think will take an hour, tops, but you forget to include all the drawers you have to empty, all the cabinets and pantry, not to mention all the dishes and glassware you have to wrap, and it could end up taking you HOURS! Stay away from the last minute packing stress by planning ahead and starting packing as soon as you know when you’re moving. This gives you enough time to purge the items that you no longer need, resulting in less things to move. Not sure what to keep? Check this blog post to find out more. Start with the kitchen, leaving one cupboard for daily use and pack everything else. Here’s another blog post we wrote about how to pack your kitchen.
Even during weather like this our movers can help you… But it’s always a good idea to check the weather before your move!
8. You Didn’t Check the Weather Beforehand
Rain or shine, our movers can help you no matter the weather, but it is always a good idea to check the weather beforehand. This way you can prepare weather-appropriate clothing for the day and if it’s especially hot, you can have lots of water on hand (although you always should for a move) and plan to take more frequent breaks.
9. You Didn’t Reserve the Elevator or the Parking Space.
Another thing that gets overlooked during your move — the elevator and the parking space! If you live in a condo, most places require that you book the elevator before your move. If you forget, not only does it cause nuisance to your neighbors, but you could be slapped with a heavy fine! To make your move go smoother, definitely book the elevator as soon as you know the date of your move. As for the parking space, you can book the parking space in front of your building (the truck probably won’t fit in the building’s garage) by contacting your strata or the city. You can call 4-1-1 to contact the city and reserve a space. You must book the parking space at least 7 business days in advance if done through the city, but it might be different for your strata. Like many of our other tips, book in advance. Here’s more information on how to reserve a parking space through the city of Vancouver.
10. You Underestimated Your Move
Underestimating your move is the number one mistake you can make during your move. It summarizes all the tips we have given throughout this blog post. Underestimating your move can lead to not giving yourself enough time to pack, not renting a truck or hiring movers, which can lead to one thing: a very stressful moving day! Planning ahead is the key to having a less stressful move.
Prevent the top 10 mistakes that can happen during a move by learning from our expert advice.
And if you require assistance with packing or moving, contact movers near you like us at Kleiner Services for professional support and guidance.