Moving is a major undertaking and during the process there is always the risk of your belongings getting damaged easily. But don’t worry there are ways to avoid this risk. Whether you are relocating your home or office, you already have a lot on your plates to worry about, without wondering if all your belongings are going to survive the tedious move and arrive intact at the new destination. It is always crucial to protect your belongings during the move while making the whole process as efficient and safe as it can be. Here at Man and Van Ilford, our team of professionals in the moving industry is committed to delivering every one of our clients with the superior moving services. A superior kind of moving services involves detailed attention on handling your personal items to protect them and prevent the office and home equipment from getting damaged in transit.
In support of this commitment of Supreme Man and Van Bromley, we have gathered the following essential tips to help you prepare for any residential move along with complete assurance that your personal belongings or office items are safely packed and protected before, during, and after the completion of move. Now if you are worried about that expensive crystal champagne flutes of yours or that family antique clock to survive the move intact, please follow the below listed tips to get your belongings through the move unscathed:
How to protect your belongings during the move?
Pack heavier items at the bottom
One of the crucial packing tips is to pack the heavier items at the bottom. The top-heavy boxes and containers are less balanced and are more likely to shift or tip over in transit, causing damage to other items as well. Along these same lines, if you’re loading the truck yourself, just make sure that you pack the heavier boxes lower and towards the front of the cab.
Nest Smaller Items inside the larger ones
Nesting is an amazing technique that helps you maximize the space on your moving vans and protect the smaller delicate belongings. Nesting is a great option if you are moving any larger items with internal storage space that can be used to house smaller, securely wrapped valuables during a move. This helps you clear the area and make space for more boxes in the van.
Disassemble larger items in advance of your move
A move may require you to lift and shift all kinds of items; it may be heavy, smaller, or larger. When we talk about transporting large items, it takes a certain moving technique to move them efficiently. You can save time, resources, and your transportation costs by disassembling the larger belongings before loading them into a moving van. Disassembling of larger items is really helpful in facilitating the entire moving process. For example, packing tables, you can often remove the tabletop from the base of a table to facilitate a safer moving process.
Fill in the gaps
By packing each box tightly with clothing, towels, newspaper or other packing materials, you prevent the contents of your boxes from sliding or shifting during the move.
Do not over-pack
Try to avoid putting more than 40-50 pounds in each moving box. This may not always be possible with larger items and appliances but packing lighter items (like linens and pillows) in larger boxes and heavier items (like books) in smaller boxes helps to ensure faster, easier loading for you or your movers.
Label boxes carefully
Detailing the contents of each box on an exterior label makes it much easier for you or your movers to load and unload the truck and handle each box with the required care. Be sure to mark all fragile items accordingly with red fragile tape or stickers to make them easily identifiable.
Safely pack your paintings and mirrors
The glass in framed artwork or mirrors can shift around during a move. Apply masking tape in an X pattern on the glass to prevent sliding and safeguard against injury should the glass break during transit. Then wrap all mirrors and framed pictures in paper or bubble wrap. Finally, place them in a frame box, with a piece of cardboard between each framed piece for protection.
Bundle breakables
In addition to wrapping paper around each individual dish, wrap bundles of five or six together with more paper. Be sure to pack dishes on their sides, to prevent vertical pressure and impact. When it comes to packing fragile glasses and stemware, consider purchasing specialised boxes designed with these items in mind.
Wrap and label boxes that contain fragile items
Since fragile or delicate items are susceptible to the risk of damages during their transportation, they should be carefully wrapped and packed during the move to avoid damages. They should be packed in sturdy boxes and cartons and should be sealed with shipping tape and labeled with a “Fragile” designation for extra safe handling. Some of the recommended packing materials to be used in packing of fragile items are Bubble wrap, Polystyrene filler, and Liquid foam packaging.
Take Inventory in advance
It is quite easy to lose track of things when preparing for a move or during a move. Well, if you do, it can literally take a while to unpack all and find everything again on the other end. When we talk about personal valuables or belongings, losing track of things can create a significant problem. To avoid so, it is best to make a list of inventory with all valuables to be packed ahead of time (there may be some you want to get appraised before the move) and take detailed photographs of the personal items so you have proof of ownership over it.
Also, taking inventory in advance is quote helpful if something is lost, stolen, or broken. In such situations you will need the detailed pictures of items for insurance purposes. Make a simple spreadsheet with columns for the name of the object, the box number, when and how it is getting moved, its condition upon arrival, and more. There are apps available online for inventory purposes as well. You can check out Sortly, an easy-to-use app that helps you keep track of everything you’re moving, attach photos, and add notes (a serial number, perhaps?). You can even print out labels with QR codes you scan to see what’s inside a box.
Try to carry high-value items in your personal vehicle
You should personally transport any personal belongings which is of high-value or important to you, in your own vehicle if possible. Examples include jewelry, large amounts of cash, and portable electronic devices.
Alternatively, for all the important small stuff such as medicine, papers, jewelry can be carried in your personal vehicle with you. You can carry small stuffs in a bag but try not to let it out of your sight. Also, if you lock personal items in a portable safe, make sure that the safe is always with you. There are also some locked containers available for moving artwork or other valuables that operate with a key and others that use a remote device to open. Ask your supreme Man and Van Enfield for more details if you are interested in these.
Check your insurance coverage
The one necessary step that you need to have a check on is to look for the proper insurance coverage offered and the certifications needed when you hire a moving company man and van Clapham for your move. For that, check your homeowner’s or the renter’s insurance to see if your belongings are covered, either partially or fully, during a move. If you have a vague idea on your insurance coverage, call your insurance agent and get a clarification of exactly what you are covered for and for how much. But what to do in situations when you don’t have the homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, or when the policy you do have doesn’t cover your belongings while in transit. Well, if your move is from state to state, then you will be covered. Federal law requires that a registered moving company offers two kinds liability coverage, as follows:
- Released Value Coverage – This is included with your move at no extra cost. With this you would be reimbursed up to 60 cents per pound.
- Full Value Coverage – This would cost you extra, about 1% of the total value of the possessions being moved, and gives you fuller protection. There are more layers of coverage that you can purchase through third-party insurance companies, but these would be at a higher price.
So, get moving insurance and check with your home insurance agent what all your policy covers during a move. Especially, when you are moving your valuable items, consider taking out additional coverage for those personal belongings. Since various moving companies these days offer insurance coverage, you take your time to investigate what is available, so you are protected if something goes wrong.
Opt for tracking of the moving van, if possible
You can also consider using a tracking device to track your moving van, is possible from your end and the terms of use of the moving company. Anyway tucking a small and inexpensive tracking device into a box can show you where your personal belongings end up and how items have been through to reach its destination. There are various trackers available in the market to do this job for you but the different types of trackers have various limitations so you will want to do your research.
Know when to ask for help
Many homeowners or renters underestimate the difficulty involved in moving large chunks of furniture during a move, and that too if it has to pass through stairs in a four-story building. Because it involves too much, failure to seek expert’s help to move larger items can again be a disaster for recipes. One can hire professional movers to move their large and heavy items such as large appliances, pianos, or fish tanks.
Seek the services of Supreme Man and Van- a trusted relocation expert
The safest and easiest way to protect your belongings during a long distance move in the United Kingdom and the allied areas is to enlist the guidance of a professional moving company. One such moving expert in the industry having an extensive year of experience and training in the field is the Supreme Man and Van balham.
There are a number of advantages of choosing a professional moving company to handle your move instead of you doing it yourself. The most important one is that a registered moving company offers its customers liability coverage, so in case the goods in transit get damaged due to accident or mishandling, you are getting insurance money on it.
Additionally, the professional movers are experts and have the best vans, trucks and necessary tools to provide maximum protection and safety for your belongings. In addition to the quality of tools used, clients also benefit from the expertise of a particular industry professional man and van essex. In case you are planning to do your own research on reviewing a professional moving company, look for certain traits in a company like the years of experience, whether the services offered by the company are fully insured and licensed, and the references of happy customers. It is always better to know things on your own to have clarity of the idea and the same notion applies to the decision of choosing the right moving company for you.
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Concluding Remarks
Here our journey of providing you the list of safety tips that will help you protect your belongings during the move comes to an end. All of the above mentioned tips are effective ones if used sensibly, and not to mention the idea to seek the services of a trusted relocation expert is the best we can offer.
Having said that, Supreme Man and Van hackney invites you to reach out to us on more safety tips on protecting your personal belongings during a long distance move in the UK. Our moving professionals are always eager to help you safely move the household or office items to its new location. To know more and to get a free quote, check out suprememanvan.com
