3 Popular Mistakes To Avoid On Moving Day
If you are currently preparing for a move, you may be feeling stressed, worried, and incredibly overwhelmed. Not only do you need to find your new residence, but you will also need to clean out and pack up your belongings in your current home. In addition, hauling your boxes and furniture to your new place also adds to the physical and emotional stress of moving. Fortunately, you can make moving day less difficult. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid making on moving day.
Waiting to Pack
Since you will be overwhelmed by your move, you may not get everything packed before moving day. Waiting to get everything in boxes will cause a great deal of trouble on the actual day of your move.
Movers will want to work as efficiently as possible, hauling boxes and furniture out of cleared rooms and into the moving truck. If you have belongings scattered about or you are constantly getting in the way of the movers, they will not be able to get the task done.
Also, many movers charge by the hour. If they are constantly stopping and waiting for you to finish packing, you will be charged for additional time, making your move more expensive.
Not Measuring
You most likely are NOT moving into a home with the exact square footage and layout as your current home. Because of this, appliances and furniture may not fit into their new spaces. A few weeks before the actual day of your move, you should measure your appliances and furniture to determine if they will fit into their spaces in the new home.
Trying to move appliances and furniture into smaller spaces poses many problems.
First, squeezing items into a small space will make your mover's job more stressful and time-consuming. Your movers will be exhausted, and moving day will be longer, which means the movers will charge you more money.
Second, trying to get these items into smaller spaces can damage your home. Squeezing a refrigerator into a space that is too small could damage floors, walls, and cabinets. Also, moving a bed, dresser, or sofa through a hallway or door opening that is too narrow will cause damage to floors, walls, and doorframes.
To reduce stress, costs, and potential damage, measure everything before the day of your move. If items will not fit, sell or donate them and replace them with appliances and furniture that is sized appropriately.
Not Tipping
When you hire a moving company, they will discuss how they charge. As stated earlier, most moving companies charge by the hour. These charges include their labor and use of their truck. However, the charges do not usually include a tip.
How much to tip your movers will depend on a few factors, but most experts recommend 5 to 10 percent of the total cost of the move. This amount should be divided amongst the individuals involved in the move, since there is usually more than one professional helping.
Adjust your tip based on the level of service that you feel that you received. For example, if your movers did an exemplary job, you might consider a higher tip.
In addition to a tip at the end of moving day, you should supply the movers will refreshments during the day. If they are working the entire day, consider ordering pizzas or bringing in lunch for you and the moving crew. You should also provide the movers with drinks throughout the day, especially if you are moving during the summer when temperatures are higher.
With proper planning, you can avoid these common mistakes and enjoy an easier and more efficient moving day. Contact a moving company like Fairfax Transfer and Storage Inc. for additional advice.