Summer is the busiest moving season. People take advantage of the time between school years and good weather to make a relocation easy. However, sometimes you can't control the month you move in, so you'll need a cold weather plan. Moving in the winter does bring some additional challenges, but with the right precautions and preparations, your move can be safe and successful. Here are some tips for winter moving.
1. Stock up on cold weather supplies you will need for the move.
As you are packing, take an inventory of your cold-weather supplies. Make sure you have basics like ice melt, snow shovels, and personal snow gear like hats and gloves. Keep these out when you are packing so you have what you need to stay warm, salt a slick walkway, or remove snow if it falls on the day of the move. If you don't have these supplies, buy some before the move so that they are ready on moving day.
2. Make sure you get your utilities in order.
Next, you need to ensure that the heat and electricity are working at both homes on the day of the move -- call utility companies ahead of time to give yourself a buffer for turning on and turning off utilities that are in your name. You have limited daylight in winter, which means you need to have electricity in case it gets dark before you're finished with your move. You also want the heat to be turned on so that people have a place to warm up as they are moving things in and out of the house. Also, you want the bathrooms to be working so people have a warm place to go.
3. Arrive ahead of moving crews and helping volunteers.
If you have people coming to help with the move or if you have hired movers, try to arrive at your new home before they do. This way, if the walks need to be shoveled or if you need to salt the steps, you can do it before anyone gets there. You can also lay down cardboard or plastic inside to protect flooring from salt, mud, and snow that people track in as they bring boxes and furniture into the house. After everything is prepped, people can pull up and help without worrying about slipping and falling or tracking in mud.
4. Provide extra cold-weather gear and drinks.
When people come to help, you need to help them stay safe. Have a reserve of extra gloves, hats, scarves, warm socks, and heat packets to help them stay warm. You also need to prevent dehydration. Moving is a very demanding physical activity, and when it is cold, people have a harder time recognizing that they are thirsty. To prevent dehydration, pass out water bottles and provide hot water for tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or apple cider powder. Encourage people to take breaks to drink.
5. Be flexible.
Even the best-laid plans can be foiled by Mother Nature. If your moving day arrives and there is bad weather, such as sleet or heavy snow, contact your moving company to postpone the move to another day. When you are renting and driving a truck yourself, postponing is even more important because operating a large vehicle without much experience can be even more dangerous in poor weather conditions. Check the weather in the days leading up to your move to help remove the element of surprise.
Winter moves can be safe and simple if you are prepared. Don't forget to rely on professional help during this time; contact a local moving company for more information.
Share25 September 2018
When I realized that my things would be in storage for a few years, I realized that packing efficiently was going to be the key to my success. Instead of tossing everything into boxes and hoping for the best, I worked slowly and deliberately, carefully wrapping knick-knacks and family heirlooms. I didn't want anything to get crushed or damaged while it was in storage. I loaded my storage unit carefully, and made a map of where everything went. It might seem silly, but my careful preparations made a huge difference when I unloaded my unit later. Check out this website for tips on how to pack more efficiently.