If you live in Canada you know that the weather can turn at any time with no consideration of your plans to move. If you check the weather forecast ahead of time, at least you can be prepared although as we know that’s never 100 per cent accurate. Be ready for any weather on that important day when you are exposing furniture, books, clothes and maybe even the old grandfather clock to the elements.
Wear property footwear
The most common hazard of moving is the chance of slipping and falling, which is more likely when you are lugging heavy items and especially when it’s rainy and the ground is wet. Adding to the riskiness is the habit of taking off shoes before going indoors. You can’t be worried about keeping the floors spotless in a move. It is imperative to wear proper footwear indoors and out, especially ones with rubber soles and some grip.
Sneakers or hiking shoes are fine. But forget the flip-flops.
Electronics and other valuables
People place a lot of value on their computers and other electronic devices and since these are more portable, they can be transported easily in the home owner’s vehicle rather than lumped in with the large furnishings inside the moving truck. However they need special handling in wet conditions so boxes, blankets and plastic should be used to protect them from the moisture. Even a small amount of water can be very damaging to electronics.
Books are also very vulnerable to moist conditions and need extra protection, preferably in large rubber containers, or in tightly fitting plastic wrapping.
Clothes on hangers can be draped in plastic and secured with tape. As for furniture, professionals like ourselves cover all of it in blankets with plastic wrap to keep it dry.
Parking spot close to home
Suggest a place that the moving truck can park safely for extended periods as close to the home as possible. A garage or parkade can work however, large trucks often don’t fit. But with the truck parked close to the home, means the less time the items are exposed to rain. Of course, you want to avoid a location with hazardous steps, awkward pathways or busy traffic.
Create safe walkways
Remove any barriers in the walkways such as bicycles, garbage cans, planters or other items that movers can slip on. if the ground is wet or muddy it’s not a bad idea to lay down sheets of cardboard along the paths where movers will be walking between the home and the moving truck. You can also put down absorbent mats on the floors inside the house.
Time your transportation
If it’s possible to avoid the hours when weather forecast is showing rain, you can do that. But when rain does come down, it’s often intermittent. So you may find that it’s pouring down hard for a few minutes, before it turns to drizzle. Take advantage of those lighter rains and stoppages to move more valuable items and those which are more vulnerable to water damage.
Minimize the mess
If you can keep some of your helping hands inside the home to pass out items, it can reduce the amount of mud and wet stuff coming in from the outside. Wet and muddy floors are hazardous to walk on. Once the furniture and boxes are on the truck, using a towel to wipe off any excess wet and muck is a good idea.
Moved in
Get things unpacked as quickly as possible after moving in. That way if the boxes have been affected by moisture, you can dry the items right away before there’s any damage.
If you plan to reuse the box, leave it on a porch or patio to fully dry before putting it up.
Liability
If you hire a professional moving service like ours, we will not ask you to participate in the actual loading and unloading. There are good reasons for this. Firstly, many home owners may be capable of lifting heavy items, but they do not have the training and experience of our crews. We know how to accommodate the different situations of every location and home, including the weather and avoid mishaps.
Also important is the question of risk and liability. We do not allow our customers to become part of the moving crew. Our insurance covers what we do, not what our customers do and we cannot take responsibility for customers who may have a fall or injure themselves, or their property. This is for our protection as well as our customers.
Our customers are the most helpful when they give us clear directions and make it easy for the crew to get to work on time without any complications.
We take pride in our ability to move efficiently while keeping both the movers and the property safe from mishaps.