Working with professional movers for your moving day can be a giant stress reliever. The packing team will arrive with boxes and supplies, ready to swiftly organize your belongings. It is best if you take some time before your movers arrive to decide what to personally pack, and what to leave for your professional movers. Take a look at our packing list to help you get organized.
Important: clean out all the trash and donations first.
The packing process will go more smoothly for everyone if you make sure to clear out anything you do not want to take with you. Take care of fixing or removing any broken appliances or furniture before moving day too. Your movers may be reluctant to transport something that is already significantly damaged in case things get worse.
What to pack and what to leave
Pack yourself: Valuables
Your jewelry, heirloom tea set, or other delicate or particularly sentimental things are best left to your loving care. Due to liability, many moving companies won’t pack certain valuables anyway; but rather than wait until moving day, you can separate out your precious items and tuck them away safely. Label the boxes on all sides to indicate that items are fragile. Then, discuss with the lead of your moving team how they will ensure things stay safe.
For jewelry or other high-value items, plan to transport those items yourself. Pack them in your moving bag or carry-on suitcase so you can keep an eye on them during your travels. Have a look at our tips for packing jewelry for some insights!
Leave for your professional movers: Furniture
Rather than try to shuffle your furniture around prior to moving day, leave it where it is. Your movers will come prepared with equipment furniture dollies and blankets that make the job both easier and safer. Your packing team will also swiftly disassemble larger furniture like bed frames and sectional sofas to make them easier to carry and transport in the truck. They will come prepared to keep all of the screws and small pieces contained and organized, too — so reassembling everything will be easier!
Pack yourself: Important Documents and Records
In order to move your filing cabinets or your desk, the drawers will need to be empty. That means your important documents, medical and banking records, birth or marriage certificates, and other paperwork should be carefully filed away before your movers arrive. Some paperwork can be filed in a banker’s box, sealed with packing tape, and sent on the moving truck. But for documents that have sensitive information or could be detrimental to lose, consider packing a manilla envelope or binder that you can transport with you. As a backup, scan or take photos of the most important ones and save them somewhere secure.
Leave for your professional movers: Electronics
Unless you saved all of the original boxes for your electronics, you would probably be challenged to pack them well. Fortunately, your professional movers come prepared with varying sizes of boxes and the training to make sure everything is packed safely! We do advise you, however, to unplug and untangle the cords ahead of time. This will prevent your movers from spending too much time sitting on your floor fidgeting with cords. This could delay your moving timeline in the most unfortunate way.
Pack yourself: Perishable Foods and Pantry Items
Hopefully, you followed our moving timeline and finished off most of your perishable foods leading up to moving day. Anything that you didn’t finish, however, can’t go on the moving truck. That means you need to make a plan to clear any remaining items out of the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer since your packing team won’t touch these. If you choose not to transport your nonperishable foods, your FlatRate moving team can arrange to donate them to our local charity partner!
Leave for your professional movers: Artwork and Mirrors
We’ll say it again: your professional movers are trained for this! Be sure you hire a team that has the ability to build custom crating for your artwork and ornate mirrors. This will make transporting them much safer than trying to wrap them in your own blankets or makeshift cardboard. Talk with your movers about how they will transport your artwork safely, and be sure to specifically ensure those items are against accidental damage.
Pack yourself: Cleaning Supplies and Chemicals
Per regulation, your movers are not allowed to transport any chemicals that are potentially flammable, combustible, or corrosive. That includes some art supplies like paint thinner or spray paint as well as abrasive cleaners, nail polish and polish remover, and aerosols of any sort. Make a plan to transport them yourself, or to dispose of them properly.
When in doubt? Ask the professionals about what to pack and what to leave for your movers. They will have a list of items they are not allowed to move and can inform you about what special skills their packing team might have. Hiring FlatRate Movers to handle your move will mean a highly trained team and lots of options for packing those unique items safely!