The majority of people I work for are pretty prepared. They’ve packed the dishes well, labeled the boxes, and gotten rid of things they don’t want. But occasionally I encounter homes that are lived-in and unprepared, or a pile of boxes that can’t  be properly closed with fine crystal vases jutting out the top and “Fragile” written without irony 50 times on the sides.

Packing and preparing for a move seems to be one of those things that all of society assumes they know how to do, but really, why should they? Many people move only a few times in a lifetime and though nearly everyone has helped friends move, most people aren’t professional movers.

Well I am a professional mover and packer, and I want to teach you the subtle art of packing and preparing your home so that you may have the best, safest, most cost-effective moving experience yet. You might also want to share this info and rescue a friend from a move from hell.

This lengthy blog has been broken into sections for your sanity. I hope you enjoy. Please email me with any suggestions, questions, or awesome packing tips of your own!

-andyz@calmovingcrew.com

How To Pack and Move like a Pro- Table of Contents:

Part 1: Tools and Supplies - The essentials for packing any home for moving.

Part 2: Before you Begin Packing – Set yourself up for success by being organized.

Part 3: Getting Started and Getting it Done – Tips and tricks for the ultimate packing experience.

Part 4: The Day Before – Advice on the final preparations and your last day in the old home.

Part 5: The Day of the Move – A guide to a masterful move.

Boxes: You need them. Good ones. It is tempting to get free boxes from the grocery store, or to even buy the super cheap boxes offered by the large home improvement stores, but these are both pretty bad options. For one, the grocery store boxes are either not uniform in size, strong enough to hold much, or they are open-bottomed produce boxes that can be kinda gross.

The “moving” boxes sold at the big warehouse stores are available in standard sizes, which is good, but they are just not that strong. When I get to a move and I see the familiar logos of one of the 2 big home improvement stores on a stack of boxes, I know that several of them may collapse during the course of the move no matter how careful we are because they are too thin to hold much or be stacked more than two high.

Contact a packaging supplier or mover that retails supplies to get strong, quality boxes of various standardized sizes and buy more than you think you will need. I promise you will use more than you expect, and most retailers will buy back the boxes that you don’t use, as long as they are not written on or creased.

General Moving Boxes come in standard sizes:

• Small: 1.5 cubic feet, holds up to 60lbs. Great for books, heavy items.
• Med: 3 cubic feet, holds up to 65lbs. Great for pots, pans, kitchen items.
• Large: 4.5 cubic feet, holds up to 65lbs. Great for lamps, kitchen appliances, linens.
• Extra-Large: 6 cubic feet, holds up to 70lbs but don’t overfill! Great for pillows, lamps, and bulky items.
• Wardrobe: 4ft tall with a bar for quick transport of your closet.

(There’s a box for every item. Dish-Packs are triple thick to protect stemware and china, while Mirror-Packs are shaped and sized to protect prized works of art.)

Final note on boxes: You can get proper moving boxes used very cheap and often for free on craigslist and other classifieds. Many people are glad to have you haul them away after their move. Not only do you get cheap or free boxes, but you are creating less waste by not buying new. It’s a win-win so don’t let the cost of cardboard deter you from getting good boxes.

Tape and other Packing Essentials: I wrote and entire blog about tape, not because I’m that terribly dull of a person, but because it matters greatly in my daily life. Cheap tape doesn’t stick very well. You can’t move your boxed up items safely if the box wont stay closed.

Here is a quick list of the tools everyone should have before they begin packing box number one:

• A large, clear workspace.
• Packing paper. Often called Newsprint in the industry, but that’s confusing because you don’t want to use actual newspaper, unless you want to imprint the reverse of  the sports page of your grandmother’s china for the next 15 years. Newspaper ink is notorious for leaving the page and sticking to everything else. (Paper might seem like an extra expense of moving, but it is vastly cheaper than replacing all of your dishes.)
• The tape gun. This device-you-love-to-hate is a life saver. There’s a learning curve, but once you can use it with finesse you will never go back to scissors or the rolls with the built in cutters.
• Markers. Good ones with wide tips.
• Dish-Packs and the Corresponding Cell Kits. Pro-Movers are hired to pack and ship dishes and vases of extraordinary worth and we know that these are the way to go. These extra thick boxes and versatile inserts make protecting your dishes, china, and stemware seem more like completing a fun puzzle than a soul-crushing, endless monotony.
• Bubble Wrap. It’s lightweight, it’s cheap, and it does the trick. Small bubbles for small items like fragile figurines, large bubbles for vases and décor. It even comes in pink which is a specially made for electronics as it does not conduct static electricity.
• Paper towel, scissors, masking tape, kitchen storage bags. You never know. I’ve used all of these in some fashion while packing. Bags to keep tiny things separate, paper towels to clean pantry goods before packing, masking tape to label and secure cords and wires for computers and electronics.
• Music. You must have some jams if you want to pack and prepare your home with sanity intact. Strongly recommended by the Moving Crew.
• A Staging Area. Ideally a garage or spare bedroom. It is important to get the boxes you pack out of your living space while waiting to move, also if they are all in one spot in nice stacks, they can be moved more quickly and efficiently.
• Stretchwrap. Sometimes called ‘shrinkwrap’ this is a giant roll of plastic wrap that is an essential tool for moving. Wrap blankets to your wooden and upholstered items to keep drawers and doors closed, cushions in place, and surfaces free of scratches, dings, or snags.

How To Pack and Move like a Pro- Table of Contents:

Part 1: Tools and Supplies - The essentials for packing any home for moving.

Part 2: Before you Begin Packing – Set yourself up for success by being organized.

Part 3: Getting Started and Getting it Done – Tips and tricks for the ultimate packing experience.

Part 4: The Day Before – Advice on the final preparations and your last day in the old home.

Part 5: The Day of the Move – A guide to a masterful move.

• Purge! Get rid of the things you don’t use, want, or need well in-advance of move day. As soon as the thought of moving enters your mind, mentally set aside some days to sort and organize everything you own. The longer you’ve lived in one place the more junk you will have accumulated and stored. Don’t pay anyone to move things you don’t want and don’t waste time and energy packing, moving, and unpacking things you have no desire to keep.
• Plan! A move is a complicated ordeal, have a master plan for how it’s going to go, but allow for changes and unforeseen issues. A good moving plan outlines some basics:

o       When: Around what day is the moving going to take place? At first this might be general, but as the time approaches you may need to schedule movers/friends, carpet cleaners, inspections, appliance delivery, builders/repairmen. Most importantly the “when” begs another important question, “How long do I have to get ready?” Moving is not a one-day ordeal so give yourself enough time to do it right.

o       Where: To the other side of town or to the other side of the country? It makes a big difference not only what type of home you’ll be moving to, but where. Long-distance moves take more planning because going back for more trips is not an option.

o       What: What you do need in your new home? Maybe your new home has built-in bookshelves or garage cabinets so you no longer need some of your current shelving. Maybe your new home is smaller and you can take less furniture. Trying to figure this out on move day is a giant waste of time, money, and energy.

o       Who: Do you have any help? Are you hiring movers? What can the kids do to help get ready? Who in the household will be responsible for what in terms of packing and preparation? All these are crucial to know before you start.

o       How: this is the masterful execution of your moving plan. This is the order of operations, the coordination of helpers, materials, and vehicles. This is the vision.

I suggest you make a checklist detailing everything involved in moving, which can be different for every individual or family. Keep it in a notebook or folder along all the contact information of everyone who may play a part in your move from the real estate agent to the chimney sweep and the cable company. My clients that have made plans and kept a moving folder have been less stressed on their moves and have paid less overall.

How To Pack and Move like a Pro- Table of Contents:

Part 1: Tools and Supplies - The essentials for packing any home for moving.

Part 2: Before you Begin Packing – Set yourself up for success by being organized.

Part 3: Getting Started and Getting it Done – Tips and tricks for the ultimate packing experience.

Part 4: The Day Before – Advice on the final preparations and your last day in the old home.

Part 5: The Day of the Move – A guide to a masterful move.

• Leave most of your boxes flattened but build a few of various sizes. In the kitchen and the garage you will find items of all sorts of shapes. Having a few different size boxes open and ready can help you visualize better and make the best use of the space. Don’t try too hard to pack only one box at a time, it can be limiting and you’ll waste time playing Tetris with things that just don’t fit.
• When you build a box, tape the bottom like you mean it. I had a client pack her fine china into a box with the bottom simply folded closed. When I picked up the box it almost all fell out the bottom.  It was ugly and she was legally liable because she had packed the box. I’ll say it again: tape is cheaper than almost any of your personal belongings.
• Use what you have around you. Roll knives in placemats, stuff towels in around pictures, pack the fragile decorative  pieces with throw pillows from the couch. Use your ingenuity and imagination to conserve packing supplies and afford great protection to your goods.
• When it comes to junk drawers be honest with yourself. If you are never going to sort it, dump it in a shopping bag, tie it up, and throw it in a box with the other bagged junk drawers. We won’t judge you and it unpacks very quickly in your new homes’ junk drawers.

The Garage: An area of special interest. The garage, is one of the worst places in any home to pack. Camping gear, tools, fishing tackle, and the like are all over the place in terms of size and weight which can be challenging. The tendency of many people is to ignore the garage until the last possible moment or to glance out there, see some totes on the shelf and think that the garage is basically ready. This is a mistake. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to getting the garage ready for a move:

• Pull that stuff down from the rafters, lest it be forgotten.
• Place tools in small boxes, just like books or other heavy items.
• Get large boxes and fill them with tackle boxes, tents, larger hand tools, etc.
• Make sure all the totes and pre-packed boxes are sturdy and sealed just like the other boxes. Just because it is in a box now doesn’t mean that box is a moving box.
• Wrap yard tools and brooms together in one giant bundle with stretch wrap or tape. That way you can move all of them at once, instead of two at a time.
• Discard all old chemicals and cleaning solutions properly before moving and pack only the solvents you need into a specially marked box. Movers like me can’t legally haul hazardous chemicals and will likely ask you to move them yourself. Don’t take anything you don’t need.
• Break power tools down into their smallest components. If your table saw is calibrated, you’ll need to re-calibrate it at the new place anyway. Remove the fragile and sensitive parts and pack them securely. Tools are expensive. Remove all blades from saws that don’t fit in boxes. This is for the safety of you and your moving helpers.
• If you want to move shelving, empty it. For some reason many of my male customers assume we can move shelving with 400lbs of stuff on it. This is not true, even if the shelving unit is on wheels.
• Sort and discard!!! The garage can be such a catch-all and is tough to pack anyway. Get rid of all the things you don’t want or need before beginning to pack the garage.
• Clean stuff. Why get filthy in the process of hauling your old dirt to your new home. If you have muddy tires on the wheelbarrow, greasy tools, dusty woodworking tools, etc., clean them up while you’re preparing the garage and outside areas.
• Be understanding. Maybe you intend to finish that hot rod someday, but for now you are faced with moving a frame on wheels and 10 large crates of parts. These are not “ordinary” household goods. Don’t let your friends or the movers get hurt trying to move something that should  have been done with a hoist and a special truck. If you have some item of extraordinary weight or size, plan ahead and research your options well before move day.

The Patio, Porch, and Yard: This is the hand-down most often overlooked area of the home when it comes to moving. Though there is not typically a lot to pack in these areas, there is some key prep work that can make a huge impact on move day. A lot of what is kept outside is patio furniture, fountains, gardening tools, statuary, and plants. All of these things get dirty and are tricky to move.

• Hose it down!! Things get dusty, dirty, muddy, and slimy outdoors. Cleaning all your outdoor décor a few days before move day will make everything easier and more pleasant to handle. You may also prevent a run in with angry spiders, snakes, or scorpions depending on where you live.
• Dry it out. If you are moving a fountain, disassemble it, clean it, and let it thoroughly dry before you ask anyone to help you move it. Fountains are heavy and awkward. If they are slimy, they might slip and break or hurt someone.
• Clean your grill and disconnect the propane. Don’t move a grimy, greasy grill to your new yard. Also don’t let the overflowing grease cup spill in the truck on the way and soak all your other possessions with the remains of meals past.
• If you’re going long-distance say goodbye to the plants, if you’re staying local get a pickup truck. Plants don’t survive well in moving vans and no mover is allowed to haul plants over state lines. If you have large plants that you want to keep, plan for that. Have the right truck or hire a landscaping crew to move them. Definitely don’t water plants the night before a move as this makes the dirt become mud and add lots of weight to the pots.
• Clear the shed. The shed may be made of super lightweight plastic, but when it contains 4 broken-open bags of potting soil, 15 ceramic pots, rakes and shovels, etc, it is no longer lightweight and is not ready to be moved like that.
• The Hot Tub: call a professional spa service. Period. If they brought it in with a crane when you bought it, you and your buddies probably should not try to just “lift it over the fence.”The other option is to leave it for the next guy.

The Kitchen: This is usually the trickiest room inside the home to pack and prep for moving, partly because it is one of the most functional rooms, and partly because there is so much storage in the kitchen. The kitchen always takes a long time to pack, even when you have help. I suggest doing the kitchen in stages, starting at least a few days before the move and keeping a few boxes handy for the last few items you’ll need the morning of the move.

• Start with the obscure. The Christmas dishes, the ice cream maker, the peculiar gadgets, and wedding presents you seldom used can be packed weeks in advance of move.
• Thin the herd in the pantry. Check dates on boxes and cans and toss out anything expired. Donate the cans and non-perishables that are still good but that you don’t want to keep.
• Box the decorations. A lot of people have special kitchen décor, be it saved wine bottles, old jugs, artificial plants, or old-timey cooking implements. These things can be boxed up and removed from the living space early on.
• Double check all cupboards and under the stove. There’s always an extra box worth of stuff hiding in every kitchen that appears packed.
• Keep 2 meals’ worth of dishes (and of course the coffee maker) out and unpacked until after breakfast on the day of the move. This goes a long ways toward helping maintain a sense of normalcy while everything else is being packed up and moved around.
• Leave all the cleaning supplies unpacked and leave a box or two behind to move them after the old kitchen and the old house have been cleaned.

Books, Files, and Media: There is only two rules when dealing with books, cd’s, dvd’s, files, documents, etc.

• Put them in small boxes. They are small, but they are heavy compared to other things. If you toss you entire family’s music collection into large box, don’t be surprised when you can’t move it or the box disintegrates. A bookcase with 6 shelves will fill about 8-10 small boxes with books.
• Yes, you have to empty the desk/file drawers into boxes that you must  seal and label. The same goes for the workbench, utility table, nightstands, and safes.

Kid’s Rooms: Depending on the ages of your little ones the kid’s rooms could be pretty easy to pack and prep, or your children could be teenagers. This is a list of a few general tips for getting kid’s rooms ready for a smooth transition.

• If you built the crib, you should disassemble or collapse it prior to moving. If it took you and your buddies 24 beers and 3 hours to make this crib stand on 3 and a half legs, it may take a little bit of trial and error to make it move-ready, too. Remember, many things built within rooms don’t fit through doors when fully assembled.
• Bunk beds are always trickier than they look. Plan ahead and take it down before the day of the move. If it was tricky to build, take pictures as you take the parts off, keep the nuts and bolts separated and organized in kitchen storage bags, and write yourself notes if you have to. All this may seem dorky, but it’s a lot cooler than fighting with your spouse in front of sleepy kids at midnight after you’ve been moving all day.
• Help your kids pack and help them decide what to keep and what to get rid of, don’t just force them to throw things away. If you think of how stressful moving can be, imagine how it is for your children. Keeping them informed and involved helps them understand what’s going on and makes it feel like it they are part of the situation. This in turn tends to make kids and teens more helpful and less likely to act all crazy during the process. Very young children in particular need a sense of control. Help little ones pack, label, and carry a special box with their favorite toys. You’ll be amazed at how much that can smooth the whole situation.
• No matter what age your child is, don’t just toss them some boxes and say, ‘go to town.” Packing and moving are major life skills and this could be an awesome opportunity to teach young people some valuable lessons about caring for homes and belongings, spatial relations, and why you never buy the cheapest tape.

Dining Room: This can be a breeze or a challenge depending on the level of décor in your home. This room tends to have many decorative pieces that are fragile, as well fine china and silver. Use the Disk-Packs and Cell Kits and lots and lots of paper to protect the expensive and fragile items found in the dining room. Here are a few quick packing rules that will ensure grandma’s gravy boat remains intact:

• Pack plates and saucers vertically. Wrap each in paper, or specialty foam envelopes and stand them on their sides in the box. Plates placed horizontally could crack under the weight of plates above.
• Fill void in vases, glasses, stemware, etc. Crumple paper and stuff into hollow spaces in mugs and glasses and such. This creates internal support and helps resist breakage. Do not stuff it with such force that the glass breaks in the process. It can be done and quite defeats the purpose.
• Wrap the stems of stemware with folded up paper, to make a more uniform shape. Part of the fragility of wine glasses and champagne flutes is their shape. By filling the voids of the stem and the cup, you’ve made a more solid object that can be packed more snugly and securely. A well-wrapped wine glass should be almost indistinguishable from a well-wrapped pint glass.
• Fill all strangely-shaped voids with paper or padding. No matter whether your packing 600 cruets (decorative glass genie jars with glass stoppers) or a large brass sculpture, the spaces can be deadly. Paper can offer more support and protection than you’d think. Just remember that the more cubic you can make something, the better it will move.
• Figurines. You can roll these in healthy bundles of paper, and stack them in small boxes carefully. Err on the side of caution in general with really fragile items.

Decorations in General: Though you could probably just move your Led Zeppelin poster from the garage rolled up, the original oil on canvas passed down from your wife’s great grandmother could probably use a bit of attention. When possible, put mirrors, paintings, and large photos in Mirror-Pack boxes, made for just that. Line the corners with crumpled paper and place as many in one box as will fit. For other types of décor items, use common sense and lots of paper and bubble wrap to protect fragile edges and surfaces. Really fine paintings on canvas may require specialty acid-free packing supplies so make sure you research that before packing any oil paintings in normal paper.

Bathrooms: The only quick and easy rooms to pack in the house. Put it in small and medium boxes! Very few things in the bathroom are fragile except decorations. But you packed those already in nice boxes with lots of paper, right? If it’s the master bathroom, keep your individual things individual. It will help greatly when it comes to unpacking.

Remember to toss out any expired medications!

Linen Closet: The other easy one. Get large boxes and stuff them full of linens! They don’t weigh a lot and you can squish many a blanket in to a large or extra-large box.

Coat/Master Closets: Pack the loose items in to large boxes, but don’t worry too much about trying to pack these. Get Wardrobe boxes (often rented or provided by the movers) and quickly transfer your hanging clothes from the closet to the bar in the Wardrobe box, and on to the bar in your new closet. Fill the bottom of those boxes with shoes and loose accessories.

Jewelry and Small Valuables: Always pack these yourself and move these yourself. Be responsible for your most expensive and irreplaceable objects.

Very Special Items: Not every home is the same, but most people have dining tables, sofas, TVs, etc. There are some things items that are rather unique and may require special materials or knowledge before they may be handled properly. One example would be a home recording studio. The equipment used in recording is expensive, heavy, and fragile and most studios contain thousands of feet of cords. Other examples might include salon equipment, a collection of historical artifacts, drafting/designs tables, stone polishing tools, tanning beds, or artworks and supplies. Any of these can be moved successfully but since they are less common it is a good idea to be involved and thorough in their preparation. Do not expect your friends or movers to have prior knowledge of your specialty items. Help them out by being organized, prepared, and informative when it comes to those off-the-beaten-path rooms and goods.

There’s more to packing and I could go on for days on specifics. The general rule is that no matter what it is, if it can be sealed into a proper moving box, it should be. You can email me anytime with questions on how to pack certain things and I’ll gladly offer advice, perhaps even a rough diagram of sorts. Packing is important, but it is only the first step. At some point, you or a hired mover has to carry everything you own out the door, drive it somewhere and put it all back in a new home.

How To Pack and Move like a Pro- Table of Contents:

Part 1: Tools and Supplies - The essentials for packing any home for moving.

Part 2: Before you Begin Packing – Set yourself up for success by being organized.

Part 3: Getting Started and Getting it Done – Tips and tricks for the ultimate packing experience.

Part 4: The Day Before – Advice on the final preparations and your last day in the old home.

Part 5: The Day of the Move – A guide to a masterful move.

• Get out the tape measure. Now would be a good time to measure your refrigerator, and all the doorways it will have to pass through at both homes, and determine if the handles or doors need to be removed. Maybe just the front door of your new house needs to come off, maybe the fridge doors and hinges need to be completely removed. Find out before the move so you can plan for the added time and have the right tools.
• Attend to the Laundry. Try to let your washing machine dry out for at least 24 hours before a move. This will reduce the weight, and the amount of water that gets spilled while disconnecting them. Make sure that the washer and dryer you are moving will work in your new home. Is your dryer gas or electric? Does the power cable on the dryer match the outlet in your new home? If not, you should try to pick up the right cord at an appliance or home improvement store before the move.
• If you have a complicated bunk bed to move, it would behoove you break it down the day before the move.
• Take glass out of china hutches and curios and wrap it up in blankets or packing paper.
• Take mirrors off dressers, hutches off desks, cabinets off the wall if they are mounted, and clear any shelves that you want moved.
• Disassemble any weight machines or gym equipment as much as possible. If you have a large weight system with lots of cables and stacks of weight this will take several hours. Be organized and keep all the parts in storage bags.
• Have a good meal and get some quality rest. You will need the energy.

How To Pack and Move like a Pro- Table of Contents:

Part 1: Tools and Supplies - The essentials for packing any home for moving.

Part 2: Before you Begin Packing – Set yourself up for success by being organized.

Part 3: Getting Started and Getting it Done – Tips and tricks for the ultimate packing experience.

Part 4: The Day Before – Advice on the final preparations and your last day in the old home.

Part 5: The Day of the Move – A guide to a masterful move.

• Remove the top of the kitchen/dining tables, and break down all other tables that are intended to come apart.
• Disconnect the TV’s and Computers and pack the components in an organized manner if you have not already done so.
• Pack bedding and break down all the beds.
• Wash the dishes and pack the last items from the kitchen.
• Empty the fridge into ice chests or “coolers,” depending on your regional dialect.
• Pack up the last-minute items from the bathroom.
• Separate the brooms, vacuums, and cleaning supplies you will need and set them aside.
• Don’t schedule anything else for the time you’ll be moving. While it is tempting to get the new kitchen painted, the cable run, the lawn mowed, and the new sofa delivered all on the same day as your move (often the only day some people take off work), but this is beyond destructive. If you have hired movers you will be paying them to stand still while other trades are in their way. If you have friends helping you, they will be very frustrated, as will the contractors working in your new home.

A Few Last Thoughts and Tips on the Creating the Ultimate Moving Experience: Moving is tough. It can be made much worse by a lack of attention to detail. Keeping organized and giving yourself enough time are absolutely essential to having a good move. In my experience, the people that did these two things had great moves and even seemed to enjoy the process. Here are a few other tips from a pro to help make your move rock out loud, whether you do it yourself or hire some guys like us.

• Be the leader. Be attentive. No matter if you hire movers or enlist friends, someone needs to know what is going on. If your items are coming off the truck at the new home, be there to explain where you would like them.
• If you are doing the move with non-professional movers (friends and family) you are in charge of safety. That means talking things out before picking them up, slowing people down, spotting corners and encouraging safe practices. Be kind and grateful to your helping hands but make sure they are lifting properly.
• Nothing you own is worth more than the health and safety of another person.
• Pro-Movers will not touch certain things. Namely things that can explode, poison, or ignite. Don’t fight them on this. Move your own propane and ammunition. It is the law.
• Some things are just fixtures. Murphy Beds for one. If you plan on moving one, realize it is a built in fixture and must be completely dismantled or else it will fall apart in transit. I speak from experience. Some things are meant to stay put where they are.
• If you have a piano, I strongly recommend hiring a professional. If your piano is a baby grand or a tall upright, hire some strong guys with the equipment and know-how. I won’t move a piano with any less than 3 pro movers. Period.
• Get rid of it before the move! There are so many options available to donate unwanted goods and furnishings. Get rid of it, get the tax write-off, and give someone something useful.
• Have fun. Moving doesn’t have to be terrible. If you are ready and can keep your cool, you can enjoy the work and roll with the punches. Working very hard with people can be a bonding experience. Make sure no one gets hurt and don’t let tempers flare. Have a laugh about some of your silly old junk. It’s healthy.

How To Pack and Move like a Pro- Table of Contents:

Part 1: Tools and Supplies - The essentials for packing any home for moving.

Part 2: Before you Begin Packing – Set yourself up for success by being organized.

Part 3: Getting Started and Getting it Done – Tips and tricks for the ultimate packing experience.

Part 4: The Day Before – Advice on the final preparations and your last day in the old home.

Part 5: The Day of the Move – A guide to a masterful move.

And I think it is. It has been a great year. We have done some amazing moves, met some really kind and interesting people, traveled the state and country, heard some astounding life stories, seen some incredible artworks and treasures, and shared some good laughs with people who were strangers the day before. This year we moved 3 generations of the same family, which is pretty cool in my opinion.

Great rates and simplified billing have been key for us and for our customers, but I think the most important aspect of our business is clear communication. Frankly, one of the largest problems people have with movers is the disparity between the estimate and the final bill. Estimating moves is a tough thing to do, and no cube worksheet  or software can give you a perfect number, even if you note literally every item in the home. Ultimately, there is an instinct you have to gain by experience,  along with an understanding of distances, hallways, stairs, furniture, cities, geography, etc.

I think that many companies give purposefully low estimates to get jobs on the books, knowing they will raise the total considerably in the end. Unfortunately I think there is a culture of commissions-only estimators in the moving industry that creates this type of situation all the time.  Being a salesperson is tough, and you need to sell to get paid.

This is different than contractors or owner-operators because most of the time we are the sales and service department all-in-one. We have to do the work we bid and ask the customer for payment upon completion so misleading them in the beginning will only create trouble in the end.  Being totally upfront about costs and services from the start is the only way we can provide the value we promised. This has served us well this year in the Moving Crew, largely because of the rapport we can build with our clients and the personable accountability we have to them.

On behalf of us movers I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and sincerely thank all families and individuals that called upon the Moving Crew in 2010! Thank you for the business, thank you for the referrals, thank you for the support!

I’d also like to thank you for the waters, the coffees, the lunches, the amusing anecdotes, the great conversations, the beautiful views and gorgeous drives, the doughnuts, the bagels, the croissants, the jokes, the truths, the hugs, the handshakes,  the books, the Hershey kisses, and the Gatorades.

And a big thanks to Jim for the wheelbarrow, it’s been a life-saver!

-Andy Z of the Moving Crew

She explained that a relative had seen something, either online or on TV, that claimed movers and movie theater seats were the 2 most common spreaders of bed bugs. This sounded to me like the beginning of a media-triggered hysteria that could turn out to be trouble for movers all over. I wanted to do some research on this topic in case it was going to become an industry-wide issue.

Though I was unable to identify the particular media source that raised concern for my customer, I was able to find an extraordinary amount of opinion-based blame for bed bugs all over the internet. If you search “Movers bed bugs” you may be overwhelmed with results, mostly blogs where people are speculating the origin of their bed bug problems. If you simply search “bed bugs” without the phrase “mover” you will find countless other fingers pointed at everything from hotels to thrift stores to you child’s very classmates. Ah, the information age indeed.

Here is a link to some information on Bed Bugs published by the Centers for Disease Control in the United States. This is what I consider to be quality information from a reputable source.

As for our fleet and our moving blankets, I have never seen any signs of any infestations of any kind, but I decided it was time for a thorough cleaning and inspection of everything the Moving Crew touches. It was time, anyway, after a busy summer to check and maintain everything and who doesn’t love a super clean workspace? I decided to document the process of detailing a moving truck to show not only what goes into it, but to let readers know that we keep our equipment clean and working properly so that we may keep the items we move clean and safe.

I began by taking everything out of the truck and setting it all aside.

As it turns out, we keep a lot of equipment on a truck.

Door jamb protector, tool kit, cordless screw gun, safety cones, straps, tape guns, bungee cords, door stoppers, and miscellaneous tools.

All together we keep about 3 cubic yards of pads and equipment on a truck.

I vacuumed dust from the tool box, I re-rolled and inspected all the straps and their working parts. I even took the protective pads off of the box dollies for washing.  When I had everything out of the cargo box of the truck, I set to sweeping and washing it, clearing all the nooks and crannies of thumbtacks, paperclips, glitter, felt scraps, dust, fuzz, sticky notes, and all the other little things that escape from unsealed boxes and desk drawers.

Every time I clean a truck I am shocked at the amount of thumbtacks that end up in the back. I usually find a few of marbles, felt pads from furniture feet, and tiny fragments of artificial plants, too. This time I also found an “I Love NY” pencil. Not everyone empties their desk or packs everything in closed boxes every time, and plastic organizer drawers are known for spewing thumbtacks and paperclips as they travel down the road.

I washed out the cargo space with a hose, a mop, and some regular dish soap. I didn’t use any harsh chemicals or anything scented. Some good, cheap dish soap seems to do the trick quite well and rinses away thoroughly.

Squeaky clean cargo space.

I let the cargo box dry overnight and in the morning swept it out again for good measure. I also went through and tightened or replaced any loose or missing screws inside the cargo space to ensure they wont snag or scratch anyone’s belongings while in transit.

The sheer number of screws in the cargo box of a moving truck is astounding.

I detailed the cab of the truck and cleaned the mirrors and windows. Trucking regulations require that all commercial vehicles carry extra fuses, a fire extinguisher, and reflective emergency triangles so I verified that we had a full set of fuses, the triangles were still stowed, and I checked that the fire extinguisher was still pressurized. I also made sure the first-aid kit was stocked and that the registration and insurance papers were where they should be. Once the cab was sparkling I set to washing the outside of the entire truck.

You could spend a small fortune on industrial cleaning supplies but regular dish soap cleans a truck quite nicely I've found.

After going all the way around the giant truck and cleaning the road dirt from the underside, the time had finally come for me to take on the most tedious challenge of this project: inspecting and shaking out every single moving blanket and re-stacking them on the truck.

While I didn't find any bugs or larvae of any sort, I did find a few slivers of wood or veneer stuck in the cotton.

We stock about 80 moving pads per truck and I inspected both the interior and exterior side of each, removing any debris as I went. I didn’t find any bugs or larvae but I did find a few slivers here and there that I removed to prevent any scratching of a customer’s belongings. Most of the items we wrap in pads are not missing veneer or falling apart, but every so often someone will have us move that 30 year old desk that is chipping on all 6 sides and our pads snag the slivers that are flaking off the rough edges. All in all I found debris in only 5 of the moving pads.

The inspection of pads is an ongoing process. While we are moving we are constantly unfolding and folding the pads. If we see one that is dirty or damaged we set it aside and replace it before the next move.

When all the pads were stacked and secured I brought everything else back into the cargo box and secured all tools and equipment. All told I spent almost 12 hours over 2 days detailing 1 truck thoroughly. This kind of time can be hard to come by when it is summer and the movers are very busy, but I think cleaning is an enormously important part of overall maintenance.

I wash our vehicles regularly and tend to do the complete detailing like this about 4-5 times per year.

Personally, I love to clean and organize but I know not everyone does and I know it is different because I’m one of the owners of all this equipment so my interest is vested in it’s longevity. The time it took me to complete this project was well spent in my opinion for the peace of mind I gained from inspecting every inch of my workspace and tending to all parts.

I can say confidently to any current or prospective customer that my trucks and equipment are clean and in proper working order, free of any bugs, properly insured and registered, and squeaky clean. I feel good about that.

]]> http://www.calmovingcrew.com/archives/175/feed 1 http://www.calmovingcrew.com/archives/144 http://www.calmovingcrew.com/archives/144#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:34:53 +0000 Andy http://www.calmovingcrew.com/?p=144 I believe that in business you will succeed if you do what is right. Success means many things to many different people and I’m not referring to purely financial gain. At various  times in my life I’ve been asked to define success and though I know we all want to make a comfortable living, I think most of us like to feel that we are making that money fairly doing something we feel good about.

I love what I do and I feel good about the service I provide to my customers. We’ve been building our business by doing what is right and working with people through the entire move experience.

A recent client had some very kind things to say about our company and her experience with the Moving Crew. Read her testimonial Here.

I certainly do not measure my success in how much advertising I can afford or how many moves I can do in a month. I do think that there is something very good going on when someone is willing to help me grow my business because she believes in us and what we do.

Thank you so much, Clare, for your business and for helping us build our company.

-Andy Z

Mover Damon going above and beyond to help out customer.

Sometimes taking a few minutes out of your day to help someone out can be incredibly rewarding. A big thanks to Damon for quickly changing our customers tire and getting move day back on track!