Things You Should Pack and Move by Yourself

Transferring to a new place is bearable, thanks to moving companies. By hiring one of them, you don’t have to worry about lifting furniture or asking friends to help you. Your mover will also provide most of the needed equipment. However, you can’t just pay and let the company do all the job.

There are things you have to pack and move on your own.

These are as follows:

Medications and Pet Essentials

Health emergencies could strike you or a loved one while you’re in transit to your new place or when you’ve just settled in. Manage such risk by making sure you have your medications with you, not with your mover. By doing so, you can also locate them right away once you’ve moved in and find yourself in an emergency. Moreover, you can be assured that your meds aren’t mismanaged or exposed to not so ideal conditions.

You should care about the basic needs of your furry friends as well. The trip and the new home are going to stress them. Make sure they feel less stressed by having their favorite toys with you and feeding them on the same schedule as before. Also, set up their home or bed right away to help them adjust to your new home sooner.

Safe

A safe is intended to secure some of your most prized possessions. If you won’t allow all your loved ones to access it, then you shouldn’t just let strangers move it.

You can transport your safe if it’s just around 300 pounds. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t contain anything. For heavier ones, you should seek assistance from the dealer or from a moving company specializing in transporting irreplaceable items. This entails additional fee, but it will help ensure your safe is given the appropriate attention.

Important Documents

You can get copies or replacements for important documents. However, the process is costly, time-consuming and inconvenient. Additionally, you can’t just dispose of your existing documents without worrying about identity theft.

Like your safe, you can’t just hand your documents to anyone, even to your mover. There’s the risk of employees taking a peek at your papers. They might not also sort and pack the documents properly. It’s better to do these tasks yourself.

To transport your important documents, you’ll need a fireproof container like a safe and attaché case. You should also arrange them accordingly. For example, adoption papers and birth certificates may go together but should be separated from checkbooks, insurance policies, and titles. You can use envelopes or folders to organize the papers before putting them inside your fireproof container.

Items with Sentimental Value

Insured moving companies will either replace or pay for your personal items in case they break or lose any of them. However, the replacement or fee will never be enough if the damaged or lost item is something you cherish the most.

You can provide instructions to your mover on how to handle items that are inexpensive for others yet irreplaceable for you. But if you can’t entrust your items with sentimental value to anyone, it will be better to pack and transport them by yourself.

Jewelry

Aside from the sentimental value of some jewelry pieces, the insurance of the mover may not be enough when the said items are damaged, lost or stolen. Thus, you should have them among the list of items to pack in a safe or in any secured container. Before that though, put the jewelry pieces in their respective cases and in jewelry boxes.

Firearms and Ammunition

Letting your mover transport your firearms and ammunition will put both of you in serious trouble if the authorities find out. Movers know this risk, so they’re likely to decline when you instruct them to do such. As you’re the one transporting documents, particularly those about gun ownership, you should also be the one bringing the said items to your new place.

Flammable and Combustible Items

In addition to firearms, moving companies refuse to pack and transport flammable and combustible items. Examples include matches, charcoal, fireworks, lamp oil, gasoline, and kerosene. They won’t also transport your cans of paint, thinner, pesticide, weed killer, and cleaning chemicals as these may leak and/or explode while in transit.

Before you move out, dispose of many of these things by selling, giving away or throwing their empty containers properly. In the case of hard-to-replace combustible items like propane tanks and household batteries, look for a mover or get the equipment needed to safely transport such. As for the lighter flammable items like nail polish and nail polish remover, you can pack and move these on your own.

Perishables and Houseplants

Perishables and houseplants may attract bugs to the moving truck. Furthermore, the conditions inside the vehicle may not be ideal for the said items, causing spoilage or sickness in plants. Consequently, they may leave nasty smells behind. Because of these, movers may decline to pack and ship plants and perishable goods.

Toiletries and Personal Care Items

Toiletries are easy to replace. Most movers don’t mind transporting them as well. However, imagine when you just moved in and needed to go to the bathroom but you can’t find a roll of tissue paper.
For toiletries and personal care items, you should pack, bring and unpack them yourself. This way, you know where the items will go to once you do your self-care routine.

Some moving companies may also avoid transporting grand pianos and appliances. Thus, before hiring a mover, ask about the things they can and can’t transport or refer to their website. You should also inquire about the packaging materials and equipment they may provide or allow you to rent for the items you have to pack and move yourself.