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How To Move Safely During COVID-19

Movers Unloading Boxes From Moving Truck During COVID 19 Pandemic

Much of our normal life has changed or ceased since the coronavirus crisis gripped the USA in March of 2020. But some things have to go on, like moving. Maybe your lease is up? Perhaps you need to combine your household with others in your family for financial reasons? Or maybe you were already in the process of changing homes, and you just can’t put it off anymore. Planning a move to a new home can be pretty challenging. Still, now you have to worry about protecting yourself and your family from the novel coronavirus. The excellent news, staying protected and reducing your risk while moving isn’t as challenging as it seems. Here are five tips you can use when the time comes to move during the pandemic.

(1) Get a Contactless, Virtual Quote

As you begin researching moving companies online to plan a contactless move during COVID-19, look for movers that provide virtual estimates rather than in-home visits. The video estimate feature is an excellent alternative to the traditional in-person moving estimate. Using video communication via a smart device allows you to walk an estimator through your home remotely. Check with the moving company to find out how you can best prepare for their virtual quote process. Most likely, preparation instructions will include:

  • Make sure your phone or tablet is fully charged and that you have a strong Wi-Fi signal. If you are not connected to Wi-Fi, remember that data charges may apply. 
  • Turn on the lights in all of the rooms you will be showing to your moving cost estimator. 
  • Open all cabinets and closets for items inside you will need to be moved. 
  • Have a tape measure on hand, just in case your estimator needs you to measure an item for accuracy.

(2) Questions to ask

Make sure you ask your moving company what measures they are taking to ensure a safe moving experience during COVID-19. Quality moving professionals understand the safety of you and your belongings are critical during any move. The movers should demonstrate considerable vigilance at this time when it comes to your safety and health. Below are a few questions to get you started as you vet your movers:

  • What precautions are you taking to protect your moving crew and drivers?
  • What precautions are you taking to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among your movers? 
  • What will you do if it’s discovered that a worker or customer has been diagnosed with COVID-19?  
  • Can you provide me with additional information, links, or documents that address moving during COVID-19 before I schedule my move with you?  

(3) Buy A LOT of packing materials – in advance

Studies have shown that the coronavirus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours. It’s best to get packing supplies delivered to you, so you can avoid the risks of last-minute trips to the hardware store during the pandemic. You don’t want to realize the day before your move that you don’t have enough stuffing or boxes to pack and end up having to make several hardware-store-runs. Your budget, your belongings, and your schedule will thank you for spending the extra time in advance determining the number of boxes you’ll need. You can use the chart below to get an idea of how many boxes you’ll need. Do not forget to keep in mind that the longer you live in your home, the more stuff you will have accumulated!

  • Studio: 10 – 20
  • One-Bedroom Apartment: 20 – 40
  • Two-Bedroom Apartment: 40 – 60
  • Two Bedroom House: 60 – 80
  • Three Bedroom House: 80 – 100
  • Four Bedroom House: 100 – 120
  • Larger: 120+

(4) Communicating ahead (Moving and Donations)

If you are moving out or into an apartment building or condominium complex, notify your management company of your move’s time and date. Remember to make these arrangements ahead of time on both ends of the move. Ask your management team about using a service elevator for the day of your move and special arrangements needed for parking the moving truck. You should also notify your neighbors by phone or email so that they can be aware of keeping a safe distance in halls and elevators on your moving day.

Moving usually means sorting through your belongings and shedding items you no longer use. But dropping off a bag of clothes at Goodwill isn’t as simple as it was before. Wherever you donate household goods locally, check their website and call to see how and where to give.

(5) Sanitary Precautions and Cleaning

Your movers should come prepared with their face masks on and continue to wear them throughout the entire moving process. Keep your distance from movers and avoid handshakes. If possible weather-wise, you want to leave your windows opened to allow plenty of fresh air to circulate. Most importantly, you want to have enough soap and paper towels available for your movers and your family to wash your hands throughout the day. 

Thoroughly disinfect and clean your new home before you unpack and settle in. After the movers leave, take some time to disinfect any areas that are high-touch zones. Wipe down door handles, light switches, and bathrooms before you finish unpacking. Get rid of any germs that could have been brought in on foot traffic by sweeping and mopping your floors. Besides cleaning and disinfecting your furniture and belongings as you unpack, make sure to properly dispose of all packing materials. Contact your local government agency if you have questions regarding the disposal or recycling of boxes and other packing material.

VMoving provides fast transit of goods for our clients

When you hire a moving company, you want a team of movers that know how to do the job and have been doing the job for many years. They need to be experienced and quick on their feet to relocate boxes and furniture to the truck with care and due diligence. Our Moving Companies have only the best staff working for us, and we like to make sure they continue to get training to provide you with a better and better service each time.

Get a FREE QUOTE in less than 30 seconds!

How Much To Tip Movers?

Moving companies are in the service industry, and tipping is a standard way to show your gratitude. At the same time, tipping your movers is not considered something that you have to do. Deciding how much to tip movers is sightly important because you want to factor it into your overall moving costs.

Plan to provide 5% to 20% of your move’s total cost as a tip to the moving team. A decision to pay movers 10% of the total might work perfectly too, if you only work with one team of movers for a few hours. The simplest way to evaluate how much to tip your movers is a scale based on how long the move takes. Generally, $10 per person is acceptable for a half-day (4 hours) and $20 for a full-day (8 hours). If your movers are working from daylight to dark or spending an extravagant amount of time carefully packing fragile items, you can expect to pay up to $40 per person.

An effective approach to tip and encourage movers

Before the moving crew begins with their job, you may want to encourage them to work hard and careful by promising tips at the end of the moving job. In addition to your verbal assurance, you could hand a $10 bill to each mover at the beginning of the move as an added incentive.

However, if this makes you uncomfortable, stick to the general rule that you should tip movers after they’ve completed the job. Don’t give the lump sum to the foreman or driver. Give each worker a tip. Giving each worker their tip recognizes and appreciates their individual efforts. Also, there may be some dishonest foremen who will keep the whole tip for themselves. If you’re happy with the service you received, let each worker know by handing him or her a tip, and smile and say, “Thank you.”

Evaluation criteria to determine mover performance

  • Punctuality

Did your movers arrive on time?

  • Professionalism

Have your movers acted professionally from the moment they have stepped inside your home?

  • Friendliness

Have your movers been nice, friendly, and sociable, or were they rather rude, cold, and disrespectful?

  • Quality and Care

Did the moving team treat your belongings with care and attention to detail? You can tell a lot about the quality of the service you’re paying for by merely observing from a distance how the movers go about handling your possessions and moving boxes. Have your movers done what is necessary to avoid property damage?

  • Dishonesty

Did the hired moving professionals work hard from beginning to end, or have they tried to deliberately extend the time they need to finish the job? Using frequent cigarette or bathroom breaks are the simplest of dishonest and disrespectful time-wasting tricks. This is especially true for moving professionals charging by the hour.

Additional ways you can treat your movers

If the moving crew is doing a wonderful job and you want to show your appreciation other than by tipping, you can also consider offering other incentives:

  • Cold bottles of water and/ or coffee
  • Cookies and snacks
  • Lunch and/ or dinner
  • Gift cards

When offering “pizza and beer” to your professional moving team, keep in mind, many companies have strict policies about employees consuming alcohol when they are working. You don’t want to get a worker in trouble for accepting your hospitality. Make sure to communicate with the moving coordinator ahead of time.

VMoving provides fast transit of goods for our clients

When you hire a moving company, you want a team of movers that know how to do the job and have been doing the job for many years. They need to be experienced and quick on their feet to relocate boxes and furniture to the truck with care and due diligence. Our Moving Companies have only the best staff working for us, and we like to make sure they continue to get training to provide you with a better and better service each time.

Get a FREE QUOTE in less than 30 seconds!

How To Label Boxes For Moving

When getting ready to move out of your current home and thinking of moving preparation, most of us automatically associate the words disorganization, chaos, stress, and visualize a sea of boxes, from large to small, to wardrobe and pictures. Forget about the bad reputation that moving preparations usually have and let our article help you bring structural organization into your move.

Structured labeling of your boxes is your key to success. It accomplishes two things: (1) It will make your move much more organized, and (2) it will be easier for you and your movers to deal with the process of moving. Especially when unloading boxes into your new home, labeling will save you a lot of time. The movers will know exactly what room to put each box in, which fragile boxes to handle with care, and most importantly, you will know what is in them. This will prevent you from having to open boxes to find out what is inside each one.

1. GATHER THE LABELING TOOLS YOU WILL NEED

  • Markers: You will need a set of high-quality, waterproof, permanent markers. Use a dark color, preferably black, for easy legibility. Orange ink is difficult to read, as are other light colors. Instead, choose a brand that you trust and are familiar with, such as Sharpies. This way, you can use the makers for other purposes long after you’ve completed your relocation process.
  • Multi-color 3 inch round label stickers/ Colored tape: A huge variety of color-coded labels can be found on Amazon. You can easily write or print on them, and they stick to more surfaces than your moving boxes, including plastic, glass, paper, and even clothing! They are perfect as moving labels. You can also use colored tape to create a color-coded labeling system that will enable you to quickly identify your boxes by room when you reach your destination. Colored tape is available in most office supply stores.
  • Inventory list: Making a moving inventory list will help you with the organization of your possessions. At the same time, you will be on track when packing your stuff. Write details like the name of the item and quantity, and always take photos of high-value items. In case of any damage during a move or after, having an accurate inventory list will help you claim insurance. If this isn’t obvious, you should NOT label a box before packing it because you won’t know what you will end up packing in that box. You should also NOT label a moving box way after you’ve packed it because, by that time, you might have forgotten what you put inside the box. The inventory list will help you keep track of all your items if the moving company you choose loses or damages something.

2. COLOR CODE AND LABEL ALL OF YOUR BOXES BY ROOM

An easy method for labeling moving boxes is the color-coded system. This labeling system is straightforward to implement, and it is quite effective. Label your boxes by room. Choosing color-coded moving labels of at least 3-inches in size will guarantee enough space to easily write or print on your labels. This will ensure for anyone who is helping you move to easily understand your color-coded system. Be as specific as possible. Instead of “bathroom,” for instance, say “master bathroom” or “kid’s bathroom” or “guest bathroom” if you have packed these rooms separately.

Designate one different color for each destination room in the new home. For example, orange can be used for the bathroom, red can mean bedroom, green can be associated with the living room, blue can mean kitchen, and so on.

Additional Tips:

  • Label any boxes that you plan on taking yourself as “Do Not Move.”
  • Use a red marker to write down any essential handling instructions on the boxes, such as FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE, THIS SIDE UP, etc. 
  • For boxes that you will need right away, label them as “Pack Last.” This way, the movers will put them on the truck last and unload them first.

3. NUMBER ALL YOUR BOXES.

Numbering your boxes has two primary advantages: 

(1) You’ll automatically know if you’re missing a box because that number will be missing. Otherwise, you might not even notice a box was missing until weeks later when you go looking for an item you don’t have. 

(2) Numbering your boxes makes inventorying your household items easier, and you can quickly double-check your inventory list or spreadsheet by the number to find out what you packed in what numbered box. Especially when you don’t unpack everything during the first week, the numbered boxes in combination with the inventory list will help you find what you need quickly and enable you to go straight to the box to get what you need.

VMoving provides fast transit of goods for our clients

When you hire a moving company, you want a team of movers that know how to do the job and have been doing the job for many years. They need to be experienced and quick on their feet to relocate boxes and furniture to the truck with care and due diligence. Our company has only the best staff working for us, and we like to make sure they continue to get training to provide you with a better and better service each time.

Get a FREE QUOTE in less than 30 seconds