Moving day is coming up, but wait– there’s rain in the forecast. We know this isn’t the kind of extra stress you were expecting but we hope these five tips for moving on a rainy day will help.
When you’re getting ready to move chances are you have a lot to think about. When are you going to have time to finish packing? Where did you pack your phone charger? When is the new furniture coming in? The list goes on. And for most of us – preparing for rain is the last thing we want to add to that list – but sometimes we just don’t have a choice.
But like we said – it doesn’t have to be so bad. In fact, with a little bit of planning and consideration of these tips, moving in the rain won’t be an issue at all.
1. Be Prepared!
If the day of your move is coming up – be sure to check the weather regularly and be prepared for the worst. If there is a sudden downpour, being organized, having the right supplies, and not being caught off guard makes all the difference. What do we recommend to prepare?
Have Enough Garbage Bags and/or Plastic Wrap
If it’s really coming down outside you are going to want to cover as much as possible. This means covers for your furniture, garbage bags to cover small boxes and plastic wrap to cover big boxes.
Have Extra Towels
For items that are particularly prone to rain damage, having clean towels handy to dry them off makes a big difference. And once everything is moved in, having towels to dry off anything that is still wet is a big help too.
Have A Rain Plan
Every moving situation is a little different – amount of boxes, distances from your home to the road etc… so if you know how you are going to handle a rainy day move beforehand you’ll be in a much better place if it does happen.
Consider Using Plastic Moving Bins
Plastic moving bins are less susceptible to water damage and will keep your belongings dry better than traditional cardboard boxes. If it’s not too late, it might be wise to rent a few of these bad boys.
2. Shorten Distances
If it is raining on the day of the move making an effort to shorten or eliminate the distances that you’re belongings will have to be out in the open is a game changer. In some cases this can mean using the service door of your apartment building (often times service doors will have covered entrances that you can back a moving truck into), or it could mean putting up a temporary tarp between the front door and the moving truck.
3. Make an Assembly line
If you are moving with us we’ve got you covered on this one. Moving boxes via an assembly line when it is raining outside is the best way to avoid tracking in mud. Period. One person brings the box to the door and other takes it to where it needs to go and neither track mud inside.
If you are in the unfortunate circumstance of having to move by yourself this idea can still apply. Instead of bringing your boxes all the way from your home to the moving truck and vice versa, simply make a couple trips to the entrance from outside, then wipe off your shoes and make a couple trips from the inside to the entrance.
4. Unpack Wet Items First
This tip often gets overlooked but it’s very important.
If there is a leak in the wrapping on one of your boxes and it gets wet, don’t wait to unpack it. A lot of times, only the box gets wet, but if you wait to unpack a wet box it’s a lot more likely that its contents are going to get damaged or that you’ll forget about it while unpacking other boxes. This is easy to avoid, but if overlooked it can lead to bigger issues like mold and mildew.
Also if you think it’s going to rain before you move be sure to pack your valuables/items that are prone to getting wet accordingly. Oftentimes this means wrapping devices in towels and packing them in the middle of boxes as opposed to the top or bottom – both of which are more prone to leaking.
5. If the conditions are going to be really bad – Reschedule
Sometimes rescheduling a move simply isn’t an option, and light rain definitely isn’t going to make a move too difficult. But if the weather looks like it’s going to be really bad, and you have a somewhat flexible schedule, you might want to consider renting a storage space and changing the date of your move.
If you are moving with us, we do not charge for cancellations as long as we are given a notice at least a day in advance before our office closes at 5pm. If the move is cancelled the same day, and our guys arrive at the job site there will be a $100 cancellation fee. Check out the whole list of our moving policies if you’d like to know more.
We hope you feel more prepared for your rainy day move! If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask us for a moving quote.
