NYC Moving Tips
Between a dozen or so movers and several decades of combined experience in the NYC moving industry– we’ve learned a thing or two over the years.
1. Moving in Manhattan? The weekends are best.
Due to traffic on all the major avenues (Park Ave, Madison Ave, Lexington Ave, Columbus Ave, Amsterdam Ave, West End Ave, Riverside Ave etc.), and on all the cross river bridges and tunnels (Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, Queensboro Bridge, RFK Bridge, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, Queens Midtown Tunnel, Hugh L. Carey Tunnel etc.) it’s always best to mover during the weekend to avoid traffic!
2. Empty Drawers
Be sure to completely empty all drawers from dressers, nightstands, desks and cabinets, and properly pack these items in bags or boxes. Emptying the drawers will help to ensure the safe travel of the item.
3. Wrap Your Glass
Be sure to properly wrap glass, dishware and other delicate items with packing paper, newspaper, or other soft materials when you place them into boxes. Even when very carefully handled and stacked in our truck, NYC streets are rough and items inside boxes can rattle against each other, so please make sure the delicates are properly padded!
4. Reasonable Box Weight
Our guys are strong, but please keep the weight of the boxes within reason. Books, magazines, records and other heavy items should be placed in smaller sized boxes. Please don’t pack large sized boxes with these type of items.
5. Bags
We recommend that you only pack soft items into bags, such as pillows, mats, and towels. Please pack fragile items (glass, dish ware, lampshades) and heavy duty kitchen items or cookware in a box.
6. Boxes vs. Bags
Bags are great for soft items like pillows, mats, and towels. At times we run into situations where nearly all the packed items have been placed in small bags rather than large sturdy bags or boxes, and we definitely want to avoid this. It can cause many unnecessary trips up and down those stairs, causing delays.
7. Packing Your Clothes
Generally dresser clothes are better in boxes, but if you use bags make sure they’re heavy duty. Suitcases are also great for packing the clothes from dresser drawers. Wardrobe boxes are great for hanging clothes that you don’t want to get wrinkled during the move. You can also use a large plastic bag over the clothes and poke the hanger ends through the bottom of the bag.
8. Use Proper Tape
Use proper packing tape to tape both the bottom and the top of your boxes. Please don’t use duct tape to pack your boxes.
9. Miscellaneous Items
Miscellaneous items should be placed in boxes or bags. If these items will not fit in boxes or bags that’s okay, but please list these items if they were not accounted for in the original list.
10. Keep Things Separate
If possible (we realize many NYC spaces are on the smaller side) try to keep things organized and together. Try to stack bags and boxes separately from other furniture so our guys don’t end up tripping over small items when carrying heavy furniture out the door. Please remove clutter from the items we will be moving.
