Residential Moving Tips

Homeowner Moving Preparation

Your first contact with McNaughton Moving & Storage will likely be with a certified moving consultant. This professional’s primary responsibility is to advise customers on every element of a well-planned move. The moving consultant will come to your home and explain our company’s many services to you and your family. Next, the moving consultant will perform a survey to identify everything in your home that needs to be moved. This survey helps us provide you with an estimate of costs and the varying pricing options.

Moving Basics

Moving Tutorial Guide

The number one most important thing you can do it make a plan for moving. By making a plan ahead of the move, prior to the stress of the move truly setting in, you will have a frame work by which to work. For the homeowner, there are far more things to keep track of then there are for the mover. You have to change over utilities, services, meet with realtors, attorneys and financial representatives. If you are packing yourselves you have a considerable amount of work today.

Typically, packing takes twice as long as most people think it will. A couple weeks before the move, it is advisable to starting packing 2 or 3 boxes a day. You can pack up items that you know you will not need and this will cut down on how much packing you have to do once “crunch time” arrives. You may leave linens/towels/pillows/blankets, etc in the drawers of your dressers, nightstands and bureaus. Desk drawers, china cabinet drawers, entertainment center drawers, etc should be emptied. Once emptied, they can be filled with linen items.

You should try to schedule your in-home estimate AT LEAST 3 weeks in advance September through April. May through August it is best to schedule your in-home estimate 6 to 8 weeks in advance if you can.

If you are being relocated for work, it is good to find out if they receive direct billing or if you will have to pay for the move and be reimbursed.

Do an inventory of the original cartons you have for appliances, electronics, etc, etc. Flatscreen TVs must go into a carton. If you still have the carton, you will need to let the surveyor know this at the time of the estimate.

In order to get the most accurate pricing possible, it is imperative that you be prepared to make a commitment on all the items in your home as “going” or “not going.” If there is any doubt, it is best to include them at the time of the survey.

How Much Does it Cost to Move?

Packing Tips And Tricks

If you are planning on packing yourself, there are few things involved that you will want to take into consideration:

How To Pack Your Possession When Moving

Use the correct packing supplies. Don’t use boxes that cannot be sealed and closed. Don’t pack into plastic trash bags. Don’t use masking tape.
When packing sharp items, it is highly advisable to use a marker to denote “sharp” on the objects’ wrapping.
Pack heavy items in small boxes and lighter items in large boxes.
After thoroughly cleaning and drying the inside of a refrigerator, put a handful of coffee, baking soda or charcoal in a sock or nylon stocking and place it inside to absorb moisture and keep the interior smelling fresh.
Place framed pictures in boxes between sheets and blankets to give them added protection. Do NOT pack framed pictures flat for any reason.
Plates should be packed on edge vertically rather than placed flat and stacked.
Drinking glasses, especially stemware, should be packed vertically (as they would sit on a table). These items are designed to support weight in this manner, so packing them horizontally WILL result in damage.
Remove lamp shades, light bulbs and shade harps before packing lamps.
Books can be placed flat or vertically (place the spine against the bottom of the carton).

Moving Kits

McNaughton serves our clients efficiently, always prioritizing their needs first and foremost. We anticipate the needs before they arise, and one way we do that is by providing moving supplies in-house.

Instead of arranging one pre-arranged kit we offer components such as tape, packing paper, mirror blankets, bubble-wrap and magic markers, so you can get essential items in your kit to fit your specific needs. We believe that creating convenience is one of the best things we can do for our clients.

Ask your moving coordinator to include pricing on moving kits when you are discussing your project.

Packing Supplies

We carry a full array of packing supplies for doing your packing on your own. We have a wide arrange of standard moving cartons as well as a supply of customizable cartons for items of odd shapes and sizes. We also carry packing paper, bubble-wrap, tape and specialized packing materials. We also carry customizable cartons for flatscreen TVs. For high value/extremely fragile items, we offer custom crating services which we provide in-house with our own staff which equates to a substantial savings to our customers over the use of a third party service company

Specialty Boxes

We carry a wide array of specialty boxes for items such as fishing poles, floor lamps, extremely high value items and flatscreen TVs. If we do not have a specialized carton for your specific needs, we can get one for you or create one for you.

Other Good Ideas

Designate one drawer of a dresser for sheets and towels so that you won’t have to rummage through boxes for these items on the first night in your new home.
Pack other essentials, such as toilet paper, telephones, toothpaste and brushes, snacks, coffee and coffee pot, soap, flashlights, screwdrivers, pliers, can opener, paper plates, cups and utensils, a couple of pans, as well as paper towels, together in a box, and ask the van foreman to put it on the van last so that it can be unloaded first at your new home.
In addition to the name and contents of each box, have children write their name and new address on the cartons from their rooms so that they can become familiar with the location of their new home.
Pack your current phonebook in case you need to make calls to residents or businesses in your former hometown.

What NOT To Ship when You Hire a Mover

Do NOT ship: valuable and expensive jewelry, coin and stamp collections, important documents, medications, irreplaceable photos, small handguns or ammunition of any type.
Do NOT pack or ship: any flammables including, but not limited to: aerosol cans, gas grill tanks, ammunition, paints, paint cleaners, ammonia, hair spray or nail polish.

Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species When Moving

Inspect all of your items to remove insects and/or invasive specifies.
Gypsy Moths: Federal law requires that consumers inspect their exterior household goods for gypsy moths.