Top Tips for International Moving in Bad Weather

With tropical storm Arthur visiting the Eastern Seaboard this 4th July weekend it’s a good time for The Moving Doctors top tips for moving when it’s wet.

1/ Make sure you have waterproof clothing to wear and a decent pair of boots. Moving is emotional and stressful enough without getting cold wet and grumpy!

2/ Put down mats, flat cardboard moving boxes or sheets & towels near the front door and heavy foot traffic areas to stop the wet and dirty feet walking throughout the house and also giving you grip to avoid a slipping injury and possible damage to your stuff.

3/ Keep some towels handy in the house and in the truck. If something gets water on it, dry it immediately.

4/ Use mattress covers, couch covers, trash bags, and shrink wrap to cover any items that could be damaged by the rain. Make sure boxes are sealed with 2 inch plastic tape on all sides and the middle join, top and bottom.

5/ Drive carefully. If you are driving a truck bigger than you are used to take it slowly and don’t feel bad if you think it’s safer to pull over for a bit in heavy rain or wind. Be careful of turns and not seeing other cars, bikes, people and tree limbs. Leave a larger gap between you and car in front of you. The truck will not stop as easily as your mini!

6/ Even if you have insurance from the truck hire company it probably will not cover any damage to your things or if you damage the roof of the truck by going under an overhanging tree or under a low bridge! A moving company will probably not have insurance to cover your things either if they get wet or damaged unless you take out a specific insurance policy where you declare values of your items at an extra cost.

7/ Be very careful on the ramp or lift gate of the truck! While they can have treading on them, they can also get very slippery!

8/ Move all of your stuff into one or two rooms close to the entrance. This will limit the amount of water and leaves that are tracked inside. Same in reverse if everything is being delivered!

9/ Check the weather in advance and if there is a chance for bad weather on your moving day, consider shrink wrapping the boxes and prepare for the worst.

10/ There is nothing more revitalizing than a cup of tea in my opinion! Take breaks, eat some snacks and a warm drink can help you get through the wet moving day!