7 Tips for Moving House Plants

One of the trickiest parts of moving may be something you haven’t even thought about yet; how are you going to move your plants? You can pack everything else in bubble wrap and place it into the appropriate box, but you wouldn’t do that with anything living like the pets. That means that you need a game plan for your living plants. Even a fake plant is going to be a challenge to move without damaging it’s complex and intricate structure. When you are concerned about the stress a move will have on your plants, use these seven tips to make sure moving your house plants is done right.

Open boxes work for a short move

For a shorter move that is just going from one part of town to another, you can simply store your house plants in open boxes. That way, your drive across town won’t be too hard on your plants and they can remain in place by good cushioning on the sides with newspaper. Put your plants in the car or have someone hold them until you arrive at your new house. This will be simple ad it will allow you to bring in your beautiful plants first into the new space.

shutterstock_215266753.jpg

They can be shipped by land or air

Are you moving across the country or even to a new country? Shipping by land or air is another possibility for you. Shipping your plants will be expensive and there is no guarantee that your plants will arrive safe and sound. For a long distance move, you may want to choose a few favorite plants to be shipped or moved by you, but plan to purchase new plants when you arrive at your new house.

Staying at room temperature is important

If you or a moving service is going to take on the task of moving your plants, keep in mind that your plants are used to your home’s room temperature all year round. Make sure the move isn’t going to happen in which your house plants are being exposed to really strong hot or cold temps. For cold temperatures in the winter, make sure you wrap your plants in newspaper before loading them because a few seconds in the extreme chill will injure your plants. Most people load plants into the car through the garage to avoid this.

If boxing them, cushion them appropriately

Just like you would do in an open box, any box that you place your plants in need to be cushioned appropriately. That means cushioning on the sides of the plants to avoid movement inside. Use newspaper and other packing supplies to ensure your plants are not going anywhere even inside of the box or in the event that the box tips over.

Keep movement minimal

Speaking of tipping over, it’s important that there is minimal movement during the plant’s ride to your new home. Keep movement minimal during the move in order to protect the plant. Try to get your plant from its original place, to the vehicle, and then into its new spot in the home without any other movement involved.

Vehicle transportation requires extra attention

If possible, have someone hold the plant or keep it steady on the floor during a moving in your vehicle. Long distance travel will be a challenge, especially if you have overnight stops planned. You don’t want your plants getting too hot or cold, so be sure to crack the windows if you’ll be leaving the car for more than an hour. Provide water for your plant and consider packing your tall plants with sphagnum moss to make sure the potting mix doesn’t get out.

Use a trusted moving service for expert care

The best advice is to call The Professionals Moving Specialists to ensure you have the proper boxes, cushioning, and packing and unpacking services at your disposal. Being experienced in residential moves, they will be able to ensure a safe move for your favorite plants.

These seven tips will ensure that moving your house plants will be as painless as everything else in your home. You can check this one off the list!

thepromove.com has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 2433 ratings and reviews

What to Expect when Using a Professional Packing Service

Whenever you move, it involved packing and unpacking everything you own. This may seem like a very tedious task and your time may be better spent doing other things. Often, it will even require taking time off from work to get the packing done. If you don't like the idea of packing up your entire home and unpacking it when you arrive, you do have the option of hiring a professional packing service. This type of service will come in and do all the packing for you. They will even take apart furniture and other items. Then, when your things arrive at the new home, the packing service will actually unpack everything for you.

Should you Hire a Professional Packing Service?

Not all moves require a professional packing service and there are times when this type of service comes in handy more than others. Here are a few guidelines to help you decide if you need a packing service:

If you're moving a longer distance, it's a good idea to hire a packing service. The long drive can be very exhausting and it's even worse after spending days packing everything up.

When you need to move a large home or office, a packing service should be used. Any home with more than 2 bedrooms will take a very long time to get packed up.

Those with a number of obligations or needing to work during the move should also consider hiring a packing service. The money spent on the service may be worth it when it comes to the time you will save.

If the move will include a number of valuable items, antiques or other collectible items, you may want to have a professional do the packing. This will ensure everything it packed properly and you won't have to worry about anything arriving damaged.

All of these situations, along with anytime you cannot physically handle the packing, a professional packing service should be considered.

How Long will it Take for the Service to Pack you Home?

The number of time needed to pack up your home and get it ready to be moved to your new locations depends on the size of your home and the number of people packing. Some of the averages are:

  • Under 1,000 Square Feet - 4 to 6 hours for two people or 2-3 hours for four people.

  • 1,500 to 2,000 Square Feet - 13 to 16 hours for two people, 7 to 9 hours for four people or 4 to 5 hours for six people.

  • 2,500 to 3,000 Square Feet - 21 to 25 hours for two people, 11 to 14 hours for four people or 7 to 9 hours for six people.

  • 4,000 square feet or larger - 36 to 40 hours for 2 people, 19 to 22 people for four people or 12 to 16 hours for six people

With the help of a professional packing service, the job will be done faster than you could imagine. They will also make sure everything is packed correctly and there will be enough workers on site to make the process go much smoother and quicker.

Some of the other things you can expect from a professional packing service include:

  • Creation of a full moving inventory

  • Use of the right boxes and packing materials

  • Proper packing and labeling of fragile and valuable items

  • And More!

It all starts with a professional, on-site estimate for the total cost of packing your home. If you want to save time and enjoy the fact that you won't have to do any packing or unpacking, hiring a professional packing services the best choice you can make.

thepromove.com has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 2433 ratings and reviews

A Professional Timeline for Your Upcoming Move

Setting the timeline for your next move is very important. If you wait until the last minute to handle everything, you may miss some of the most important steps. In addition, procrastinating during a move will only cause more stress. Here's a professional timeline you can customize to fit your specific residential moving needs.

10 Weeks Out

When you reach about ten weeks from your moving date, it's time to start getting things organized and make some decisions. This is a good time to look into local moving companies, especially if you're considering hiring the company to pack, move and unpack your things. Check out our reviews at The Professionals and let us know as soon as you're ready!

8 Weeks Out

At the eight-week mark, you will need to think about buying your packing materials. The Professionals will be able to help you with all of your supplies, including boxes for specialty items, such as flat screen TVs. If you're considering a garage/moving sale, this is the time to schedule the dates and get everything ready for it. Perhaps you should checkout The Chicago GreenBox and see if using their green, plastic moving totes would help keep your possessions clean and out of harms' way.

Chicago Green Boxes

Chicago Green Boxes

6 Weeks Out

When you're about six weeks away from moving, it's time to let the school your children attend know, unless they will attend the same school after the move. You want to get all the copies of your children's school records and look into enrollment at the new schools. This is also a good time to book your moving appointment with us, and also get all of your medical records, if you're moving away from your current doctor.

4 Weeks Out

If you're about four weeks from your moving date, it's a great time to start packing anything you won't need for the next four weeks. Pack things down to just the essentials so that you can get as much packed ahead of time as possible. You can also notify the utility companies and your landlord, at this time. If you have a specific clause in your lease about notifying your landlord, make sure you check this plenty early. Some require 60 days notification, but most just ask for 30 days.

2 Weeks Out

At the two-week mark, it's time to get a plan together for groceries and food for the next few weeks. It's also a good time to have your car serviced, if you're moving long distance. You may also need to transfer insurance and pack as much as possible, as you don't want to be packing on moving day.

1 Week Out

At the one week mark, hopefully, you're just about all packed up. This is a good tie to confirm with your us and anything else having to do with your move. You can also pack an overnight bag with some essentials you will need when you first get into your new place.

The Day Before

Moving day is tomorrow and it's time to get your important documents together and anything else going with you on moving day. It's also a great time to do a final sweep of your home and make sure you didn't forget anything.

Moving Day

When moving day arrives, work with your movers to make sure everything safely makes it into the truck. You can also make a final sweep, if necessary. There are plenty of things you need to do before moving day shows up. Use this moving timeline to create your own timeline based on your specific needs.

Chicago Movers - The Professionals Default Post Image

Chicago Movers - The Professionals Default Post Image

thepromove.com has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 2433 ratings and reviews

3 Ways to Take Care of Your Movers

Professional movers will take care of you by moving your things from one place to another. While they are working, there are some ways you can take care of them and some things you should know for moving day. Here's a look at three ways you can take care of your movers and a few things they wish you knew.

Offer a Beverage

Movers work hard and they appreciate it when you offer a sports drink, water or soda. If it's a hot day and it's going to be a long one for them, make sure to stock up on water or sports drinks to help keep your movers hydrated. However, it's not a good idea to ever offer any type of alcoholic beverage to movers. Most companies frown upon this.

Stay out of Their Way

It's okay to help with some things, but for the most part, you want to stay out of the way of your movers. This will take care of them in the best way possible by providing safety. If you get in the way, it could cause issues, which may prevent the movers from being able to do their job safely.

When you hire full time movers, you should let them do their job. They are trained professionals and know how to take care of your things.

Tip Them

Be prepared to tip your movers. This is probably the best way you can take care of them and the best way to thank them. You can find plenty of information on how much to tip your movers ahead of time. Make sure you have cash ready to go and give it to each mover individually or the foreman in front of the rest of the movers.

How to Help Your Movers

A Few Things Movers Wish You Knew

Making moving day easier on movers doesn't have to be difficult. Here are a few things you can do, which they wish you knew about.

Finish Packing

Before the movers arrive, it's best to be done packing. If you're still packing, they cannot do their job as efficiently as they would like.

Use a Clear Labeling System

A labeling system makes it easy for movers to load and unload the truck. Make sure you use a clear labeling system and let the movers know the system when they arrive.

Find out Where the Movers can Park the Truck

Before movers arrive, you should know where they can park the truck. The last thing they need is to be told they have to move it in the middle of moving. In addition, you'll end up paying for extra time if they have to figure out where to park and it takes forever.

Empty Drawers, Desks and Armoires

There's nothing worse than picking up a piece of furniture and watching a full drawer fall out scattering items everywhere. It's best to empty drawers and armoires before the movers arrive.

Don't Leave your Movers

While it's important to stay out of the way, movers appreciate it when you're easy to find. If they have questions or need clarification, they shouldn't have to hunt you down.

Moving day can be less stressful and you can take better care of your movers with the tips above.

thepromove.com has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 2433 ratings and reviews