Moving in the Rain
Rain is great under the right circumstances. Tucking up in bed and hearing it on a tin roof is special. It is not the same when you locked your date in, tomorrow is your move day, the clouds are dark and the rain is threatening.
It’s best to be prepared ahead of time, even if you’ve hired professional relocation services – here are our relocation tips in case it’s raining on your move day.
Rainy Relocation Tip # 1 – Keep Things Dry When Moving in the Rain
Clearly, you need to moisture-proof your stuff. This means you need quality packaging that is rain resistant (not recycled paper) and a team that works quickly so the damp does not have time to seep through to the contents. A closed van or truck, not an open flatbed is essential.
Rainy Relocation Tip # 2 – Have a Plan of Action for Where Things Go
You cannot afford confusion when the moving truck arrives in pouring rain, let alone have things standing in a downpour while deciding where they go.
Mark up the future positions of all the bulky items on a scale plan of the place you are moving to, remembering to allocate temporary storage areas for smaller items in each room or zone. Allocate zones and unique numbers to these, and tag every item accordingly. This is especially important for large or multi-storey office relocations.
Rainy Relocation Tip # 3 – Have a Plan of Action for the Order of Collection
Three factors come into play. These are trying to clear whole spaces at a time, your need to get the essentials up and running and bulky items that must come out first or last.
You can speed things up by deciding what items to relocate first, so they are available at the new location early and less important items arrive last.
For a residential relocation, this might be bedding and kitchen goods so a good night’s sleep and full stomach are guaranteed. A corporate or business relocation will have different priories.
Create a spreadsheet showing the order of upliftment, and where to find the numbered items. Use a large font size so we can read it easily, and laminate each page so it does not matter if it gets wet. Your spreadsheet could look like this:
| Move Sequence | Item Number | Brief Description | Current Zone | Destination Zone |
Planning and preparation ensure you know where to place and find items the moment they arrive.
Rainy Relocation Tip # 4 – Drive to the Conditions
Driving in the rain requires the utmost concentration, especially if you have hired a moving truck and are not familiar with driving large vehicles. Avoid being under time pressure or stress by planning ahead, and make sure you drive safely!
Rainy Relocation Tip # 5 – Take Advantage of Self Storage
Self-storage can significantly reduce the time pressure of a move. Pack items you don’t frequently use ahead of time, and move them into self-storage. You can shift your important items on the move day, and leave the others for another time if the weather looks bad.
Rainy Relocation Tip # 6 – Leave Moving in the Rain to Professionals and Relax
It’s is a good idea to have a liaison person at either end to answer questions and leave the logistics and heavy lifting to professional relocation services. Relocation specialists know all about moving in the rain, keeping you and your items dry and warm.
Take note of these tips to stay warm and safe on a rainy moving day!
image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2750711244/
