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6 Tips for Moving in the Snow

It’s necessary to set your moving date weeks or even months in advance. If you’re moving in the winter, this could very well mean relocating while it’s snowing. Just in case Mother Nature has a surprise in store for you, prepare now with these six tips for moving in the snow and in cold temperatures.

Clear a Path

To make sure your movers have sure footing when carrying heavy boxes and furniture out to the moving truck, shovel the sidewalks and driveway before they arrive. Then, apply a layer of sand or salt to prevent ice from forming underfoot.

To keep the interior from becoming wet and slippery, lay down cardboard, rugs, and old towels for people to walk on. This also helps to protect the floor from sand and salt. If needed, consider having some movers stay inside and hand boxes off to people on the outside so moisture and deicer aren’t tracked into the house.

Pull Up the Moving Truck as Close as Possible

Not only does this shorten the distance you have to walk in the snow, but it minimizes the amount of time snow can fall on your boxes and furniture. Cover particularly valuable items or those prone to water damage with moving blankets before carrying them outside.

Keep Hot Beverages Available

With snow comes cold, and with the cold comes numb fingers. It’s difficult to carry boxes when you can’t feel your hands, so consider offering coffee, tea, or hot cocoa to everyone on moving day. Not only is this a nice gesture, but it also helps ensure the safety of your belongings on their way to the moving truck.

Seal Up Boxes Tightly

It’s not a big deal if you forget to seal up a few boxes on a sunny day, but if it’s snowing, you don’t want your belongings to get drenched. Be thorough when you close up boxes with packing tape, making sure to block all corners and cracks.

Then, consider laying down a protective tarp or blanket in the moving truck so your cardboard boxes don’t sit right where snowy, muddy boots have trodden. If possible, set down plastic bins and metal containers that are impervious to snow with cardboard boxes safely on top.

Dress in Layers

Moving in the snow is tricky because it’s cold, but you work up a sweat with all that packing and carrying. The key is to wear unrestrictive layers that provide you with the warmth you need. Hats, gloves, sweaters, coats, and durable boots are a must to keep you warm and dry.

Prepare for a Possible Cancellation

Moving companies have the right to postpone moving day in extreme weather. After all, if a severe storm has made the roads impassable, moving trucks won’t be able to reach you. This is why you should wait until the last minute to pack food, clothing, and bedding, especially if you’re moving in the winter. If your utilities are scheduled to shut off, contact your utility providers to ask if you can delay the service transfer. If worse comes to worst, you can stay in a hotel until your rescheduled moving day arrives.

Why Keep Pets and Children Away from Walkways on Moving Day?

Moving day is a busy day with everything happening at the same time. Therefore, following those crowded walkways is dangerous for kids and even for the pets because of the activities that are being undertaken.

Providing Protection for Every Individual

Helps to Avoid Injuries

Family members and movers are busy lugging heavy furniture and bulky boxes move for a large part of the time. Allowing kids or pets to roam in such places increases their chances of being injured or getting involved in incidents like stumbles or being castrated between such items.

Obstructed Views

With boxes piled up high on the trolley, it’s hard for the workers to spot kids or pets, leaving them running around in such cramped spaces, which is dangerous. Their collisions with the worker can definitely leave sores to both kid and the household member.

Weather Conditions Can Make the Difficulty Level a Lot Higher

Snow and Ice Danger

On a snowy day, moving paths become a lot more icy, that in return makes it harder to avoid such circumstances in the first place, which is a risk for every individual involved.

Decreased Gripping

Conditions of ice is going to make it tough to deal with for everyone carrying items as well as kids or pets that are prone to slipping.

Establishing an Environment with Regulation

Consider Safe Zones

Create safe areas distant from pathways for pets and kids. This may be an enclosed room in the house or some contained open area outside.

Supervision is important

Always have an adult in the vicinity so that the children are safeguarded and they continue to remain in their safe area while the relocation takes place.

Such measures are taken for minimizing risks and making it possible for the day of relocation to go on without the pressure of mishaps that could easily be avoided.

How Snowplows Can Disrupt Your Moving Day Plans

The outcome of your endeavors concerning the transfer of your items and the overall process and cooperation with a moving firm is not only determined by your level of preparation, but also by the conditions that must be considered. Bad weather conditions, specifically the presence of snow in winter, threaten to delay or even cancel the operation entirely, especially when dealing with international relocation.

Weather Related Blockades

In most cases moving on a truck implies that you have access to a driveway but obstructions from snow can impede this. Replacing a particular spot with snow and creating obstructions that a moving truck must navigate around.

Post Snow Problematic Movement

A fully built mountain of snow poses a threat to safety as people end up slipping and tumbling down. Consequently, getting into a moving truck without snow all over them, and unicerpained with ice is quite the task.

Containers of Hold Up

Another time consuming issue is that snowplows operating on their own schedule can result in unforeseen waiting times if they decide to show up on or right before a planned move.

Here are some ways you can come over the aforementioned issues:

Drive Way Paradigma

You can avoid being the recipient of nasty surprises and imapcts by segregating certain barriers that commonly are seen on the cars path during its shift.

Relocation Tactical Plan

Make it a habit to check for updates on the weather conditions, and brace yourself to constantly change your timelines to adjust for the ever changing weather.

Seek Expert Assistance

You may look for some around the corner moving companies that understand how to work in winter conditions. Their proficiency can be quite useful, coping up with the snowplow issues.

Implementing these approaches will assist you in minimizing the disturbances snowplows may pose so that you have an easier time on moving day.

Get Help Moving in the Snow and Winter Moving

You have no control over the weather, but you can decide how much work you want to do when it’s snowing on moving day. Team up with Georgetown Moving and Storage Company to make your wintertime move much less stressful. We provide our services snow or shine, as long as the roads remain passable.

Georgetown Moving and Storage Company offers expert winter moving tips to help you navigate the challenges of winter weather, including icy conditions and freezing temperatures. Our professional mover and local mover are skilled in handling winter moves, ensuring your residential moving and packing service needs are met with precision, even in unpredictable weather.

Whether you’re planning a local move or need comprehensive moving services, our moving resources are designed to provide guidance on managing icy roads and cold weather condition. Utilize our winter moving tips to safeguard your moving plans during the colder months.

Contact us today at (703) 889-8899to learn more about our moving service or to request a free moving quote.

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