Plan Pack Move

Moving Tips for Preparing for a Household Move

Moving, packing, and planning should go hand in hand. The day you learn you will be moving is the day you need to implement a move plan. It doesn’t matter if you’re moving six months from now or in six days. Start your move process by calling Valley Relocation and Storage Bay Area. We are experts at executing a move plan. The first thing we will do is schedule your moving day(s).

Most important Moving Tip: Be Ready for the Movers on Move Day!

Keep in mind there are many things you may want to pack yourself even if you hire a full-service packing and moving company like Valley Relocation. If you can not pack yourself, we are a trusted Northern California residential mover, and we can pack everything for you.

Our moving and packing tips are based on our mover agreement. Moving really is personal. It’s another reason to get to know each other before moving day. We are fully cooperative and safety-assertive.

Moving Tips: Before Moving Day

Top 5 things to do before the move:

• Take photos of valuables; include serial numbers.
• Notify service providers, e.g., phone company, internet provider, garbage service.
• Forward your USPS Mail.
• Start using up food in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.
• Decide if you’re moving your appliances.

Additional advice:

• Arrange to have gas shut-off (especially if you are moving a gas stove).
• Do not have water or electricity turned off until after the move day.
• Arrange for childcare and pet-sitting.
• Make donations of the things you’re not moving, either drop off or arrange for pick-up.
• Decide what to do with your house plants. If you cannot take them, give them to friends or donate them to nursing homes, restaurants, or businesses.
• Please remove gas cans, paint, fertilizers, and hazardous materials (most movers, including us, will not move these items). Department of Toxic Substances Control is a website with resources to eliminate hazardous waste.

Moving Tips: Packing

Here are the top 5 packing tips:

• Start packing items that you don’t feel comfortable having the movers pack for you.
• Pack non-essential items first: jewelry, heirlooms, confidential documents, seasonal clothes, extra dishes, pots, and pans.
• Use towels and socks to pack breakables, e.g., fine-China, knick-knacks, lamps, vases, and chandeliers.
• Label packing boxes by color per room associated with (helps at move destination when unpacking).
• Secure opened bottles, e.g., shampoo, cleaning supplies, dish soap, cooking oil, and spices.

How you can help:

• The garage and the shed. These are spaces most people leave for last. Tackle them first. Why? Because these could be used as staging areas during bad weather.
• Outdoor maintenance equipment, if not electrical, drain the gas tanks and secure the oil tank. Wrap in plastic. Avoid oil spills during transportation. Avoid a tangled mess. Wrap electrical cords up with wire or twist ties.
• Tools are expensive to replace, so plan on packing them.

Moving Tips: Moving Day

These are the top 5 things that delay a moving crew:

• Parking space for the truck(s) is blocked or taken.
• Gates and doors are locked.
• House plants haven’t been moved to a designated area.
• Path of travel is blocked, e.g., hoses, bikes, toys.
• The beds have not been stripped.

How you can help:

• Make sure your phone is charged.
• Leave out some basic cleaning supplies.
• Pack a moving essentials bag for yourself, your family, and your pet(s).
• Plan for bad weather: plastic bags, painter tarps, rags, & towels.
• To avoid things being loaded in the moving truck(s) that shouldn’t, put them in a designated area and/or put signs on them, e.g., STAYS, NOT MOVING, DO NOT TOUCH.
• Be present, but not in the way of the movers.

Don’t hesitate to call Valley Relocation and Storage Bay Area and ask for a free quote.