- April 16, 2024
It’s finally here! It’s Moving Day! The moving truck is outside, and the crew leader is knocking at your door. If you’ve followed along in our Blog Series on what to do before your crew arrives, you’ll have had some time to prepare – but just in case you haven’t – Now’s the time to check this list Do Not Pack!!! and make sure that your important documents are out of the way. Let’s dive in for moving day.
The Crew
You’ll be assigned a crew for your move based on the size of your shipment and the complexity of the move. The crew can be anywhere between 2 and 6 men and there will be 1 crew leader who will identify themselves as such. The crew leader will be your go – to person with any questions that you have, or any doubts. They’re there to ensure that your move is as smooth as possible.
When your crew arrives for packing, it can feel overwhelming if you’re not prepared. The first few minutes after their arrival, you’ll have a few minutes to walk the crew leader through your home and point out any important details for your move. This is NOT the time to tell them you’ll be sorting through things in the living room before they pack. Anything you need to sort, should be done well in advance. We’ll talk about some pointers for that task below.
During this initial walk through, note any special protection that will be needed for your home (floor coverings for light color carpets, or padding for around door frames and banisters). If there are any specialty items like antiques, pianos, fine art, or televisions that will need crated, call those items out again – though your move specialist should have them recorded from the pre – move survey that was completed.
Once you’ve completed the walkthrough, the crew will begin to work. They’ll bring in stacks of boxes, packing paper, tape, and anything else necessary. The crew will split up your home into work areas and they’ll work room by room to ensure. If you’re curious why the crew is using packing paper instead of bubble wrap – check out THIS BLOG (packing paper).
Don’t be alarmed if the crew seems to be working fast. Remember, they’ve done this thousands of times and have their best practices down – they know exactly how to stack and load things so that your items are safe, secure, and protected.
Do Not Pack!!!
We mentioned above that there’s a few things that you’ll want to set aside before the crew arrives and hopefully you’ve checked our “DO NOT PACK” list and our Getting Sorted blog.
Before your movers arrive, you’ll want to have a designated space that is out of the way but clearly identified where you can place items that are not to be packed.
Here, you can set aside any valuable jewelry, passport, personal electronics and power adapters. Don’t forget to keep any medication that you’ll need while in transit. Suitcases, important paperwork, flight details, and laptops.
THE DO NOT PACK CHECKLIST
- Passport(s) and Travel Documents
- Keys
- Phone / Personal Electronic Devices
- Adapters, Chargers, and other Cables
- Birth Certificates and Other Personal Records
- Valuables – Jewelry
- Money / Wallet
- Check Books or Credit Cards
- Personal Items – Clothes
- Toys or Books for trip
- Pet Food / Pet Carriers
- Final Utility Bills
- Cable Box for TV
- Any Equipment that needs returned
- Suitcases You Intend to Use For Travel
Valuables
If you have specific items of value that you’re concerned with – talk with your crew leader.
Larger valuables such as fine art, antiques, handbags or collections, if moving with you, should be noted on your Valued Inventory list (example). The valued inventory lets the crew know which items will need additional protection and also ensures that your shipment is properly insured.
Jewelry should not be included in your international shipment as it’s uninsurable. Remove all jewelry items and carry them on your person if you don’t want to leave the items behind. Earthrelo cannot assume liability for these delicate items.
Number of Days for Packing and Loading
If your shipment is larger, you may have several days of packing before your loading day. Your move coordinator at Earthrelo will keep you informed on the expected start times each day of your move and who you should expect at your home. Sometimes packing crews will not be the same as the loading crew or there may be changes depending on the specific needs of your shipment.
At the end of each packing day, your crew will leave the boxes stacked in each room. It’s important to not move or rearrange the boxes and never open a sealed box. If you believe that an important item was packed on accident, you can notify the crew leader and the crew will help to locate the item. You can tell them where you suspect the item was (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom etc.) which will avoid too many boxes needing to be unpacked/repacked.
Furniture Disassembly
On the final day of packing, the crew will disassemble any simple furniture items such as beds and tables). TVs should be removed from the wall and unmounted ahead of the crew’s arrival. Furniture will be protected using high quality cardboard wrap, padding, and tape. Some items like TVs or glass items may need to be crated. Your beds will be the last things to be disassembled, when possible.
Mattresses are typically protected in either special mattress bags or in cartons created for international transport.
Loading
When it’s time to load your shipment, all of the boxes and furniture items will be counted and a packing list will be created. This list will detail the items that your shipment contains, what type of items are in what boxes, and the total number of boxes. To see a sample packing list, click here.
The packing list will be used during the customs clearance process at your destination and also at delivery time to ensure that all items were shipped. The packing list is also important for noting any damages found at the destination.
The crew will begin to stack boxes and take them out to the moving truck, container, or lift vans. Depending on the size of your shipment, the method of transport may be different. You can always ask your crew leader or move coordinator if you are unsure about the method.
After the last box is loaded, your crew leader will bring a packet of paperwork that will need your signatures. These papers are for insurance, transit, and handling of your shipment and confirms that everything you wanted to move has indeed been moved. This is a good time to walk through the residence one last time to check for any missed items.
What the crew won’t pack
You may see a few items as you walk through the house that the crew couldn’t pack. These items are hazardous or not allowed. Ideally, you would have gotten rid of most of these things prior to the packing, but that’s not always possible. Any open liquids (dish soap, laundry detergent, paints, gasoline cans) cannot be packed. Also – food items are prohibited in international shipments – even in small quantities. These items will not be disposed of by the crew, so be sure to allow yourself time to clean out the remaining items if you will not be coming back.
That wraps up packing and loading. If you’re following along in our Blog Series – up Next is the delivery window or delivery spread.
