12 Tips to Warm Your Winter Move

08 Jan 12 Tips to Warm Your Winter Move

Moving in general, regardless of the weather outdoors, is stressful. Moving during the cold winter adds just a bit more into the moving equation. Here are some tips and pointers to help take the stress out of your winter move (isn’t that what we always do?!).

1. The Advantage

Are you trying to figure out why in the world you planned this move for the winter time?! Well, let’s start with the advantages of scheduling a winter move. In general, many more people move during the summer and not that many people move during the winter. This means that moving companies are a lot busier during the summer months than during the winter months. For this reason, during the summer, moving companies will not offer any deals or discounted rates. In the winter, on the other hand, simply because there is less of a demand for moving and therefore more competition among moving companies; moving companies will often offer better rates or winter moving deals. Additionally, there will be a lot more dates available for you to choose from for moving day. So as much as there are some added concerns for a winter move, it’s not all that bad to schedule your move for winter time. It can actually have some advantages.

2. Calculate the Time Difference

Beer in mind that during the winter the days are a lot shorter, with the sky turning dark at about four thirty instead of at seven or eight in the evening. Taking this into consideration will help you plan for a more realistic winter move. This means that if your move is a solid twelve hour move that can be done in one day during the summer time, then it may be a two day move during the winter time. This is simply because ending a move at nine in the evening, four and a half hours after dark, is not a great idea. Moving in the dark will make the move a lot harder for your movers and add to the potential dangers of slipping, dropping things etc., being that vision is compromised in the dark. That’s why, instead of doing a straight run with one really long moving day, as you would do during the summer. With a winter move, it would be a better idea to split the move over two days so that it can be done during day light time. Making a more realistic plan will decrease your winter move stress significantly.

3. Be Flexible

Winter weather is unpredictable. Any day can bring in its wake a blizzard, snow storm etc. Therefore, when scheduling your move, realize that it’s weather permitting. So be flexible about it. Keep this in mind while packing up; realize that your moving date is subject to change until the actual day of your move.

Also, talk to your movers about how you’d go about a reschedule in the event of inclement weather on moving day. Then, as moving day approaches, listen to the weather forecast and try to plan as much in advance as possible. As soon as you hear about bad weather predicted for moving day, call your movers and reschedule, just to be safe.

Oh, and if your experienced movers call you to reschedule due to bad weather and/or road conditions, take them seriously. They’re experienced and know what they’re doing. It’s not worth the potential danger in the long run.

4. Clear the Way – Safety First

Before moving day, make sure that both the home you’re moving out of and the home you’re moving into, are safe. Make sure all entrance ways, stairs, walkways, driveways and sidewalks are clear of ice and snow. Be sure to shovel these areas and treat them with salt to prevent further icing. Ensure that the pathways are wide enough for your movers to maneuver all your boxes and furniture safely and efficiently. Snow or ice on entrance ways, driveways, sidewalks or pathways will not only delay movers but it also will present a great danger of the movers loosing their balance, slipping, falling and possibly hurting themselves during your move. Balancing a heavy piece of furniture while standing on a slick piece of ice is super dangerous! This will not only cause delays in your move, but can cause a lawsuit in the event that a mover gets hurt. Clearing the way before moving day, will eliminate any delays or safety issues, allowing your move to run as scheduled in an efficient and safe way.

5. Protect Your Floors

At both your old home and your new home, with all the movers traipsing in and out all day long, your floors will not only get muddy and dirty, but they can be permanently damaged from all the moisture being dragged across them. In order to prevent this, be sure to protect your floors by putting something down to protect them. You can either invest in cheap tarps or a roll of paper floor protection from any construction supply store and put them down to protect your wooden floors or carpeting. A free alternative can be using a lot of towels or old sheets to protect your floors, however, you’d have to have enough of those to cover your floors and still have towels for any of your other moving needs. You’ll also have a whole lot of laundry after moving, with all those towels and sheets to clean. Whatever you choose to use, be sure to protect your floors from damage.

In addition to covering your floors, make sure to have a door mat at every entrance way for people to wipe their feet on as they come in. This way, at least most of the dirt is off before they start marching across the whole house… I mean, there’s only so much dirt those tarps or sheets can take.

6. Use an Experienced Moving Company

When doing a winter move, experience is key. Hiring inexperienced movers to do your winter move can end in damage, injury, lawsuits or, at best, extra expenses. Make sure to hire movers that have the experience necessary to move you safely and efficiently despite the winter weather.

7. Turn the Heat Off

With the doors open all day, as the movers transport your belongings form inside your home to the truck outdoors or visa versa, there’ll be a constant flow of cold winter air permeating your home. It’s a pity for your heating system to be working that hard to fight the elements only to have the hot air escape out the open front door. Having your heat on will not keep your house warm, instead it will just create an enormous electric bill for you to pay, just in case moving was not expensive enough. So instead of overworking your heating and racking up a huge electrical bill, just save yourself the expense and shut the heat for the day.

8. Create the Great Escape to Warmth

If you don’t have one, invest in a small plug in heater. Choose one room in your home to keep as your warm getaway. Plug in the heater in there and keep the door closed. This way, when the cold gets too much to bare, you’ll have a great escape to warmth. A short break in a warm place can make all the difference.

9. Turn Utilities On

Coming to your new home and finding utilities that are not yet working is super annoying at any time of the year, but in the dead of winter… Getting stuck with no heating, lighting or running water is pretty bad. To prevent this, make sure that all your utilities are working before moving day. You can even do this a week or at least a few days before your move. In the long run, it’s worth it, especially on a winter move.

10. Have Necessary Essentials with You

It’s always important to have certain essentials with you on moving day. But with a winter move, you must be sure to have all winter essentials on you as well. Besides for all the regular moving day necessities like a change of pajamas and clothing, phone, charger, snacks and drinks etc. Make sure to have plenty of coats, gloves, scarves, hats, boots, thermals and a few extra quilts on you. If these winter essentials end up on the truck… Well, you’ll be left out in the cold – literally.

11. Protect Your Delicate Items and Electronics

Fragile or delicate items are that much more prone to damage in cold weather than in warm weather. Either because there’s a bigger chance of movers slipping and dropping them due to ice or because certain materials become brittle from cold weather, or both. Whatever the reason, make sure to double wrap your delicate items to give them the extra protection they need from the cold weather.

Electronics also do not react well to cold weather. Make sure to double wrap them and keep them with you in your own vehicle. Chances are, they’ll get less banged up in there. Also, you’ll have the heat on, which will allow them to keep a steady temperature instead of dropping to the cold temperature in the back of the moving truck and then warming up after the move – this temperature change can cause damage to electronics.

12. Prepare for Mid-Move Surprise Inclement Weather

Since winter weather is non-predictable, preparing for potential, sudden inclement weather, is a good idea. Have protective gear, such as tarps, plastic tablecloths, towels or sheets on hand. In case it suddenly starts snowing or icing smack in the middle of your move, you’ll be able to give these to the movers to use to protect your boxes and furniture as they move them out/in of your home/truck. This way, in any event, you’ll be covered (pun intended) :).

13. Prepare for “Coffee” Breaks

To combat the cold weather, keep a thermos or crock-pot of hot cocoa or tea. Then, when the cold weather starts biting and frostbite just starts settling in, take a “coffee” break. Give hot cocoa or tea out to all the movers and yourself. This will warm you all up and give you the fuel you need to continue working.

14. Your Movers Earned It

For your movers, your winter move is a lot harder than a summer move. They have to maneuver your belongings through banks of snow and ice and work through harshly cold weather conditions. You’re not charged for this, in fact, winter moves are often given at discounted rates. So the movers are definitely not getting paid extra for fending with the cold, snow and ice. Make sure to thank them for their hard work and tip them well for their services.

Moving is always stressful and winter moves are a little more stressful than that. But with proper planning and flexibility, it can be a great move in-spite of the weather.