Moving TipsHow to Move During a Rainy Day (Or Any Bad Weather Condition)
Have you seen the classic movie scene where Gene Kelly dances down the street performing Singin' in the Rain? He laughs, sings, dances, and kicks through puddles like a child at play. Well, moving in the rain is the opposite feeling. It is a gigantic pain in the you know what. So stay safe and dry with these moving tips!
- Get Plenty of Water-Resistant Items
- Re-Pack Items for Protection from Water Damage
- Rent a Dry Truck or Block Leaks
- Move Items to the Closest Exit Towards the Truck
- Drive the Loaded Truck Carefully and Unpack Quickly
- Accept the Weather
Depending on where you live and when you plan your move you may be forced to deal with inclement weather. Re-schedule if you can. However, it is not always possible to re-schedule. It might be months after your desired moving date before there is another sunny day.
This guide will give you five helpful tips on how to deal with moving on a rainy day.
1. Get Plenty of Water-Resistant Items
Here are the water-resistant items that you will need:
- Cover for the Walkway: Tarps and ropes can be used to make a temporary cover from the home to the moving truck. Park the moving truck as close as possible to the home. Use ropes to hang tarps from the nearest trees and/or from the truck roof to the house. Put this up as soon as possible to allow time for the walkway to dry a bit, making it safer.
- Water-Resistant Packing Materials and Containers: Get plenty of large garbage bags, rolls of plastic, and duct tape. Larger plastic containers are very useful as well. New inexpensive plastic garbage cans with tops are good to have as well.
- Rain Gear for People: If you do not have rain gear for everybody already, buying inexpensive plastic ponchos with hoods is a great way to provide personal rain cover for those helping with the move.
- Anti-Slipping Materials: Get extra cardboard, floor mats (also comes in rolls) and/or tarps that can be put down on the ground outside and wherever it is needed to reduce slippery surfaces. If there are any stairs involved pay extra attention to them in order to make sure they are less slippery because this helps avoid serious accidents.
2. Re-Pack Items for Protection from Water Damage
Items that are easily damaged by water, such as papers or books, should be put in clean garbage bags that are tightly sealed and then put into plastic containers for the move. Double bag any sensitive and valuable items like electronics.
A lesser quality substitute for a plastic container is wrapping a packed cardboard box with a heavy-duty garbage bag that is sealed closed with duct tape. Garbage bags can be duct taped together to make a larger cover to use on big items.
Garbage bags are good for clothes left on hangers. Cut a tiny hole in the closed end of the bag that is just large enough for the hanger tips to pass through. One garbage bag covers the clothes and their hangers. Place a second bag to cover the first one from the bottom up. Tape the two bags together with a solid strip of duct tape that goes all the way around the bag edge, completely sealing it to the first bag.
Prevent water from seeping into your boxes by adding an extra layer of packing tape around the edges and corners of all your boxes.
3. Rent a Dry Truck or Block Leaks
At the rental yard, check for water inside the truck before renting it. Rent a dry one or be prepared to make temporary repairs of any leaks. Using duct tape is a good way to temporarily block any holes in the truck roof and walls where water is coming in.
4. Move Items to the Closest Exit Towards the Truck
You want to avoid the tracking throughout the house of water, mud, and debris brought in on the shoes of people coming in and out. Have a "dry" team that works inside the house and a "wet" team that passes items from the house to the truck. Make sure anyone from the wet team, who wants to enter the house, dries off their shoes before coming into the home.
Load the biggest items first that need to be moved with a hand truck or on a furniture dolly. Be very careful if you are using a ramp because it can be very slippery. Placing cardboard on the ramp may help.
Use a line of people that hand-off boxes from one person to another to make the transfer of items from the house to the truck more efficient. As things are passed into the truck, once they are out of the rain, dry them off using old towels before stacking them in the truck. Use cardboard or a tarp on the truck floor to prevent slipping.
5. Drive the Loaded Truck Carefully and Unpack Quickly
It the stress of making a move, it is easy to forget how dangerous slippery roads may get. Drive calmly and carefully to the place you are going for offloading.
Offload the items at a safe, yet efficient speed. Lift wet boxes from the bottom to prevent items from falling out. Remove things from any wet boxes and re-pack them again into other dry boxes. Dry off everything before putting it in the storage unit. Avoid putting anything that is wet into the storage room.
Keep all wet items separate from the dry ones. Throw away wet packing items or take them away to dry elsewhere. They will cause damaging mold if left in the storage unit.
6. Accept the Weather
Knowing that the bad weather might not go away during your moving day is one way to coup. Understanding that m Moving in the rain requires more planning and supplies. It takes longer. To be safe requires patience while taking extra safety precautions. Professionals who provide moving services in areas with bad weather have to deal with rain all the time. If you are not up for the challenge, you may want to hire them. Otherwise, be sure to reward yourself after the move is over with a hot bath, tasty warm drinks, and a cozy nap by the fireplace if you have one.
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Storage Rentals of America is your convenient self-storage solution. So come into our office or give our storage experts a call at 1-800-457-5678. Our call center is available 7 days a week and can help determine which storage unit size best fits your storage needs.
