the ultimate guide to moving day etiquette

Your Ultimate Guide to Moving Day Etiquette

In the past year or so, about 11% of the American population packed up their home and moved. 

Moving can be stressful, but sometimes it is necessary. 

It’s your moving day, and you hired professionals to make it easy. Congratulations! What do you need to know to make the day easy for everyone? Find out here.

Let Your Neighbors Know

If you haven’t told your neighbors you plan on moving, now might be a good time to do so. You should also give them a heads-up as to when your movers are planning on being there.

This is just a courteous way to let them know beforehand that there will be a giant truck in the neighborhood that will block parts of the street and maybe even their driveway. 

When the movers do show up, try to make sure they aren’t blocking important parts to the road or your neighbor’s car.

If you haven’t already set a time for your movers to arrive, you may also want to consider your neighbor’s schedule. If they leave early in the morning for work, it may be better to schedule it later in the morning around 9 so as the movers aren’t in their way.

Finish Packing Beforehand

Now for the etiquette for your movers.

If you are the ones packing all of your belongings, make sure that it is all packed and ready to go by the time that they arrive at your house. This will make the whole process a lot easier.

If you’re still trying to pack while they’re moving things, you will just get in their way and make the process even longer and more difficult. 

If you have everything packed beforehand though, the movers will know how much they need to load onto the truck and can coordinate how to fit everything into the truck. The process will also go faster which will save you time and money if your’e paying an hourly rate. 

Also keep in mind how you are packing your boxes. Just because your entire library collection fits in one box doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to pack it like that. 

Heavy items, like books, could potentially break the boxes if too heavy, and they will also be incredibly difficult to lift. If you don’t want your belongings breaking and falling out of the boxes you packed them in, try packing heavier items combined with lighter items to even the load out. 

Label Your Boxes

Not only will labeling your boxes make it easier when you move into your new place, but it will also help the movers when they are unloading the stuff.

If they know what room it clearly should go in, they won’t have to stop and ask you about every single box that they unload. Since you won’t have to answer questions, you can start unpacking while they are still unloading to help streamline the process.

When you get to your new place, take a tour with the movers and show them which rooms are which, or label them with a sticky note or something.

In addition to labeling where the box belongs, you should also clearly indicate if there is something broken or fragile in the box. You may want to put “fragile” somewhere clearly on the box or put “this way up” so that they don’t carry it wrong.

If you let them know that that box needs special care, there will be less of a chance of your items breaking in the move. 

Label any broken furniture as well so they know to be careful when moving it.

Don’t Pack Certain Items

Some items you just shouldn’t pack because moving companies can’t move them. 

Remove your cash, expensive jewelry, or any other valuable items before they come and just move those yourself. This will be less of a hassle for you and the moving company.

Also check what their policies are when moving certain items like propane or other flammable objects. 

Take the Drawers Out of Your Furniture

You should pack whatever is in the drawers for your shelves, dressers, or desks. This will make it easier for them to move because you also need to take the drawers out.

During the moving process, some of the drawers may fall out or get moved around, and you don’t want to lose anything that was in those drawers. 

This will also make the furniture easier and lighter for the movers to move.

If the furniture’s drawers can’t be removed, get some duct tape and tape them shut so that they don’t move and open while the movers are trying to move them. 

Make Sure It’s Easy For Them to Get Around

While you want to make sure you’re packed before moving day, you also want to make sure that it will be easy for the movers to get around. 

Clear a path in and out of your house for them, and make sure inside there are clear spaces to walk so they can move all of the big furniture out of your house. 

Also, stay out of the way! You hired them to do a job, and you have to trust that they can do their job. It will be much easier for them if you stay out of the way and let them handle it. 

However, you should still be present in the house to answer any questions they may have.

Tip Your Movers

Before your movers leave, make sure that you tip your movers. It’s not necessary, but it is a nice gesture. 

The standard tip for movers is about $25 to $50 per mover.  Some people also tip between 10 to 15% of the total move for each mover. This rate depends on how much stuff you had, how long it took, and how good they were at their job.

You should also provide snacks and drinks for them throughout the process. While you don’t have to do this either, it is a nice way to say thank you. 

Schedule Your Moving Day

Now that you know how to treat your movers on moving day, you can start preparing for the big move.

Start by getting some boxes and packing up, and then schedule your move day.

Check us out for a quote for your move.