Moving Tips

Getting Ready
      • Make sure all your items are packed and ready to go when the movers arrive
      • All boxes should be sealed and marked as to which room they go to
      • Take down all pictures and box them for the move
      • Box your lamps and lampshades
      • Plastic wrap your mattresses for protection
      • Glass table tops and marble should be crated, i.e. bubble wrapped and boxed or crated with cardboard
      • All appliances should be disconnected and cleaned
      • Empty any water from your washing machine
      • Make sure that you drain or run empty all gasoline powered tools, lawnmowers, snow blowers and
         remove gas tanks from your BBQ grills
      • Pole/Floor lamps should be taken apart as they can snap easily during a move

Non-Movable Items
      • Plants - Moving companies cannot assume responsibility for living plants. Drivers may make an attempt to get them
         to the destination for you, but if any damage is done, the moving company will not take responsibility for it. Keep in
         mind that it will be dark, with no water available, and the temperature is not controlled inside of the truck.
      • Flammable Items - Flammable items may not be transported by the movers. Items such as: paint, oil, propane
         tanks, finger nail polish and remover, matches, batteries, ammunition, and any other items that if spilled, would
         cause permanent damage to your belongings.
      • Permanent Attachments - Movers are not allowed to dismantle any items that are permanently attached to your
         house
      • Frozen Foods - Begin to use your frozen food supply. Movers do not move any frozen or refrigerated items. Make
        sure that you defrost your freezer 24 hours in advance of the movers arriving.

Move With You
      • Valuable Documents - Transport all valuable documents with you: birth certificates, marriage license, stocks and
         bonds
      • Family Mementos & Albums - Move family mementos and albums with you. If anything catastrophic were to happen
         to the truck, we can replace furniture, clothes and other items, but family treasures are irreplaceable.
      • 24-Hour Box - You will need to develop a 24-hour box. Inside this box, you should put items that you will need to
         access in the first 24 hours, such as: medications, alarm clock, phone, VCR, DVD/CD players, dishes, utensils,
         bathroom tissue, napkins, cereal, coffee pot, etc.
      • Take It With You - Have all items that you are going to transport in your car out of the house or clearly separated
         before the movers arrive. The last thing you want is for the movers to load something that they were not supposed
         to. Mark the boxes/items you are taking with you –“DO NOT LOAD”.

Packing
      • GM Van Lines offers a full packing service using the latest made materials and our professional skills to ensure the
         safest possible journey for your belongings. Packing is a specialist skill so we always recommend that you leave it
         to our professional staff.
      • Our movers wrap every piece of furniture individually. Upholstery is protected with moving blankets and we can pack          your clothes into portable wardrobe boxes. Vulnerable items will be packed with special care by our professional
         movers. If, however, you prefer to pack your belongings yourself, we offer a range of high quality packing materials
         for you to use.

Throw Out Before You Move
      • Try to throw out any clothes, kitchenware, toys etc. before you start packing, as this will save you time and money.
        The less there is to pack and move the less expensive it will be.

Pack Carefully
      • When packing cartons try and keep like items together. For example books with magazines and towels with bed
         linens.
      • Always pack lighter items such as bedding in large cartons and heavier items like books and tools into smaller
        cartons
      • Pack remote controls for TV's etc. into a parts or DVD/CD carton
      • Pack as many small or loose items into cartons to make loading faster and easier

Labeling Cartons
      • Label the carton for the room it is to be placed into at your new residence i.e. kitchen, main bedroom, office etc.
      • If the carton contains glassware or any breakable items, label the carton "FRAGILE"

Cartons and Packing Materials
      • Use good strong cartons, preferably double layered
      • Use clean white paper (butchers wrap) not newspaper as this will leave ink stains on the items wrapped in it
      • Brown packing tape should be used to seal cartons as it is cheaper and allows you to write on it
      • Seal all cartons so the tops are flat for easier loading
      • Remember to seal both ends of the cartons so that nothing can fall out

Packing of Cartons
      • Scrunch up paper and place into the carton so that the bottom is layered. This provides a "cushion" for the packed
         items to sit on.
      • Wrap all glasses or ornaments individually in several layers of paper
      • Place glasses upright in the carton not on their sides. This will avoid breakages.
      • Long stem glasses need to have reinforcing by putting scrunched up paper around the stem and then wrapping the
        glass in paper
      • Never stack glasses inside each other
      • Never pack glasses head to toe
      • Never allow glasses to touch against each other without sufficient packing
      • Plates and dishes can be wrapped together so long as there are layers of paper between each plate and dish
      • Place into the carton so that they are on their edge, not flat, as they will only have to support their own weight and
        not the weight of plates on top of them
      • Always finish the carton with scrunched up paper on top so there is a cushion for protection
      • If there is room for more than one layer in a carton be sure to put a layer of scrunched up paper between each layer
        of items to be packed