Hiring a moving company is an integral part of any major move these days, and it can take a significant amount of stress away at a time when things are busy and hectic. However, you should be aware that there are plenty of items throughout your home that a professional moving service either cannot or will not move for you, usually for liability and legal reasons. Some items seem to be common sense – your movers won’t load your grill’s propane tank or a loaded firearm onto their truck. Other items might take you by surprise, such as your kiddo’s chemistry set or your nail polish collection, but nonetheless, these items have been labeled as dangerous to ship by a third party.
There are also several items that are allowed to join the bulk of your belongings, but would perhaps be safer and more secure if you took care of the moving on your own. Here are just a few items we suggest keeping off the truck and giving the DIY treatment.
Unpack Your Safe
Of course if you pack important papers into a box, the movers will throw it on their truck, but this one falls under the category of items you should move yourself. Keep your important documents with you and move them in your own vehicle instead. Empty your safe and movers will happily move it along with your other heavy items, so you don’t need to worry about moving such a heavy and bulky item on your own. Just be sure to empty it of things like birth certificates, living wills, jewelry appraisals, and any other important official documents.
Keep important documents sorted and organized by using a small accordion file, easily found at your local office supply store. While professional moving companies do insure their contents during a move, if an item could not be easily replaced, or may even be needed in an emergency situation during your move, it is best to have it more readily available.
Works of Art and Electronics
Even if your movers offer special boxes for moving your prized works of art, politely refuse the offer and handle this part of your relocation yourself. If you are moving locally, artwork should be moved in your own vehicle, and should not be allowed to sit in extreme heat or cold for any measurable period of time. If you have a long distance move in your future, have paintings and sculptures professionally packed and shipped via air to your new destination. This method of shipping is safer and offers more consistent temperatures than transporting via moving truck.
The same is true for your prized electronic devices. Sure, you want your 70 inch LED properly secured in a TV box and moved by professionals who know how to manage its size and weight. But movers also have to follow similar safety protocols with smaller and less expensive electronic components, like your stereo receiver, speakers and Xbox. Save time and money by boxing smaller items up and moving them in your own vehicle. Otherwise you’ll be paying for the extra care that might not be warranted for a less expensive item.
Family Heirlooms
One of the great things about hiring professional movers is the comfort of knowing your belongings are being moved safely by professionals who know what they’re doing….and that if anything goes wrong your property is insured. However, insurance only comes in handy for items that can actually be replaced. Your grandmother’s jewelry, a souvenir from your honeymoon, your daughter’s baby book…if an item is both sentimental and irreplaceable, move it yourself if at all possible. Also keep in mind that while your moving company has liability coverage to insure your belongings in the event of an accident, the items will only be covered at current market value. The amount originally paid for an antique will be what matters – the sentimental value it holds will not be taken into account.
House Plants
Not only will movers likely not transport your house plants, but you probably shouldn’t move them yourself either if you are travelling very far. This may come as a surprise to some, but it is actually illegal to relocate plants on moves longer than 150 miles unless you have a special permit, and many states won’t allow you to cross state lines with the plants. Why? Plants can be excellent parasite and pest transmitters, bringing surprise critters to a new location that hasn’t seen them before where they can become endemic. This is probably for the best, as your vegetation will almost certainly not survive relocation due to the extreme temperatures they would be subjected to in the backs of moving trucks. Some movers will allow plants for short, local moves, but depending on the season, even a short time in a moving truck may do irreparable harm to your blooms. For local moves, it is still recommended that you transport plants yourself.
So what can you do with your plants when you move? Gift them to friends or neighbors. Especially if you have a friend who loves indoor plants or who has a particularly green thumb, they might appreciate this sort of reverse going away present. If you don’t know anyone who would appreciate such a gesture, reach out to your local nursing home or schools to see if they would enjoy the donation. Outdoor plants can simply be left behind, as they are commonly left for the new owner as part of the property.
Cleaning Supplies
While it might be a hassle to move all of your cleaning products yourself, you are going to have to pack them into your personal vehicle, or else leave them behind. Moving companies have strict rules about not transporting cleaning products, partially due to some of these products containing flammable materials. Another reason they shy away from moving household cleaners is due to the concern that an item could lead during transport and damage other items on the truck, damage that they could be held liable for.
If moving your cleaning products sounds like too much of a hassle and you’d prefer to just purchase new ones after your move, donate yours to a friend or neighbor in order to get them out of the house. You can also check with your local animal shelter to see if they could use them. Some places will take opened and partially used products while others will not.
Incidentally, for the same reasons mentioned above, movers also will not transport chemistry sets, interior and exterior paint, or even liquor from your alcohol cabinet. This too will need to be packaged up and moved in your own vehicle.
Toiletries
Many of your personal items are treated just like cleaning products by moving companies, and won’t be allowed on the truck. This includes items deemed hazardous, such as nail polish and nail polish remover. Also subject to this rule are products that come in pressurized cans, such as hairspray and certain types of deodorant. Not only can these products be flammable, but the cans can burst and cause damage when exposed to extreme temperatures. Packing your toiletries to transport yourself is an easy task if you usually keep a stock of only the items you are currently using. However, if you tend to buy in bulk, you may find yourself with more products than you prefer to pack yourself. When you are looking forward to a move on the horizon, take a break from buying these items in bulk so that you do not end up with a stockpile that you have to move on your own.
Surprise! Movers Will Take These Items
Since you now know that movers will not accept items that are flammable and/or could leak on everything else in the truck, you might be surprised to learn that you can actually transport lawnmowers, grills and other outdoor items on a moving truck. For lawnmowers and other outside power tools such as chainsaws and weedwhackers, you will need to train the equipment of all gas and oil first. When the flammable liquids have been removed, the item can be placed on the truck. Similarly, grills can be moved as long as the propane tank has been removed. Transport this yourself or give it away and replace with a new one once you arrive at your destination.
Ammunition of all types is universally banned by moving companies, but you might be surprised to learn that unloaded firearms are accepted by many movers, though certain restrictions and requirements apply. Each moving company will have its own policy, but usually you will simply need to fill out paperwork on each weapon indicating the make, model and serial number of the item. If you choose to transport such items on your own, you will need to familiarize yourself with the laws regarding firearm transport in each state that you will be travelling through. If these seems like a daunting task, then it might actually be better for you to allow the weapons to be moved professionally by a company that is already well versed in these regulation.