25 March 2018
 Categories: , Blog

Moving long distance takes a different degree of work and preparation than moving across town does. When you move long distance, you generally have to pack everything up and fit it into one moving truck. You also have to think more carefully about how you pack and what you pack to ensure that your belongings make it safely to their destination as they will be in transit much longer than they normally would be for a cross-town move.

Clean Outdoor Furniture

If you have outdoor furniture that you will be moving, don't just wrap it in place and put it in the moving truck any way that it will fit. A week or so before your move, take your time to really clean your outside furniture. Use a pressure washer on the top and bottom of your furniture to make sure that no bugs or larvae are on your furniture. You don't want to transport pests across state lines and to your new home.

Box Up Your Mattress

For a short move around town, you can just throw your mattress on the top of all of your moving boxes in the van and unpack it right away. However, this strategy will not work for a cross-country move. With a cross-country move, you are going to want to protect your mattress.

Purchase a box to put your mattress in. This will help preserve the shape of your mattress and ensure that it doesn't get damaged or bent out of shape.

Eat Up Your Food

You should not ship any food in your moving truck. Although you can ship non-perishable food, you always run the risk that the food will get crushed or opened in some way, and pests will be attracted to your food and your belongings.

It is best to work on eating everything up in your house before you make a long distance move. Anything that you can't eat up and isn't open, drop off at a local shelter or food bank before you head out of town. You may want to enlist an in-town friend to come by your house on moving day and take the rest of your non-perishable food to a food bank. Moving food is a risk that just isn't worth taking.

Pack Up a "Take With You" Box

Make sure that you pack up the things that you will need for your trip. Pack up your bag of personal items, and load it up into your car before your moving day arrives. If there are any items that you'll need right away, such as personal documents, be sure to find a place in your car for those items as well.

You may also want to pack one box of essentials for when you get to your new house, such as toilet paper, towels, and disposable plates and cups, so that you are able to use the bathroom, shower, and enjoy some food as soon as you arrive at your new home without having to break into all of the boxes.

Does moving a long distance seem daunting? Hiring a moving company like Men On The Move will simplify the process significantly.