subject: Professional Movers - Preparing For Their Arrival [print this page] It might be quaint and cheap to get your friends to help you move, but it can turn into a bigger job than you were expecting. For a small apartment, it might be worth doing the labor. For a house or even a larger apartment, you're going to want professional movers to do the job. Of course, this doesn't mean you're off the hook as far as labor goes. Sure, you can hire a company to come in and do everything, from packing up your stuff to cleaning the carpets, but that's going to cost a fortune. For the most part, you want to make sure your house is prepared for the professionals. Here are some things you can do to get ready.
Unplug Everything
This is a small step, but it's an important one. In some instances, the movers may have to ask your permission to unplug each and every appliance because removing their electrical source can damage some electronics. This is going to cause delays in the job and that means more money out of your pocket. Additionally, if you unplug everything yourself, you can also take the time to bundle wires and cords to prevent them from being damaged in the transport.
Do Your Own Packing
Yes, there are movers who can come in and do this for you, but do you really want them to? This will be much more expensive and you will have strangers going through every belonging you own. Some would see this as an uncomfortable breach of privacy, but that's what you're asking for if you rely on the company to do your packing for you. Save some money and some modesty by doing it yourself. You can get boxes from the moving company or you can try getting discarded boxes from local grocery and liquor stores. Make sure you label everything carefully so you don't have a lot of confusion when unpacking later.
Clean The Place
You will do a lot to make the job of the movers more efficient and safe by tidying up before their arrival. This doesn't necessarily mean taking a vacuum from room to room, but rather making sure your dresser and refrigerator is free of anything, all your cabinets are bare, and you don't have skateboards and toys lying in the way. Of course, all of these things should be packed up and ready to go, but if they aren't, now is the time to make sure they are at least out of the way.
