How to Protect Your Valuables During a Move

Moving can be exhausting just as it can be exciting. Relocating to a new home involves hours of sorting through belongings, packing, labeling, carrying, loading, unloading and maintaining contact with Gainesville moving companies. If this process can be stressful even when everything goes right, imagine how much of a buzzkill it would be to finally arrive at your new home and discover that a precious item did not make it in one piece. Although no amount of planning can prevent accidents, there are certainly some safeguards you can take to protect your most valuable stuff before and during the big day. Here are some of them:

Define “Valuable”

When most people hear this word, they think about their most expensive and luxurious belongings. However, the term should encompass anything and everything that holds sentimental value and is difficult or impossible to replace. This could be old photographs, children’s favorite stuffed animals or family heirlooms such as jewelry and vintage furniture. Some items close to your heart may look insignificant to those who don’t know their story, so remember to set valuables aside early in the sorting and packing process and warn whoever is helping you move to be especially careful with them.

Leave Big or Special Items to the Pros

Some valuables, such as antique dining tables, sculptures, orthopaedic mattresses and heavy musical instruments, are too big for you to transport alone and may even need special packaging. Let professional movers in Gainesville assist you with packing and carrying these items. Make sure to do enough research to find a trustworthy company whose staff has successfully transported items of the same kind before. Moreover, it’s never a bad idea to consider moving insurance.

Pack Strategically

Labeling all boxes meticulously and clearly makes unpacking significantly easier. However, when it comes to valuables, you may want to be a little less specific. If you don’t know how many people will be handling the boxes between point A and B, avoid labeling them with attention-grabbing phrases such as “Gold Jewelry.” Also, if you know some valuables will have to go in the same vehicle as the rest of the stuff, pack them in the smallest boxes so they can go on the top of the load.

Keep Small Valuables at Hand

That said, the best option is to keep valuables off the moving truck entirely. This can prevent them from being bumped or crushed by other shifting objects in the vehicle. Transport them in your car or inside carry-on luggage if you are flying. To avoid leaving them unattended, toss the most important things in a backpack to take them to gas stations, restaurants and other places where you may have to stop along the way. The following items are generally better off not put in the moving truck:

  • Important paperwork/documents
  • Small but expensive electronics
  • Cameras
  • Jewelry
  • Photo albums
  • Unsealed or perishable food
  • A small tool kit
  • Cash
  • Prescription medications

Take Inventory Before & After the Move

Before packing and loading, write a list of all your valuables and take pictures of the state they are in. Then, after unloading the truck at your final destination, do a final walk-through to ensure everything arrived in the same condition. If you find damage long after your Florida movers have left, it may be harder to identify how and when things went wrong.

Find a Gainesville Moving Company You Trust

At UF Mover Guys, we understand how stressful moving can be and are determined to simplify the process for you. Providing licensed and insured service that includes packing, loading, unloading, transportation, assembly/disassembly and convenient scheduling, our professional movers are trained to handle your valuables with utmost care. Call our office today for a quote!