Planning how to move in the cold weather doesn’t have to be daunting when you are prepared. At Alpha Moving, a licensed New Jersey Moving Company, we know exactly what these cold northern weather conditions can do to you and your items during a cold season move. If you are planning a winter move, or have one planned in the next few weeks before the season breaks, take precautions! We have got the perfect list of 12 moving tips for you to put into action in your next winter wonderland move!
Cold Weather Moving Tips From a New Jersey Moving Company
In New Jersey, we have one of the most unique winters in any of the fifty states. You will find extreme precipitation including rain, snow, sleet and ice storms. We have consistently low to subzero temperatures, and unpredictable seasonal snowfall. Our winters are long and slow to flip into spring, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg on some of the difficulties our weather can put you through when you’re trying to move this season.
The basic moving tips you need to know for moving in the winter cold weather revolve entirely around your safety and the safety of your personal items. Be sure to pay close attention to yourself and your helpers and above all else, do your best to be prepared for anything, because living in New Jersey, you know with our weather, it could happen!
Protect Yourself
You and your loved ones are the most important thing when it comes to your move. Protecting yourself and them will mean making certain you remain uninjured throughout your move so that you can still help keep things going full speed ahead. Bundling up and wearing the right gear should be your first concern when considering a winter move. This means considering the weather outside, as that’s where you’ll likely spend most of your time and it is the more dangerous of the two extremes you are bound to face when going in and out carrying boxes and furniture. Prepare for the weather, not your living room and you’ll be set.
Proper Footwear
Quality footwear is paramount to keeping yourself safe while moving in the cold. Choose a shoe or boot that is thick and insulated, waterproof or water-resistant (and comfortable!) with a good grippy tread. These should be a top priority so you don’t get cold or slip while carrying your items.
Gloves
Many grip gloves can function as a way to keep your hands warm away from the frigid temperatures and to help you hold onto your furniture. Pick a glove that is graded thermal for the winter cold with an extreme grip.
Layer Up
Wear multiple layers to keep warm. You can always take them off as you heat up, but you can’t add them if you’ve already packed them! Keep a sweater, a water-resistant coat, and even some blankets to warm up inaccessible and easy to get to.
Protect Your Items
We all want to make sure our items are safe and arrive at our new homes in tip-top shape. To ensure the safety of your personal items, they too need to be properly protected from the elements. Many household items will suffer in the colder temperatures, the wind, and rain and should be packed and moved very carefully. Before you consider moving any of your items though, protecting them means reviewing your surroundings for possible hazards and looking out for the snow.
Snow and Ice Removal
If you are capable, be sure to remove as much of the obstacles created by snow and ice from your path as possible so you don’t have to drag your items through any of the muck the cold weather might bring.
Pack Carefully
Take extra care on some of your items when considering packing them. Many personal effects will not handle the cold weather well and might warp or become brittle in the changing temperatures so packing your most precious items with some extra padding is a very good idea.
Use Tarps
Cover your beloved furniture in tarps instead of cotton sheets. Winter-grade moving tarps are thick enough and many are water resistant to protect against rain, sleet, and snow. You may also have to consider additional protection for some furniture like leather and softwoods.
Use Tarps part 2
Tarps have a second very important use to consider, and that is protecting your floors from salt, ice or water damage (and as a bonus protects you from slipping) while you go about moving. Not just any tarp will do, be sure to get those temporary floor protection tarps with the grip side.
Prepare for Delays
Delays are bound to happen even on the most well-planned and executed moving days, but during a New Jersey winter weather, the unpredictability and extra precautions you must take will likely add more time than you expect. If you start out prepared to be delayed and make the necessary adjustments to your schedule prior and during your move, it could help mitigate having to move in the dark (which would cause its own type of difficulties).
Watch the Weather
The New Jersey winter weather can change at a moment’s notice, and you’ll be surprised how walking and driving carefully on snow and ice really can slow down even the most well-planned move. Watch the Weather as best you can and adjust your move accordingly by starting earlier or later if you can.
Use your Best Driver
Driving conditions can and are likely to be dangerous, even on an ordinary bad winter weather day, but driving moving trucks changes things. Put your most experienced truck driver behind the wheel so that you can be assured your items are safe. If you want too, you can drive ahead and warn them of specific spots on your route that might be troublesome!
Turn up the heat & lights
Make certain your new home is equipped with utilities and is bright and warm and ready for you and your movers once you arrive. This will protect you and your items in case your delay took you into the cold and dangerously low-temperature night and also serve to warm up you and your moving company if you’ve been chilled during the first leg of the move.
Bring your Shovel
It is easy when moving to pack all of the things you don’t think you’ll need, but packing items like your shovel and ice scraper can be a disaster. Make certain winter weather items are accessible in case the snow has accumulated so that you can easily clear the path before you when you arrive at your destination.
Call the Professionals
Remember, when it comes to moving you’re never alone. Alpha Moving and Storage knows all of the cold weather moving tips that will apply best to each situation. We know precisely how to move in the cold and handle all the different types of weather and moving difficulties a New Jersey Winter Move can bring and we’re happy to help! Our moving & storage specialists will know exactly what to do to help you make a safe and fast move.
Next time you’re considering a cold weather move, consider the professionals at your local New Jersey moving company, Alpha Moving & Storage.
Alpha Moving & Storage
234 16th Street 2nd floor, Jersey City
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Alpha Moving helped us move from an apartment with many stairs in Hoboken to a suburban home in NJ. There team was very responsive, professional, punctual, … More and communicative. I was very happy with their service, and they helped make the experience less stressful. The Alpha team was great at communicating ahead of and during our move and they set our expectations on pricing. We were very happy with our decision to hire Alpha. -
My experience using Alpha Moving and Storage was excellent. The crew was courteous and professional. They took their time to ensure that everything was … More covered and packaged before the move so there was no damage. They made sure everything was positioned correctly in our house, and even helped to move a few pieces of furniture that were not part of the original move. I would highly recommend
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I recently hired Alpha Moving to help a family member move from a 3rd-floor walk-up in Brooklyn to New Jersey, and I couldn't be more impressed with … More their service. The team was punctual, professional, and showed exceptional care for both the Brooklyn apartment and the New Jersey home. They took extra precautions to protect the walls and floors, which we really appreciated. Communication was excellent before, during, and after the move, making the entire process much less stressful. I highly recommend Alpha Moving to both family and clients—they’re reliable, professional, and offer very reasonable pricing..
