Month: July 2017

You are either an artist or an art lover and you have decided to move. Read this before loading your pieces up for transport.

Things you will need:

• Acid-free tissue paper
• Bubble wrap
• Cardboard sheets
• Newspaper
• Appropriate sized boxes
• Painter’s tape

Framed Artwork

The frame itself provides a little more protection than just a wrapped canvas, but do not think the frame will provide all the protection needed. Your piece either has a piece of glass over it, or the canvas is exposed. Should the glass break while moving it could scratch your art or rip the canvas. If the canvas is exposed, a corner of box or another frame could stretch or tear the canvas. Here’s how to properly protect it.

Use the acid-free tissue paper to protect the original artwork from the elements while moving. Even touching the painting with bare hands transfers our natural oils onto the piece. The deterioration is not instantly visible, but it will be over time. So wrap the entire piece with this and use the painter’s tape to secure.

Next, wrap the piece in bubble wrap making sure to cover the corners. While not required, a corner triangle will further protect.

Now you will want to sandwich the piece between the cardboard sheets and tape them together.

Place the piece into the appropriately sized box and use the newspaper as a filler to keep the piece from moving. This is especially helpful if loading two or more pieces into the same box.

Unframed artwork

The steps are very similar when packing an unframed canvas as a framed canvas. Still, wrap the entire piece in the acid-free paper, but this time you can use the cardboard sheet to insert between two canvases. Bubble wrap all three pieces together, again taking extra care with the corners.

It is important to note that the cardboard sheet should be larger than the canvas. If this means using two sheets, do so. This will help protect both pieces.

Where to load it onto the moving truck

Now that our beloved artwork is protected we need to place it on the truck strategically. Laying this box flat will defeat the purpose of the work you just did to protect it. Keeping the box on its side helps to absorb the pressure of the bumps during transport. Placing it the front of the truck, on the side or between to larger pieces will further keep your artwork safe from damage.

Unpacking

When unpacking your artwork, try not to use any sharp objects. The nice thing about painter’s tape is that it will hold when it needs to, but you can remove it easily as well. Unwrap your pieces and hang them where you will continue to enjoy them!

With most pets, moving can be stressful. New smells, sounds and startling new noises. When it comes to your fish, the chemical makeup of the water is the biggest stressor they experience. As with any pet, you will want to transfer the fish from the tank as close to the move time as possible, and be sure they are back in their tank before anything else is unpacked or moved in.
Here we will talk about a few basics to get your finned friends all set up in their home.

Tear down

When moving, we can’t stress enough the importance of using as much of the same water as possible. You will want a couple of five gallon buckets – completely cleaned out, or new – and start taking out the decorations. You want at least two buckets because you will use one to transport the decorations and mechanics that do not need to be in the water and the other bucket will be for your fish and plants that do need to be in the water. (if your fish are too big for a five-gallon bucket, you can use totes; just be sure you can carry them without splashing the water out.) Also, as you are removing the decorations, pay attention that your fish or other creatures are not clinging to it.

Gravel, pumps, heaters and filters

It is recommended that the gravel should be completely removed from your tank during transport. The reason for this is stress to the tank. The weight of the gravel could cause the glass to break.

Anything motorized must also be cooled. The heaters and filters use the water in the tank to cool themselves, so do not leave them plugged in or plug them in without having appropriate levels of water.

Moving day

You have transferred the water from the tank into the buckets, having left some for your fish, and only filling the bucket about two-thirds full. It’s time to find the fish catcher and scoop them up so you can put them in the bucket. You have already made sure no one was hiding in the decorations, so count them as you transfer them. They may decide to try and hide among the plants or other items in the bucket with them. Also be sure to keep the more aggressive fish isolated, so perhaps they have their own penthouse suite in another bucket.

Dump the rest of the water out of the tank. The tank is put together with glue at the corners and is designed less for travel and more for flat firm surfaces. So use bubble wrap, moving blankets and tape to secure it if you are traveling a long distance.

Reassembly

Once you, the tank and the fish have arrived at your new home go slow at reassembly. Gravel first then pumps, heaters and filters. Remember what we said earlier though, they need water to work properly so do not turn them on yet. Decorations and water from the buckets. If you have to use tap water to fill the rest of the tank, do not reintroduce the fish until it’s been dechlorinated.

Use the net again to transfer the fish from the bucket. Pouring them in is added and unnecessary stress.

Lastly, let the water temperature adjust to the room temp and then turn on the pumps, heaters and filters.

You are moving! Congrats and let’s take this time to let someone else enjoy our treasures so we don’t have to take them with us! Let’s talk about ways to make the most of your moving sale from getting started to day of tips. We have all been there. Moving and not wanting to take all of our belongings with us. Some we don’t need or use any more. Some we are just tired of looking at while it sits in the corner collecting dust. Or maybe our old décor just does not go with our new house. Whatever the reason, we are having a moving sale!

Getting started

Designated space: find a room – basement, office, spare bedroom – and make it the sale room. Clean it out, the best you can, and start moving the now-unwanted items in. Be sure to have a strategy though, piling everything into this room will not help you in the long run. Try categorizing areas by such things as home décor, trinkets, furniture or by rooms like kitchen or bath. Then move the least used, or least liked pieces first. Go grab those boxes in your storage room that have been there since you moved in, those boxes you had forgotten about, and figure out which category their contents fall under. Don’t spend too much time on these boxes though, the things in them have already been forgotten about. Lastly, if you are going to make a list of everything you are selling, this would be the time to put it together.

Set prices

This is even more difficult than deciding what to sell. Undoubtedly, the items for sale range from valuable to barely worth the price of the sticker. Knowing not everything needs its own sticker makes this part a little easier. The less expensive items can be grouped together and marked accordingly. For the pieces you know are of higher value, it might be worth it to research a reasonable price. Make sure to be as objective as possible with your pieces, marking an item too high could mean it makes the move with you.

Display

A moving sale should be organized for the customers as well. Think about when you were shopping for these pieces, was it buried under another piece or displayed nicely? If you are selling clothes, hang the nicer pieces and group size and/or colors together. If you have space, hang the wall art. Finally, play some music and use colorful signs to draw people in.

Here is a small checklist of day-of things to do:

• Ask for help! A moving sale will always draw people in so be sure to not be the only person working your sale.
• Make sure anything not for sale is out-of-sight.
• Restrict access to your house and keep your pets inside.
• Talk with people while they shop. People buy from people, this is true in retail as well as in a moving sale setting.
• Keep your money safe, either a money box or a fanny pack will help with this.
• Bags/boxes for people to carry their new treasures
• Did you create an inventory list? If so, cross off the items as they sell.

Moving to Iowa on a winter maybe a cheap option, but this is something you should think twice, especially with snowstorm frequently visiting this area.

What to expect during an Iowa Winter Storm?

So how does an Iowa winter storm look like? It is often characterized by rain with snow and occasional sleet. This makes it easier for vehicles to drive on the road. As a result, your moving day may be moved to a different date.

Due to this, it is important to know the policy of your moving company in Iowa for situations like this. Will they be willing to postpone to move? If so will there be additional charges if you move it to a different date?

Be clear with this and put it into writing.

As for your new home, it is also best to discuss this matter with your real estate agent or landlord. Since you can’t move out because of the storm, whoever would wish to occupy your place will also find it difficult, if not impossible to move it. What options would you be given should this issue arise.

Create a travel route

If it’s not possible to move your transfer to a different date, then the next best solution for you to make is to find the safest route. Check if the highways are open and if these areas are safe for travel.

Write emergency phone numbers and websites and place it in your wallet so you can easily ask for help should you be stranded somewhere along the road. Better yet, look for a location where you can stay overnight in case you do need to stop.

Ensure your car is well maintained

Your most trusted while on the road to your new home in Iowa would be your car. So guarantee that is in good condition before you hit the road by checking the following:

– Are all the fluids topped up?

– Are the tires and breaks working well?

– Is the engine in good condition?

Bring an extra gas can with you, kitty litter, or a windshield fluid. Pack a good snow shovel and emergency blanket should you need this while on the road.

Do you have other winter tips to share with other movers? Be happy to share it with us.