Month: March 2018

The packing team of a residential moving company is generally an experienced group of employees. Often times, they have years of experience in the moving industry and can pack household goods like nobody’s business. They’re trained to move quickly and efficiently, know how to pack tightly and carefully, and can pack a container without making it too heavy or too light.

Residential movers have been trained to provide high-quality work and can make packing look easier than it is. When the packing team first enters your home, they’ll walk with you and listen to your concerns, taking notes on what items need to be handled delicately and what needs to go where when you get to your new space. Once they have a good understanding of what needs to happen, they’ll move around your home and pack everything accordingly. With that being said, you may still have some questions. Here are some common ones we frequently get:

What do your packing services include?

The first item on the agenda is to protect your home. Reputable moving companies will protect your floors no matter the season. Next, the packing materials will be brought in. Items like packing tape, cartons, boxes, and paper are industry standards. Unless you have specific requests, your items will be packed according to rooms. To get the most out of our time, we’ll split up, so one member of the team will work on the kitchen while another starts in the bedrooms. Each of the boxes will be labeled according to the room, not the items within. If you want to add more descriptions regarding items, you can make notes on the boxes yourself. A good rule of thumb is to expect professional packers to complete between 100 and 150 boxes per day.

Can my items be damaged?

Professional packing teams are trained to wrap and protect items by placing them in specific ways within a box or carton. We can’t guarantee that absolutely nothing we get broken since different circumstances can influence this, but damage is less common when a professional team handles the packing.

Why are my items packed so quickly?

Keep in mind that packers don’t have emotional attachments to your items that you do, so we’re able to get the job done quickly. It’s not that we don’t care about your belongings, it’s that we have a job to do and want to help you to the best of our ability. It will be up to you to enjoy the emotions and memories when you start the unpacking process in your new space.

Am I required to be there while the packing team is there?

Yes. It’s important to make sure your children and pets stay safely out of the way so we can get the job done. There may also be loose parts and pieces that we may ask you about, so it’s always good to be there just in case.

Will I like having my items packed for me?

We believe you will, yes. If you take the proper preparation steps, we believe you’ll enjoy the experience. To be honest, who wouldn’t love having someone else do the packing for them? To minimize stress for everyone involved, take some time to prepare before your items are packed up. We specialize in residential moving and you know your belongings better than we do, so let’s work together to get everything where it needs to go. Should you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask! We’ll give you the details regarding what you need to do before packing begins.

Make the moving process a simple one by calling White Glove Movers. We’re a professional moving company that specializes in intrastate and interstate moves. We’re also happy to handle the packing for you. Give us a ring today and we’ll get you an estimate.

Letting your home sit empty for a short period of time during a move or a vacation doesn’t seem like a big deal, but this is the perfect opportunity for burglars to step in. There are lots of terrible things that can happen to your home when it sits vacant including damage and theft.

The good news is that protecting your vacant home is simple. If you follow these steps, you’ll create a safe, secure home while you’re away.

1. Install a security system

Cedar Rapids is a relatively safe community, but that doesn’t mean you should be trusting enough to let your home sit empty with no protection during your move or vacation. Investing in a security system will save you money on your insurance policy and give you peace of mind knowing you’ll be protected whenever you’re gone. Not sure what kind of system to get? Choose a system that includes monitoring services, fire alarms, and surveillance so you can get notifications regarding any activity in or near your home. It’s always a good idea to let your alarm company know you’ll be out of town and if anyone is house sitting for you so they can come and go as needed.

2. Program your thermostats

Try as we might to stay organized during a move, things can get complicated and chaotic quickly. Sometimes homeowners forget to adjust their thermostats on moving day, and since you’ll be quite busy that morning, take the time to program your thermostat the night before. If you’re moving in the winter and your house will be empty, leave the heat on so the pipes don’t burst. Is it the middle of summer and the Iowa humidity has set in? Leave your air running so the wood doesn’t swell and mold doesn’t set in. A lot of thermostats now have WiFi capability and can be programmed from your phone, so if you forget, take a moment to adjust it from wherever you are.

3. Use bright exterior lights

Do you need to take a couple days to finalize the moving process? Don’t let your house sit unprotected at night. Putting up some bright exterior lights is a great way to deter intruders, especially when it’s clear you’re moving. Do you have a detached garage or shed? Don’t forget to install lights on them. Using a timer will give the illusion that someone is home and the house isn’t sitting empty. You can also go the extra mile and install exterior video cameras to give an added security boost.

4. Inform a trusted neighbor

If you’re on vacation or when you’re moving, it’s important to have a local contact regularly check on the house. This gives the impression that someone is there and gives you a head’s up on any potential problems. If you don’t know anyone in the area that can help you, there are companies who will complete such check-ins for you.

5. Prep for your time away

There are some final things you should get done before you move or go on vacation that will boost your home’s security. Replace worn locks and close blinds so prying eyes will be turned away. Avoid an easy break-in by making sure there are strong locks on all exterior doors.

If you’d like some help with the moving process, speak to the professional team at White Glove Movers. Based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we’re a locally owned and operated residential moving company that performs interstate and intrastate moves. We can also give you guidance on enhancing your home’s security during the moving process. Give us a call today!

The idea of downsizing a living space is becoming more popular as many homeowners decide they don’t want to pay for the maintenance, constantly clean, and pack more items into their large space. Moving to a smaller home can be quite freeing, but that doesn’t mean everything about the process is simple. Whether you’re moving to the other side of town or to the other side of the country, following these four tips can make moving into a smaller space easier.

1. Reframe Your Thinking

Maybe downsizing wasn’t your first idea and you’re feeling a bit disappointed about it. Instead of letting it get you down, focus on the positives that come with owning a smaller home. Upkeep will be easier, there will be less pressure to host gatherings, and you’ll have decreased maintenance costs. Are you relocating to an area that lets you travel on foot or by bike? This is the perfect opportunity to leave your vehicle at home and get out in nature more. You can also save money on gas by utilizing public transportation if the system is convenient. There is a silver lining to downsizing, so don’t feel like you’re taking a step backward.

2. Let Some Things Go

Moving to a smaller space means that you’ll obviously need to pare down your belongings. This process can be difficult but the trick is to think about the items that you would be heartbroken to lose. Whatever items make that list, those are the ones you need to take with you. If something is replaceable in your mind, then you don’t need to take it with you. If you find that you need an item later, you can always repurchase it. Come up with your list of must-haves and let the rest go.

3. Get Rid of the Excess

Everybody has a list of items they keep “just in case.” When you have a large home, it’s easy to accumulate and hang on to extra things in case you need them someday. In a small home, you won’t have the space for all of these things, so apply the “use it or lose it” method to these things. Do you have numerous sets of dishes, several duplicates, or collections of things tucked away in corners that haven’t been used in years? Donate them, place them on consignment, or have a garage sale to get rid of them before your move.

4. Start a New Routine

Your new smaller home won’t have the excess storage space your previous home did, which can be a benefit. Obviously, you won’t have the space to accumulate excess belongings, so if you have to move again one day, you won’t have to sort through as much. Your smaller space will have a place for each of your items so they will be at your fingertips instead of hidden away in a crawl space, closet, or basement. This also means that if you find yourself bringing new things home on a regular basis, you’ll probably need to adopt the one thing in, one thing out method. This will keep your new home clutter-free.

Whether you’re downsizing by choice or necessity, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to give up everything you enjoy. There are plenty of benefits to downsizing because it gives you the opportunity to truly evaluate your items. As you prepare for your move, consider working with a professional residential mover. White Glove Movers is a locally owned business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that helps with in- and out-of-state moves. We can also help with the packing. Give us a call today to discuss your residential moving needs.

One of the terrifying parts of moving is the revelation that you have to move your messy room. Even if you take pride in keeping your home relatively clean, there’s probably at least one room in your house that’s messy – you can be honest.

Messy rooms are challenging because you need to clean them before you start packing. And once you start cleaning, you’ll no doubt come across things you know you don’t need.

The good news is that once you get through your messy room now, you won’t have one in your new space!

A lot of homes have messy rooms where extra items are stored, toys are overflowing, or boxes of old documents are stacked on top of each other. Thinking about packing up this room before your move can be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to prepare for your residential mover, which is why we’re talking about it today. If you need to clean up a messy room before moving day, we suggest following these four steps to get organized.

1. Start organizing. First thing’s first. You’ve got to step into that messy room and get the process started. Begin by creating three piles: Keep, Toss, and Donate. This is your messy room so chances are you haven’t used everything in here on a regular basis. Gently used clothing, furniture, and toys are great items to donate to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. You can be as cutthroat as you want, but remember that you don’t have to get rid of absolutely everything. If you come across family heirlooms and antiques during your organizing, find a new home for them where they won’t be forgotten.

2. Create an “essentials” bag. Moving is a lot like getting ready for vacation; you tend to forget about all of the little things you use each morning until they’re all packed away in your suitcase. At the end of a long moving day, the last thing you want to do is search for your toothbrush, soap, toilet paper, and dental floss. Instead, designate one of your bags as your essentials bag. Keep all of the little things you’ll need right after you first move into your new space so they’re ready for use. Don’t let your residential movers take this bag, keep it with you in the car so it will be handy.

3. Label everything! As you pack your belongings, make sure you label each box with a general category such as “Kitchen.” This will help you determine what’s in the box without having to dig through everything first. Ask your residential movers to put the boxes in their designated rooms in your new home so unpacking is a little easier. Are you interested in being hyper-organized? Assign each room a color (the kitchen could be green, the kids’ bedroom could be pink, etc.) so you can look at boxes and quickly identify which ones go where.

4. Download and use a moving app. Have you considered keeping yourself organized the digital way? There are several apps out there that can help you organize your items before moving day comes. If you’re a visual person, check out Sortly. It will help you create a visual inventory of your belongings and create labels for your boxes. We also suggest Snap ‘n Pack Moving Assistant, MoveAdvisor, Home Move Pro, and First Home Checklist.

The moving process can be hectic but it doesn’t have to be miserable. Working with a residential moving company is one way to alleviate the stress of moving. If you’re in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area and you need some help with your move, get in touch with White Glove Movers. We specialize in cross-country and in-state moves. Let us give you an estimate today.