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With health and fitness being one of the top priority of many families and individuals, many have invested with their own exercise equipment such as

• Treadmills
• Weight benches
• Exercise Bikes
• Air Walker
• Free weights

But how do you safely and securely bring it with you on your move? What are the do’s and don’ts to ensure it will arrive at its destination in good condition?

1. Clean your exercise gear

Prior to the move, it is important for you to clean our exercise gear. It is common for germs and bacteria to thrive in warm temperature, which may be present during your daily workouts. So disinfect this gym equipment before packing it.

2. Disassemble gears according to the equipment manual

Very few of us will safely store an equipment manual. Don’t panic, you can easily search for this online. You can even watch some videos, too.

Follow the instruction guide so as not to accidentally damage your gears. If at lost, ask someone knowledgeable to help you, such as a friend or gym enthusiast. They can most likely assist you in disassembling this equipment.

3. Separate the machines and benches from the pack weights

Weights are heavy and can easily break bones, damage other furnishings and even crack floors. So if you are thinking to put your machines and benches together with the pack weights, then you have it all wrong. Your boxes can only carry so much weight. Thus, it is best to limit the items you’ll place inside these boxes.

Rather than put it all together into one box, remove the weights and label each individually per piece. Make sure the note are visible, together with the weight contained by these boxes. Distribute these weights accordingly to ensure safer transport.

4. Put the gym accessories in a single box

This gym equipment may have its own little accessories. Avoid losing them during the move by putting these in a durable zippered freezer bag. These may include the following:

• Bolts and screws
• Cords
• Manuals and guides
• Protective fastener covers
• Safety keys and locks
• Washers

Label these bags and place it into one box, rather than taping these accessories into your gym equipment. In this way, all of these tiny pieces will be in one place.

5. Seek help in reducing the size of large pieces

Some of your gym equipment may be extremely bulky. Lessen the space it needs to occupy inside the moving track by asking treadmill and elliptical machine experts to help you disassemble it.

If this cannot be done, see how you can get this equipment out from your door. Sometimes, thinking of how to move these items out and into your new house is a challenge. So start thinking about it and ask assistance early on to avoid any hassles.

For any questions in moving your gym equipment to and from Iowa, our team of professional movers can help you. We are here to help make your move more convenient. Call us at 319.393.3000 or simply send us a message.

You are left with no other choice. You need to move this winter season. The weather is extremely cold and you wouldn’t want to add more stress come moving day in Iowa. How do you handle these? Here are some tips to consider:

1. Regularly check on the weather condition

Much of weather forecasts in Iowa are pretty much accurate. So you can rely on these to set a timeline on when to do your move.

Of course, you wouldn’t want your move to happen during a snowstorm. Choose a day where there is less likely to have any weather havoc in Iowa, so you can quite conveniently transfer your furniture and other belongings to your new home.

If you are cautious of not wanting your belongings to slide on an icy road, then you can always discuss this with your professional moving company in Iowa. In this manner, they can easily know your preferences.

2. Request snow removal prior to your move

Ensure you have a clear path from your front walk when moving items. This means clearing the following areas of your new and old home:

• Garage entrance
• The entire driveway
• The path towards the back door
• Sidewalks bordering your property
• Street at the front of your house

To ensure this, you may need to bring some snow plows with you. Otherwise, someone from the family can go in advance to your new home to prepare all of these. Otherwise, you will be struggling with how to get rid of all the piled snow.

3. Plan and pack early

We understand how difficult it can be to pack during the winter season. This makes it more reasonable for you pack up days before the move.

As always, we always remind anyone moving to and from Iowa to plan early. Pack your things ahead of time. Label your moving boxes accordingly. In this manner, you won’t be rushed come moving day.

Do your packing and labeling during the daytime. This will help you save on electricity by utilizing the heat and light from the sun. As needed, disassemble your beds and sleep on an air mattress the night before the move. This will be a little inconvenient, but this will help you save a lot of dollars.

4. Prepare some extra supplies

You never can tell when an emergency will arise. Thus, ensure you have these items readily accessible in one of your labeled boxes:

Jumper cables, window scrapers, tow ropes

Sometimes, the sudden drop in temperature can put your vehicle in a ditch. So do consider having these inside your car for emergency cases.

Pairs of gloves

It is easy for a pair of gloves to get wet during the move. So prepare a couple of these to keep you warm and protected.

Towels and sheets

It is common to have a sudden change of temperature in Iowa. Be extra cautious by preparing extra sheets and towels to help protect your furniture during the move. Especially if you have plenty of these to move:

• Artwork
• Furniture finish
• Upholstery
• Electronics

Are you having a hard time finding a reliable professional moving company in Iowa to help you with your move? We are happy to help you during this cold winter season. Contact us.

Do you ardently desire to move your fish and aquarium with you on your move to or from Cedar Rapid? Are you having a hard time thinking of how to do this while ensuring your fish will have higher chances of surviving?

This is very challenging task, even for movers. But here are some tips you may wish to consider to give you higher chances of successfully doing it.

Preparing the Fish for Transport

It is best not to feed fish two days prior to the move. When you need to move, net your fish and place these in individual bags, just like the ones in pet store, with aquarium water. To ensure you get the right type of bag, you may want to buy it from one of these stores.

However, if you’ll be travelling for more than 6 hours, then it is better to add pure oxygen into these bags as supplied by your local fish store. Call in advance for them to prepare this for you.

To keep maintain the temperature of the water, place the sealed bags of your plants and fish inside a sealed cooler.

Preparing the Aquarium for Transport

You may think that draining all of the water inside your aquarium to be a wise thing. However, that is not a wise thing to do. Rather, experts recommend saving water from your aquarium into buckets, including the gravel.

How should you handle this?

Use 5-gallon of buckets with lids to keep this water. This will help reduce the time of restarting the system inside your aquarium while decreasing any risk of toxic ammonia spike that can is harmful to your fish.

Preparing the Aquarium Accessories

As for your pumps, heaters and other aquarium accessories and equipment, it is great to pack them just like any fragile appliances. Use the appropriate boxes to protect it and prevent it from breaking.

However, for your filter media and sponges, it is best to keep these immersed in some of your aquarium water. This helps minimize the sudden disruption of bacteria colonies in it while reducing cycling time.

But I am moving for more than 6 hours, what shall I do?

In cases like this, it is better to take the gravel and put some water to it. As for your filter media, it’s better to clean and discard it to ensure it functions efficiently in its destination.

What to do to your fish and aquarium after arriving at your destination

After arriving at your destination, place the water you’ve stored at the bucket back into the aquarium. As needed, add fresh water or premixed saltwater to get your heaters, filters and other aquarium accessories running. Let the temperature of the water acclimatize before adding in your fishes.

Hope this moving fish and aquarium to and from Cedar Rapids helps you. Continue following our blog to receive more updates and tips when moving.

Everything has their beginning. That includes professional moving companies.

This article leads you back to memory lane as we explore how it all began and the early beginning of professional movers in Cedar Rapids.

Ancient times: An Act of Camaraderie Among Tribes and Clans

During the time of our ancestors, tribes help one another whenever they move to a different place. This has been a sigh of camaraderie among friends.

In exchange, those who have helped with the move are given meals and nice entertainment in the evening. Nevertheless, this is not counted as payment. Rather, it is the sign of gratitude from the owner and to those who have given aid to their move.

The Journey to The West

For quite some time, people continue to help their neighbors when it’s their time to move. A simple thanks, snacks, and evening drinks are enough show their gratitude. But as the population grew and more people needed to transfer from one place to another, moving services has been more in demand, too.

This happened when the the WEST started to settle. As the Intercontinental Road was constructed, people started to gather their belonging to settle on this new land. They’ve placed it into covered wagons designed for household furnishing hauling. Thus dozens of families moved west in wagon trains.

The Birth of Motorized Vehicles

As the construction of the intercontinental railroad progressed, the use of motorized vehicles also become more prominent. But because very few people owned these, the use of horse and wagons for moving remained prominent.

As larger and heavy objects are needed to be moved, the use of vehicles also became inevitable. Thus, the development and manufacturing of so called “moving trucks.” However, these does not look like the trucks you see now. Rather, these looks like two-cylinder engines with a rear bed, quite similar to the horse drawn wagons.

The Two World Wars

After World War II, almost all motorized vehicles are used to support the war. This lead the to a decreased production and development of actual moving services. However, the demand to move household items from one place to another was still high, thus the use of horses and wagons. At times, they may even use ships or trains, but those who can’t afford to move their furniture are left with no choice but to buy or build their own furniture at their new place.

After the war was over, small transport companies who have invested in buying trucks have seen that moving items using these trucks can be less expensive compared. Thus the boom of public moving services.

At this time, very few companies are offering these services. So they were very successful. This became even more success because young soldiers are now returning home to the US after the war.  People are now starting families and building businesses once again.

Professional Movers Cedar Rapids, Today

Today, moving companies have evolved from just moving household items. Due to the delicateness of certain items, such as computers, appliances and other electronic gadgets, even offices seek the help and advice of professional movers in Cedar Rapids.

White Glove Movers delivers affordable and efficient residential and commercial moving services to anyone moving to and from Iowa. Talk to us for assistance in moving items, including irregularly shaped appliances such as pianos and equipment.

Contact us, today.

In our last article, we gave tips on how to properly pack the following:

• Chinaware
• Glassware
• Barware
• Cookware
• Bakeware
• Kitchen Tools
• Pots and pans
• Kitchen Gadgets

In this part, we’ll continue learning how to properly pack your kitchen ware, particularly your dinnerware and pantry.

How to pack your casual dinnerware before the move

You will most likely pack these last on your move, because you will still be needing them even the night before you leave. What does these include:

• Cereal bowls
• Coffee mugs
• Dinner and salad plates
• Saucers

These may not be as expensive as your gadgets, appliances and porcelain, but you still need to take extra caution when wrapping these items. Apply the necessary reinforcements, such as foam pouches and bubble wrap before packing them into their boxes.

Just like with porcelain and Chinaware, you may also use corrugated boxes and dish divider inserts as needed. These may be a bit tricky to use, but it will definitely save you money and headaches while keeping your mugs, bowls, and plates secure.

As an additional protection, you may further wrap these plates in packing paper or newspaper. Use the right size of foam pouch and layer it with bubble wrap before taping it for sealing.

Stack your mugs, bold and plates on top of one another while ensuring each divider is properly put into place. For added protection, one the top and bottom with packing paper. This will help protect it even if it gets knocked out.

Packing Your Pantry before the Move

You may not necessarily pack all of your pantry when moving to your new home, but in case you’ll bring some of your pantry goods then ensure it remains properly sealed up. Ensure none of it  has leaks and punctures. Do so by wrapping the following in plastic wrap or plastic bags:

• Canned goods
• Bags of flour and sugar
• Other items

If these items are in jars, then wrap these fragile jars in bubble wrap. This will prevent it from leaking and breaking. For those pantry items you won’t bring with you during the move, it is best to donate these.

White Glove Movers is proud member of Move for Hunger. Rather than put these food into waste, bring these to good news. Donate your unopened and non-perishable food items. Let us pack these for you and deliver them to the local food pantry to help feed local families who are suffering from food insecurity.

These items include:

• Pasta/Sauce
• Baby Food/Formula
• Dry Beans
• Flour and Cereal
• Juice
• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Cracker
• Cookies
• Canned goods
• Fruits and vegetables
• Stews, soups, beans, tuna and meat

Learn more about Move for Hunger.

Anyone who enjoys cooking usually end up packing the kitchen tools, dining equipment, furniture, and bar area last. This is but practical, since the family still needs to eat, even if they have been scheduled to move to a new destination in Cedar Rapids.

Nevertheless, packing these kitchen utensils and tools can be troublesome, especially because most of them are fragile and breakable.

Thus, it is of utmost importance to pack these supplies  with bubble wrap and other special packing supplies.

For other tips on how to securely pack your kitchenware, we have the following list:

China, glassware and barware packing tips

The following items should be carefully boxed out to avoid breaking them:

• Crystal wine glasses
• Fine China plates
• Beer mugs
• Champagne Flutes
• Chinaware
• Glass ware

How to pack these fragile kitchenware?

Follow these 3 step to ensure it will not break during the move:

Step 1: Find the right box.

Step 2: Add cellular dividers to these boxes.

Step 3: Wrap these fragile items in bubble wrap as additional protection.

Step 4: Add foam pouch inserts, especially for your porcelain bowls, teacups and plates.

Step 5: Add packing paper inside your glasses.

Cookware, pots, pans, bake ware, and kitchen tools

Compared to your fragile porcelain and china, dinnerware are easier to pack.

But it does not mean you don’t need to be extra careful in packing these items. They still need to be tightly and securely packed using bubble wrap or packing paper to avoid giving them scratches:

• Casseroles
• Cast Iron Skillets
• Dutch Ovens
• Stainless steel pots
• Frying pans
• Cookie sheets

Nevertheless, one rule you should remember is this:

Never stuff these kitchenware items in one huge box. It will not only weigh down these boxes but it will also make your items more prone to breaks and scratch.

Rather than using huge boxes to put all these items all together, choose small and medium size boxes that will avoid fit these items more securely.

Kitchen Gadgets

There is a good reason why you shouldn’t trash out the boxes of your gadgets and appliances – it can be very good when moving out to a new place.

But if you have thrown these boxes away, ensure you find a box that fits these gadgets and appliances perfectly. As needed, use corrugated boxes to secure it in place.

However, for heavy items like food processors and crock pots, you may need to buy sturdier boxes to hold these.

What about the electrical cords of these appliances?

Wrap these in packing paper or cover them with towel to avoid scratching its protective wire covering.

Moreover, put these items in a plastic bin or waterproof wrap if the weather signals snow rain on your moving day.

Know how to pack your casual dinnerware and pantry in part 2 of this packing service Cedar Rapid tips. Learn more about us.

To avoid unwanted events when moving in, we have compiled a comprehensive list of things that you should not do when moving in:

1.Do not underestimate

It is common for us to underestimate the amount of time that we need in completing the packing,moving, unloading, and unpacking of our belongings. It is always better to allow sufficient time rather than underestimating. Having enough time will allow you to check on important things such as packing everything that you need and checking whether the new house is all set or not.

2. Do not even the unnecessary stuff

It’s not easy to know whether you will need that one particular item or not, so might as well bring it along. Most of us think that way, but to tell you honestly, it will only add up to your moving cost and may only make the living space tighter and crowded.  Evaluate your belongings and come up with a list that you will be needing in the new house.

3. Do not hire inexperienced movers

Do not get easily swayed by cheap moving costs. Do not risk losing your valuables because shady movers can steal your boxes. Spend a little more money for experienced movers and save yourself from troubles.

4. Not scheduling properly

Have a timetable. Plan weeks or even months prior to moving day.It might be convenient for most people to plan a day before moving day, but their items are not well organized. Some stuff might be left out and movers might not be able when booked a few days prior to the moving day.

5. Not backing up important files

Be sure to back your important files up before plugging out your computer devices. Not doing so may lead to loss of important documents or paperwork that you have worked on for along period of time.

6. Not preparing your pets

It will be stressful for pets to adapt to new surroundings. It will take them time to finally be comfortable to the new place. Be sure to visit a vet before moving so that they can recommend what’s best for your pet during the moving in process.

7. Not having a bag for survival

Pack a survival kit.You may need them during the travel period. You would not want to unload and look for that particular box which contains maybe a medicine for a headache or motion sickness.

8. Not packing your valuables properly

Your valuables are your most expensive belongings. Cover them in protective layers of wrapping and place them somewhere that you can see when you travel to the new house.

9. Not having an insurance for your items

It is important to give your mover a call and know the information regarding their insurance policies. You would not want to have your items damaged and not make the mover responsible for it.

10. Not getting a careful estimate of expenses

The cost of moving might surprise you if you will not be meticulous about it. Always get multiple estimates from different trusted movers and weigh which is more cost-efficient or if the money you will be paying is worth the service that they will be rendering.

As your business grows, you might need to relocate it to a bigger place. Moving a business is not as easy as moving a household – more work needs to be done in moving the furnishings, pieces equipment, and other stuff from the office to the new location. Moving may interrupt the operations of the business, but it can be lessened if these pointers will be kept in mind:

Plan your move as early as possible.

While moving households can be planned not too far enough in advance, you cannot rush planning corporate moving. Plan at least six months prior to the target move date so you won’t leave out any important matters.

Hire trusted movers

Furnishings, pieces of equipment and other business stuff are indeed expensive and you cannot afford to either lose or break them. Hire movers that have enough experience, manpower, and equipment to safely move the things to the new business location.

Assign tasks as the moving day nears

Make a list of tasks to be done for an orderly moving process. Assign them to your workers days before the moving day. By doing so, you will save a lot of time and you will be ensured that you did not leave out important things while packing.

Inform your employees ahead of time

Notify your workers as early as possible because they have the right to know beforehand. Imagine the stress that sudden news of relocating may bring to them. Your employees will have things to consider – whether or not should they continue being employed to your business despite being relocated to a place farther?

Inform your customers

Create notices for your customers so they will know where the business will be relocated.

Inform your vendors

Be sure to notify vendors with the new shipping and mailing address ahead of time. This will lessen the possible troubles that may arise if your vendors will ship supplies to the old business address.

Hire full-service movers

Hiring full-service mover is more convenient than availing a moving service alone. It will save you a lot of time and headache but is relatively more expensive than the moving service without full service.

IT equipment should be unloaded first

If you will move IT equipment such as computers, have them unloaded first because it may take time setting them up.

Moving business may require a lot of work, so be sure to plan ahead and take note of these tips!

Moving from your old house to a new one is not a common thing to do during the holiday season, but it can be done. People move their households during the busiest time of the year because of reasons such as their job is relocated from one place to another or maybe a better job offer from another city.

Local movers offer moving services even during this holiday season. Here are some pointers to consider for a hassle-free moving:

Make sure that you allotted enough budget for it

Keep in mind that moving services during the winter season, service charges are relatively cheaper than the normal days, Christmas season, and New Year.

Book for moving services ahead of time

It may seem like moving services will not be fully booked during the holiday season, but it is better to be sure and book ahead of time. In addition to this, only a few local movers are open during this season, so looking for an available one may be difficult.

Full-service moving is more convenient

For a lesser work, consider booking for a full-service moving so you won’t be stressed over packing and carrying the heavy things that you will bring. This is more expensive than the moving service alone, but it will give you the leisure time to spend with your loved ones during the holiday season.

Pack your things according to classification

Keep things in order by putting stuff in a box that meets the classification assigned to that storage for easier unpacking. For example, clothes are to be kept together as well as the kitchen tools and utensils, and etc.

Pack the essentials last, but do not forget them

During the packing, you may pack the essentials first and might need to unpack them because you need to use them. Pack them last, but do not forget them.

Explain well to your children

It may be stressful not only for adults but for the kids as well. From the packing to settling into their new dwelling may be hard for them. Explain to them well and leave some of their stuff out for them to play or use to avoid boredom during the moving process. Ask for their help as well to notify family and close peers with the new home address.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. – Alan Lakein

This is a fact, especially if you are planning to move during the holiday season on these dates: the weekend before Christmas Day, with Super Saturday or the Saturday before Christmas, being the business brick and mortar retail shopping day of the season.

So how do you make your move MERRY even amidst this busiest season of the year? Here are some tips:

Tip No. 1: Avoid the “peak moving season.”

Now that you know the week before Christmas is very busy, you should avoid planning your move on these dates. You’ll find it extremely difficult to find movers that work during this period if so their rates will be very high.

Why is this so?

These movers have family and friends. They also want to enjoy a holiday celebration with them. Thus, many of them will have their offices closed during this period. While those who work will add several fees to your holiday move. This will make it more expensive.

Thus, if you can move your date on after the holiday season, that may be a wiser choice.

Tip No. 2: Pack those Christmas decors separately.

If you have no other option but to move before Christmas Day, then ensure you pack your decors on a separate box. This will allow you to more conveniently add it to your new house.

You may request that your moving company in Iowa place these boxes in your living room, too. This will allow you to immediately unpack your holiday treasures even as soon as you arrive.

Tip No. 3: Ready those winter garments, tools, and accessories.

If you are planning to move to Iowa, then you should already know that it experiences a very cold winter. Ensure you pack those winter garments to keep you warm. This includes:

• Boots
• Hats
• Gloves

You should also not to forget the shovels and salt as you may find this necessary.

As another safety precaution, choose waterproof plastic bins when packing up your belongings. Turn on the heat and electricity upon arriving to ensure it is working fine. Most importantly, watch out for slippery stairs and sidewalks.

We know you can get excited, but still be cautious about these things to avoid accidents.

Tip No. 4: Protect your home from burglaries.

SafeWise has reported that around 400,000 burglaries happen in the US during the holiday season (November and December).

Safeguard your new home by asking a security system provider to set-up one on your new home prior to your arrival. This will give you an additional peace of mind that your home will not be the target of burglars.

Tip No. 5: Allocate a budget for your move.

Do not break the bank by not adding a couple of extra to our moving expense. Expect it to be a bit higher than the usual rate. But you can keep your expenses low by scouring for moving boxes via Craigslist or U-Haul Box Exchange. As cushions, you may consider using old newspaper and magazines rather than a bubble wrap.

Nevertheless, ensure that the delicate items included in your move are wrapped according to industry standards. Otherwise, you may only get it broken.

We’ve come to the last stretch of our this three-part blog series. To complete your list of NOT TO FORGET THINGS, we have listed these three additional things you should ALWAYS REMEMBER:

7.Ensure you’ve cleared everything in your old place

Yes! Time and again we have experiences of homeowners leaving behind important items at their previous place. Some even forget to load and pack a 42″ Samsung LCD TV because it has been stored under the stairs.

To avoid this from happening, include it in your checklist. As a secondary precaution, assign this checklist to one of the family members who have very little thing to do during the move. In this manner, he can focus on ensuring all of the items that have to be moved out goes right into the moving truck.

Of course, with a professional moving team here in Cedar Rapids, we do our best to guarantee none of these mishaps will ever happen. We do our own checklist based on the number of boxes you have earlier told us that we will be putting on board White Glove Movers moving truck.

Thus, it is always best to coordinate all of the items that will be part of the move with your professional movers. After all, they are the ones who are skilled and knowledgeable in handling these things. They’ve been doing it dozens of time in a week and have learned to master its process very efficiently.

8.Tell people you are moving out

Yes! Unless you want to hide it, but it is but logical to tell people that you are moving to a new address. This saves lots of effort from your mailman and your friends sending over gifts and letters to your old address.

You may also consider it as a courtesy to your friends. Come out clean by informing everyone about your move and where to send future correspondences, too. Otherwise, you may find yourself receiving a call from someone who is completely disappointed because they have embarrassingly walked into your old address thinking it is still your home. Just imagine the embarrassment that poor person may have experienced.

9.Do the planning ahead of time

Ultimately, do the planning ahead of time. This means not doing it the week before your move but around four to six weeks before your scheduled move day. This will save you from a lot of stress and unwanted mishaps. It will also give you better quotes and more efficient moving team in Cedar Rapids.

Got questions about your move? Let’s talk. Call us at 319.393.3000