Moving house can be a bit of a tricky situation. You’ve likely been planning for months, packing, and mentally preparing for the move in every other way. So when it comes to the big day and you find dark clouds or a downpour in the forecast, it might be disheartening—but not to worry! Moving house in the rain is completely possible, and—with a few added precautions—it can even be a breeze! Many removalists have plans and operating procedures in place just for this very reason, and Bayside Removals is no exception. With these tips and tricks, moving house in the rain is no problem.
Dress For Success
Usually, when people say this, they’re referring to wearing proper attire for a job interview or the right jacket for a dinner party, but in this case, you’ll want to get out the wellingtons and make sure you’re wearing comfortable clothes. Wearing a good pair of boots will go a long way to preventing a slip while moving heavy items, and that your socks stay dry coming in and out of the rain. If you have a raincoat, now is the best time to wear it.
Packing For The Rain
While you’ve likely been planning ahead to begin with, and you might’ve known rain was coming, it might also be a total surprise and you may already be packed up. Not to worry! There are a lot of options for keeping your valuables dry during the process of moving house, even in the rain.
Using Plastic
When it comes to keeping valuables dry, plastic can be quite useful. If you have plastic tarpaulins, they can be wrapped around boxes or other large items to shed off unwanted water. If you don’t have any tarpaulins, don’t fret! Trash bags can also do wonders when it comes to keeping the moisture out, and they’re even optimally shaped to fit over large boxes. For short periods in the rain and for larger objects, large blankets will also help keep unwanted water out, and they can be washed and dried later.
Protecting Electronics
Pay special attention to electronic devices such as laptop computers, desktop computers, televisions sets, stereos, and printers. While some of our most valuable items can be our smallest, it’s essential to ensure that these electronic devices stay as dry as possible. Be sure to use padding such as bubble wrap as needed and pay particular attention to these items. If need be, double wrap electronics in more than one garbage bag or tarpaulin, and be sure to inform your helpers where they are.
Mattress Care
Mattresses will require extra care on a rainy day. Mattresses can be costly and cumbersome, and you’ll want to take special care to avoid letting them get wet during the move. A wet mattress can lead to mold and mildew, so keeping them dry is of utmost importance. Like other belongings, they can be wrapped with plastic to spare them from the rain, and if you don’t have a tarpaulin it may be prudent to wrap them with blankets, or tape together a series of trash bags to cover them with.
Moving Carefully
While moving in the rain is no problem, especially for professional removalists, there are some factors to consider while moving during a rainy day.
Timing the Rain
While it may just be a rainy day for the whole day, chances are there’ll be stronger and lighter periods of downpour throughout the moving day. Take stock of what’s being moved and when. If you have items you’re especially concerned about getting wet, such as electronics, antiques, or mattresses, be sure to communicate with your helpers or moving team and move these items during periods where the downpour has lightened up. If you have items that are largely water resistant or well sealed, they can be moved during periods of harder downpour.
Lifting Carefully
Lifting heavy objects always requires a certain amount of care. While you’re probably familiar with the basics, like lifting with your legs and not your back, during a rainy day moving things carefully becomes more important. With wet floors, and potentially muddy ones, take extra care to ensure that you have a firm grip on anything you lift and be wary of the floor surfaces around you. It always helps to take the time to do it carefully if you’re unsure, and ask for help if you need it.
Developing a System
To minimize the amount of time spent actually in the rain, be sure to communicate thoroughly with anyone helping you, or your removal team. Items that must be quickly moved can be staged near doorways and entrances, and opening a clear line of communication and developing a system will go a long way to speeding up the process. Since moving in the rain requires a bit of extra care and attention, expect moving to take slightly longer than usual.
Moving In
When arriving at and moving items into your new home, taking some extra precautions will go a long way to ensuring the best move possible.
The New Floors
You’ve just made the move to a new home, so the last thing you might want to do is damage or dirty your new floors. As you move in, consider laying down old towels or blankets to wipe shoes on before entrance. Setting up an assembly line style system and dividing helpers up into outdoor and indoor will also go a long way toward ensuring that there’s as little needless foot traffic on the new floors as possible.
Staying Organised
Just as it will help to time the rain and take into account what is moved when on the move out, it’s important during the move in as well. Take into account anything you might need or want on your first day in the new home and make sure important boxes or items are kept track of so you can get to them when you need to. Keeping an open line of communication with any helpers and movers will also help ensure that important items like electronics are well cared for during the process.
Getting Dry
Since you’ll likely be quite tired after a day of moving, consider bringing along an extra dry set of clothes that you can change into afterward that will not need to be unpacked. If possible, make sure your gas and electricity are turned on before the move, so that upon arrival you’ll have access to heat, and if you have a dryer it will be ready to run.
Moving homes is always an intensive process, but by taking some simple steps you make even moving homes on a rainy day easier on yourself—and it never hurts to get some extra help along the way! If you’re preparing for a big move to a new home and need some help, or even if due to inclement weather your removalist team has cancelled or delayed service, it might be time to reach out to Bayside Removals. Bayside Removals has over two decades of experience, and for any move, large or small, within Queensland or interstate, we’ve got you covered—even in the rain.
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