Moving in cold weather can be dangerous, especially if the ground is icy or snowy. The trick to a successful winter move is maintaining flexibility and preparing for the worst. It’s also helpful to work with the professionals! If you’re moving in the next few months, here’s what you need to do to prepare yourself for possible ice and snow.
Keep Your Moving Date Flexible
Winter is a time when snowstorms, ice storms, and even blizzards can create traffic hazards. These storms can even make loading a moving truck hazardous.
If your moving date is in mid-winter or at a time of year when unexpected storms can pop up quickly, it’s essential to keep your moving date flexible. It’s better to stay safe and move one weekend late than it is to move in the middle of a storm and have an accident.
Be Careful Packing In Unheated Parts of the House
Are you spending time packing in your attic or your garage? Cold weather can make unheated parts of the house dangerous places to spend time. So limit your time spent packing in these parts of the house to times of day when the weather is warmest.
Bundle up, and be ready to limit your time spent packing here. This may mean you’ll need to extend the time spent packing over a few extra days or weeks. Plan ahead!
Keep Outside Walkways De-Iced
Shovel early and often after snowstorms to prevent snow from building up and forming ice. Use de-icing material to keep your walkways clear. If your walkways become too icy to traverse safely, consider having your ice removed by a landscaping company just to be safe.
Keep Utilities Turned on Throughout Packing
It’s tempting to turn off your utilities when you’re not living at home, but if you’re still packing up your items, then you’ll need utilities turned on to keep your old home well-lit and warm enough. Remember, the days are shorter, and nights are cold in winter.
Another essential detail to remember: your utilities will need to be on the day you arrive in your new home. If your utilities aren’t turned on, you could find yourself unpacking in the cold, and that’s not safe. So have your utilities turned on a day before you move in just to be sure your house is ready.
Keep Your Winter Clothes Easy to Find
The clothes you need during your upcoming relocation are the winter clothes – your sweaters, jeans, coats, long underwear, and so on. When you’re packing these clothes, label the boxes to indicate which ones hold your cold-weather clothes. Keeping these boxes easy to find will help ensure that you’ll have lots of warm clothing to choose from as you proceed to unpack and get settled in at your new house.
You should also keep the warm blankets, soup bowls, mittens, gloves, hats, and other cold-season items easy to find.
Moving in Winter? Get Help From the Pros
Moving in winter is better when you’re getting help from professionals. Contact us to schedule your upcoming move.