For some homeowners, moving can be a nightmare of disorganization. Your entire home system can become shifted as soon as you start packing boxes. Loading, unloading, and storing containers can lead to mix-ups. And unpacking can cause even more disorganization than packing itself.

It’s obvious that a more organized move produces less stress and lower risk of items becoming lost or damaged. The real question is how can you truly organize your move?

In this blog, we list six tools that are essential when you want to move in a more orderly way. Continue reading →

If you’re prepping for a big move, you’re best off arming yourself with the best professional movers and the best information. Friends and family will likely have helpful tips and advice. Some of these tips may prove useful, but others serve to perpetuate harmful moving myths that can actually cost you time and money while also adding stress.

Here are some common moving myths you should not buy in to. Continue reading →

You might be disheartened after hiring your moving company only to find there are restrictions on moving specific items. The restrictions are not there because your movers just don’t move these items. There are laws, ordinances, or increased risk with restricted items, and your moving company needs to make sure they are making the best choice for your belongings and their business.

Here are some commonly restricted items and why moving companies request you find an alternative moving solution for them (including moving them yourself). These rules are there so the moving company can follow the law and keep both you and your movers safe from harm. Continue reading →

When you discovered that you were pregnant, you likely felt thrilled, awed, and maybe a little overwhelmed. You have plenty of time to prepare for your new baby, but your preparations may come to a halt if you have to move any time during your pregnancy.

Moves on their own bring a hectic characteristic to your already crazy life-but if you’re pregnant, you may feel like the chaos is too much to handle.

Luckily, you don’t have to go through this transition alone or without resources. Below, we’ve listed several tips to help you if you’re planning a move and the arrival of a new little one. Read on to discover how you can make your move-and your pregnancy-easier to manage.

Plan Your Move Smartly

Try to plan your move in a way that makes the most sense for your unique situation. For example, if you want to move into a newer, bigger home to accommodate your growing family, you may not need to move immediately, especially since you’ll have to wait for leases to expire, units to become available, or buying processes to close.

If you’re planning a move but your due date is close, you may want to postpone the move until after you give birth. Yes, moving with a newborn may seem tricky, but you may have a harder time moving in the last few weeks of your pregnancy than if you waited.

Similarly, if you are in the early stages of pregnancy, arrange for your move to occur sooner rather than later. You can still accomplish many tasks without feeling physically drained like you would in late pregnancy.

Sometimes, though, you can’t control the circumstances of your move. For example, perhaps you or your partner accepted a new job and you have to move immediately. In these circumstances, get as much help as you can regardless of how far along you are in your pregnancy so you can manage everything without as much stress.

Start Organizing and Packing Early On

One of the best ways you can avoid stress during a move is to start organizing your belongings and packing early on. This statement rings especially true while you’re pregnant because you want to stay as calm and healthy as possible.

As soon as you find out you’ll be moving, organize your apartment or home one room at a time. Start packing items like out-of-season clothing, books, artwork, and other items that you don’t use regularly or won’t need immediately.

Use a paper or electronic tracking system to keep everything organized, and don’t forget to label your boxes with their contents and respective rooms. Repeat these steps as moving day draws nearer, taking care to pack essential items as close to moving day as possible.

Pack the Essentials and Mark the Boxes

When you have to pack your essential items, such as clothing, toiletries, and dishes and cookware, place them in boxes that you’ll put in the front of your moving van. You’ll also want to label the boxes with ”Essential” on the top and sides, along with the corresponding room, so you know to unpack these items first.

By taking care to pack these items last in your current home and unpack them first in your new abode, you make the transition easier and less hectic. Additionally, you’ll know exactly where to find the items you need most during the first few weeks after you move into your new home.

Keep Your Personal Bag Separate

Despite your best efforts, some things may go wrong during the packing and moving process. Some items may not get packed on time or you may have forgotten to schedule the movers when you planned. Often, one mishap many movers face is forgetting to pack a personal bag of clothes. Without this bag, you’ll have to dig through your belongings to find clothing, towels, and linens.

Instead of facing this issue during your move, pack a personal bag and keep it separate from the rest of your packed belongings. Stick a few pairs of clothes (including socks and undergarments) in a bag with travel-sized toiletries. Store this bag away from boxed items, and place it in your car or in the cab of your moving van on moving day.

If you’re moving close to your due date, pack your hospital bag with all the essentials, and keep it with your personal bag. You should also place the address and contact information for your OB/GYN and hospital in your hospital bag so that you can easily contact a medical professional quickly if necessary.

When you arrive at your new home, place your personal and hospital packs in your bedroom or somewhere easy to locate. You don’t want either of these bags to get lost amongst your other belongings, and you’ll definitely want your hospital bag in an easily accessible location should you go into labor soon after your move.

Let Professionals Do the Heavy Lifting

As you organize and pack, don’t forget to take plenty of breaks. Regardless of how far along you are, you should drink a lot of water, eat plenty of healthy foods, and rest as much as possible. Also, avoid heavy lifting so you don’t cause unnecessary strain.

Instead, contact a professional mover who can move, lift, and load your belongings into a moving truck or van. Many movers will also unload your moving truck for you so you can focus more on caring for yourself and your growing baby.

If you’re in between homes or if you’re downsizing, you don’t have room in your new place for all your stuff. But you will need your belongings in the future, so you don’t want to give them away or sell them. In that case, your best option is to rent a storage unit.

A storage unit is a great solution for most of your household items. However, there are certain items that may sustain damage—or cause damage—if placed in a storage unit.

Things You Can’t Store

You should keep or give away the following items rather than placing them in a storage unit.

Food

Food can attract animals and insects to your storage unit. These pests can chew your food and other belongings and cause significant damage. Food also increases the risk of bacteria and mold to grow in your storage unit. Avoid storing food that’s in boxes or bags, including pet food. You can store canned food, but keep the expiration date in mind.

Dangerous Items

Avoid storing anything that can explode, catch fire, or spread harmful chemicals, including:

• Fireworks
• Paint
• Household cleaners
• Gasoline and motor oil
• Propane
• Kerosene
• Fertilizer
• Guns and ammunition
• Space heaters

While these items may seem harmless, they could accidentally spill, open, or catch on fire, causing harm to the belongings in your storage unit and neighboring storage units. Most storage facilities do not allow these items in their units.

Plants and Animals

Living things cannot and should not survive in a storage unit. If you can’t take your pets and plants with you, give them to a good home.

Things You Can Store

The following items can be placed in a storage unit, but you need to be careful to store them in the right way.

Medicine and Medical Products

You can store your medicine in a storage unit as long as it does not contain radioactive materials. Keep in mind that aspirin and other medicines can break down with heat and moisture. It’s best to store medicine in a climate-controlled storage unit.

Electronics

Like medicine, electronics are best preserved when stored in a climate-controlled unit. However, you should remove batteries first because the batteries could corrode and damage other items.

Furniture

Furniture also does best in climate-controlled units. Climate control prevents furniture from expanding, contracting, or growing mold. To prevent your furniture from getting wet, put it on top of concrete blocks or planks. To prevent your furniture from getting scratched, cover it with a furniture pad or moving blanket. Don’t cover it with plastic because plastic can attract moisture.

Paper and Books

Keep your books, business files, and paperwork in a climate-controlled unit as well. Otherwise, they could become wet and moldy. Consider storing them in a filing cabinet. You should keep important documents you can’t misplace, like social security cards and passports, in a safe at home.

Appliances

Your appliances should be fine in a storage unit. To prevent mold growth, clean out kitchen appliances before storing them. Also, leave refrigerator and oven doors slightly open.

Vehicles

You can store cars, boats, and motorcycles in a vehicle storage facility. If it’s an outdoor storage unit, place a weatherproof cover over your vehicle to prevent damage from wind, rain, and dust.

There are a few steps you should take before storing a vehicle. First, change your vehicle’s oil. Otherwise, contaminants from your old oil could damage the engine. Also, inflate your tires to the recommended tire pressure. If your car sits still for months, the tires can develop flat spots.

Finally, consider driving your car around every couple of weeks while it’s in storage. This step can ensure the battery stays charged, the engine’s parts stay lubricated, and the air conditioner’s air stays fresh.

Clothing

If you have seasonal clothing you won’t need, feel free to keep it in a storage unit. Make sure your clothing is dry so it doesn’t attract mold. Keep your clothing in secure boxes.

Valuables and Antiques

You can certainly keep your valuables in a storage unit, but make sure it is climate-controlled to prevent damage. Also, make sure there is adequate security to protect your items from theft. Along with a secure lock on your storage unit, the facility itself should have a coded access gate. You might also benefit from 24/7 monitoring, whether from security guards or cameras.

Toys, Knick Knacks, Decorations, and Miscellaneous Belongings

You can store most items without a problem. A storage unit is a great place to keep all the things you don’t have room for. Make sure to follow all the storage facility’s rules and regulations.

Look for a storage unit facility that offers units of many different sizes so you can find the right one for your needs. Call Midwest Moving to learn more about our affordable storage options.

When you move, you want to ensure all your possessions are properly packed and protected, especially your more expensive belongings. And while you took extra care to wrap your china and pack up your furniture, you may be at a loss as to what to do with your electronics. Not only are electronics fragile, but they can also be complicated to disassemble and reassemble with all the cords and pieces.

If you’re looking for tips on how to properly pack up your electronics, keep reading below. We’ll discuss different steps to the packing process and how to make it easier to put your electronics back together again.

1. Dismantle Your Electronics

Before you pack up the electronics, be sure to properly disassemble your printers, computers, and other items. Take out any batteries, ink or toner cartridges, CDs, or DVDs. Batteries can leak acid or explode under extreme temperatures, and ink or toner cartridges may also have problems in severe heat or cold. And if you leave CDs or DVDs in electronics, the discs can get damaged in the move.

For your computers, you’ll want to save your files onto an external drive, just to be safe. Pull the cords off all your electronics and carefully wind them up individually so they don’t get twisted or damaged. But as you disconnect the cords and coil them up, be sure to label them so you know which cords go to what.

You can either use clearly marked tags to tie around the cords, or you can use colored stickers to put on the cords and then the corresponding electronic item.

2. Wrap and Cushion Each Item

After you’ve carefully dismantled your electronics, you’ll need to wrap them up securely in soft, cushiony materials to keep them from breaking in the move. Or, if you still have it, using the original packaging is optimal.

But if you don’t have the original packaging anymore, be sure to get sturdy boxes that are just large enough for your electronics and some extra cushioning. Wrap up each item in towels, blankets, sheets, moving pads, or bubble wrap.

Place the electronics in the boxes, and fill the empty space with more sheets, blankets, or towels. You can also use Styrofoam packing peanuts or crumpled up, unprinted newspaper. Just be sure you don’t leave a lot of empty space or wiggle room in the boxes. If there’s too much empty air, the electronics can easily be knocked around and hit the sides of the box, resulting in dings or internal damage.

3. Tape It All Up

Now that each item is packed up in boxes, use some strong tape to thoroughly seal up each box. If you fail to tape up every crack and seam, dust can get into the box and eventually find its way into your electronic items and cause issues. Tape up both the bottom and top seams, and if you see any other holes, be sure to tape those up as well.

4. Clearly Mark Your Boxes

Keep track of everything you put in each box, and carefully write all of the contents on the box. Or if you’re worried about thieves, mark each box with a number, and on a separate piece of paper, list the contents under each number.

Leaving your boxes generally unmarked can make it more difficult for a burglar to find your more expensive possessions, prohibiting them from grabbing all the costly belongings before they’re caught.

You can also use a color coding system on top of your number system to indicate which rooms each box should go in.

5. Avoid Extreme Temperatures

Electronics don’t do well in extreme heat or cold, so for as much as possible, avoid putting these items in areas that are subject to severe temperatures. Keep the boxes inside until the last minute and pack them in the truck last if you have to, as long as they’re in a safe place. When packing or unpacking taped up boxes, don’t leave them in the garage; put them inside in a temperature-controlled environment.

If you’re taking a moving truck and your own vehicle, consider putting boxes with electronics in the car instead of the truck. This will protect the electronics from too high or low temperatures, and it may also offer better security if you have a long distance move ahead of you with a couple nights in hotels.

To properly protect your electronics through a move, follow the steps above. Use care when wrapping and boxing up your items, and be sure you don’t put your boxes in places where they might be crushed.

If you’re still nervous about the safety of your electronics, consider a professional moving service, such as Midwest Moving and Storage, Inc. We can assist you in packing and unpacking your belongings, and if you have any questions about the moving process, we’re happy to help.

If your big moving day is coming up, you’re both excited and nervous. You might be anxious to set up your new home or start your new job. But while all the packing and planning can be stressful for you, the moving process can be even more frightening for your dog. As a dog owner, there are steps you can take to help ease your pet’s fright and confusion.

Below, we’ll provide six tips for making moving easier for your pet.

1. Keep Favorites Accessible

When packing up your things, try to leave your dog’s favorites for last. Pack any preferred bedding, blankets, or toys just before the actual move, and keep his or her favorite treats and food accessible at all times. During transport, consider leaving a couple of toys out for your dog to chew on during the ride. Having something familiar can help your pet settle down and feel more comfortable.

Once you get to your new place, immediately unpack your dog’s belongings and place them in areas that are similar to where they were located in your old place. It’s okay to replace some of your dog’s oldest possessions in the move, but be sure not to swap out everything. Mixing new toys and bedding with the old can help your pet feel more at ease, and he or she will also think of the new additions as rewards.

2. Stick to Your Routine

During any move, it can be difficult to keep your usual schedule. But normalcy can help your dog better deal with the move and your new home. If possible, maintain the same dog-care routine. Take your dog on walks at their normal time, and keep to his or her feeding schedule. Bedtime should be at the usual time, and playtime or other activities shouldn’t be dismissed.

If your pet normally uses a doggy door, get one installed in the new home as quickly as possible.

3. Show Love Regularly

Your move is stressful for everyone involved, but don’t forget to set a little time aside for your dog. Give your pet the love and attention he or she needs, and continuously show your dog how much he or she means to you.

Relocating can be tough on any pet, so providing plenty of love and affection can help them deal with the hectic process. Give your dogs a few extra treats, and take them on an extra walk if they get too antsy.

4. Ensure Your Dog’s Safety

What with movers, packing, and the constant shifting of possessions and furniture, relocating can put your dog in a panic, and he or she can easily run away or hide amidst all the confusion. If your pets are having a hard time with the move, put them in a crate or in a room they feel comfortable in. You can also leave them with a friend or family member they’re familiar with until everything is packed up.

Keeping your pet somewhere safe and away from all the constant changes can also help minimize his or her stress.

If your pets are only a little troubled by the busy surroundings, consider offering them a rawhide bone to distract them from all the moving. They’ll have something to keep them busy and out of the way while you work.

5. Have a Little Patience

Your dog is going to need a little time to adjust to the new home. Just give him or her a while, and expect some odd behaviors for a couple of weeks. Your pet may vomit or have accidents while he or she gets used to these new surroundings, and your pet may act out. Stay patient until the behavior passes. If any unusual conditions or behaviors persist, contact a veterinarian or a professional trainer for help.

6. Consider a Doggy Day Care or Dog Sitter

In the first few weeks after a move, if you have to work or are otherwise away from home during the day, hire a dog sitter or leave your dog at a doggy day care while you’re gone. Right after the move, your dog might have a harder time than usual staying at home alone. He or she can get lonely and bored, and many pets get destructive when they’re left by themselves.

Until he or she has adjusted to the new place and returned to their normal behaviors, it may be best for both you and your pet to have your dog watched. After a few weeks, you might be able to leave your dog alone again.

Relocating is a mixture of fun and stress for humans, but it’s important to make sure your dog is healthy and happy during the ordeal. Be sure you pay attention to his or her needs and look for any signs that something is wrong.

To make the process easier and open up time for you to care for your dog, rely on Midwest Moving and Storage. We can help you pack up your possessions and handle the relocation so you can focus on your dog’s comfort and your other moving tasks.

Plus, if you need to store your extra belongings to keep clutter out of your new home, we also have convenient storage services.