Relocating is a long and stressful process, especially with the global pandemic. In times like these, the number one goal is to move safely. The pandemic is uncertain, and you want to take precautions. If you’re planning to relocate to another state, follow this advice to keep yourself and your family safe during the move.
Why It’s Important to Move Safely During the Pandemic?
Relocation has always been a complicated process and quite challenging. Preparing for relocation can take weeks or even months, and good organization is necessary. And now, with the pandemic going on, relocating during COVID has made certain aspects of the move very unpredictable. Let’s take a look at how you can minimize the risks and have a safe relocation experience.
Start Planning a Move Early Out of Safety
If you’re moving from state to state during the COVID pandemic, last-minute relocation is a scenario you should avoid at all costs. You should start planning and preparing for your move earlier, considering that supplies might be out of stock, shops closed, certain facilities may have limited business hours, so be sure you check everything in advance.
Organizing your move in advance will allow you to make bookings and purchases without having to worry about whether you’ll get everything you need on time. Prepare yourself a relocation checklist and figure out how to finish the tasks from the list by phone or online. Since different areas have different regulations, inform yourself of all the possible information and additional questions.
If you want to have an efficient move, be sure not to overpack and only prepare for transportation items you need and use. A significant step in the efficient packing process is eliminating all the unnecessary things and clothes you are not using anymore. You can give them to donation centers, consignment centers, and auction houses.
If you wish to donate to the ones in need, you can search websites such as GoodWill. There you can find locations to donate items you don’t use anymore. And with the COVID pandemic going on for the past two years, many people are struggling with money, so if you can provide some way of help, you should.
If you’re planning on renting an apartment in a different state, be sure to talk to your landlord about safety guidelines that may affect some aspects of your move.
How to Pack for a Safe Move?
Being safe during relocation isn’t just wearing a mask and sanitizing your hands. There are plenty of safety issues that must be considered when interstate moving. However, it’s no secret that specific moving safety tips will come in handy when planning your relocation.
Which Materials to Use When Packing Your Home Inventory?
While getting organized on time for relocating to a different state, try to make minimum contact with other people. Use your old boxes and packing supplies or buy new ones to maximize security. Avoid getting secondhand boxes from retailers.
From the tips for relocating safely, one of the best ones is choosing to protect the boxes with your belongings with plastic totes. Out of all packing materials for relocating plastic, it is the easiest to clean and sanitize with sanitizing sprays, antibacterial wipes, and cloths. Be sure to clean all of your packages before and after they arrive.
Before you start preparing your belongings for packing, don’t forget to inform yourself of which items movers won’t move, as well as what are the most commonly overlooked things to pack. In case you’re relocating with pets, you should figure out how you can keep them safe during transport. Talk to their vet in case you have to follow some particular guidelines.
If you’re considering asking friends and family to help you with packing up your belongings, remember to follow the security rules of wearing masks and maintaining a distance. This can also be a gathering to say goodbye to your friends.
Prepare a Special Safety Bag for Moving
While packing up your belongings in boxes, don’t forget to prepare a special box or a bag for moving interstate, which is a relocation essential during the time of the pandemic. In that bag, you can put masks for yourself and your family. Be sure to have more of them to change during the trip, including hand sanitizers and a sanitizing spray to sanitize certain surface areas.
Remember to pack enough drinks, food, and snacks for the day when you or your family members get hungry. This way, you won’t have to make unnecessary stops at gas stations and shops to get food. Also, you won’t have to get in touch with random individuals and potentially expose yourself to the virus. If you have to visit, keep your distance and avoid touching your face.
It’s always a good idea to get advice from someone who went through the same process as you’re planning to. Many people have vlogged their relocations during pandemics, which is beneficial to see. If you’re interested in getting more advice on how to relocate from one state to another, check out the video below.
Take All the Necessary Precautions if You’re Hiring a Moving Company
If your relocation budget allows you to, consider hiring a company of state-to-state movers that can provide you with moving services. You can also consider taking their packing services, so you don’t have to go through the stress of packing everything on your own. The company’s crew has to wear protective clothing, masks, and gloves which is necessary for these situations.
If relocating interstate during a pandemic seems stressful and you’re planning on hiring a mover, be sure you research the firm you’re opting for. The last thing you want to happen to you is a relocation scam, so inform yourself well on the firm you’re willing to hire. Check their reviews, as well as reviews from different websites and licenses they own.
Inform Yourself on the Important Measures
When searching for companies and asking about their services, don’t forget to ask them to give you information about staying safe during a pandemic and COVID outbreaks. You can ask them about precautions they are taking to help prevent the spread of the virus or what precautions they recommend you to take. Ask them to provide you with a list of FAQs and additional information that addresses any problems that may appear during the relocation in the middle of a pandemic.
Contactless Move Is the Best Option
To ensure you’re being as safe as possible, ask the workers in the firm you’re hiring if you can arrange the whole movie online and contactless. Usually, companies don’t always require your presence during the move. Customers have to unlock their apartment or house, mark what needs to be moved, and then the professionals do the rest. Once the professionals pack the relocating truck, the customer can return to their house, recheck everything, and then go to their future home.
You should also consider a virtual relocating quote. Once you choose a few companies and you want to compare estimates, you don’t have to do the traditional in-person assessment. The virtual survey offers you an alternative where you can remotely show your house to an estimator through online video chat on your tablet, laptop, or mobile phone.
There are a few steps you should take to prepare yourself for the virtual quote process to be sure everything goes successfully:
- Your electronic device should be fully charged,
- You have to have a strong Wi-Fi signal or mobile data for a stable internet connection,
- Ensure you have enough lights in your house,
- Show them all the items that should be packed, including the insides of the cabinets and closets,
- Find a tape measure in case your estimator needs you to measure specific items.
Generally speaking, it is recommended to do whatever you can to make as few physical contacts as possible. Time can not be put on pause because of the pandemics, and we all must keep ourselves aware of the potential danger and do our best to keep ourselves and the ones in our surroundings safe.
Staying Safe With Movers in Your Home
When relocating your family to a different state, you should take certain precautions and prepare for the movers as well. If you have kids or you’re taking elderly parents out of state, it’s better they don’t get in contact with movers for protection reasons. If you or any of your family members are not feeling well, cancel everything until you get better.
You should also be extremely careful with family members that have specific health problems. This is because they are at higher risk of contracting the virus or experiencing severe and more dangerous symptoms.
When professional workers arrive at your house for loading and unloading packages with your belongings, remember to stay safe during the whole process. We’ve already mentioned that you don’t necessarily have to be present in these situations, but in case you do want to, here’s how to protect yourself.
Maintain a six-foot distance at all times. Practice social distancing and restrain from helping with the move – no matter how inappropriate it may seem, it’s better to follow the rules while the people you’ve hired load and unload items. Additionally, open up the windows and doors to provide extra airflow that can help prevent stagnant air from collecting in your house and possibly infecting someone.
Remember to wear a mask. All of the workers will be in safe clothes and wear masks and gloves. And so can you. You should wash your hands at regular intervals and ask your professional workers to do the same. It’s wise to limit restroom use to one bathroom in the house, and there, you can provide some cleaning wipes and antibacterial gels so everyone can sanitize adequately.
If at any point you start feeling as if you have symptoms and you believe you have been exposed to the virus, contact your mover to determine what can be done.
Sanitize Your New Place Before Unpacking
The first thing you want to do once you move into a new home is to thoroughly clean and disinfect everything. Gather lots of disinfecting products and prepare yourself for a long day of cleaning each corner of your house. You can also buy alcohol and other sanitizers and give them to professional workers when they arrive. If workers packed all of your items, it would be the smartest to disinfect again all of the packages transported from your old house.
You should clean the whole house, room by room. Start from the kitchen and bathroom as they will probably be the most necessary on the first day. Be sure you clean and disinfect all the surfaces in your new house, as the preceding occupants have probably touched everything countless times. While you’re cleaning the whole apartment, you can consider leaving some not so necessary boxes in storage so you have more space while preparing your apartment for settling in.
Follow These Tips to Stay Safe
When relocating during the pandemic, your priority should be keeping yourself and the people around you safe. It’s important you remember all the necessary measures, so you’re relocating goes unproblematic. Once you follow the advice we gave you and everything is done in the safest way possible, you’ll be able to start settling down in your new house and enjoying your life in the city.
