If you’ve recently made the decision to sell your home and relocate to another city (or state), you may be dreading the thought of packing up your home’s belongings and moving into a new home during the hottest time of year.
Fortunately, with some careful planning and heat-busting strategies, you’ll be able to pull off a seamless move without losing your cool. Read on for some tips and tricks for staying comfortable and organized during a mid-summer move.
#1: Plan Ahead
Careful planning is the key to success with any household move, and summer moves are no exception. The last thing you want is to reach your final destination and find that you’re missing the key, or worse, have your most-needed belongings in the very back of the moving truck where they’re all but impossible to access.
Before you even begin packing, you’ll want to make a series of lists. First, you’ll want some sort of timeline to keep yourself on track, from packing your belongings to turning over your keys to your landlord (or closing on your home sale) to obtaining your new keys and move-in date.
By having target dates for each of these activities, you’ll avoid feeling rushed or like you’re forgetting something. And since the summer is peak season for household moves, building in some extra time for each of these tasks can ensure everything goes off without a hitch.
You’ll also want to list all the household items you and your family members will need during the first few days after the move. While you’ll want to keep toiletries and a few changes of clothes in an overnight bag for easy access, other items (like laptop computers, school books or items you need to work from home) may need to be packed in a well-marked box so that they can be quickly unloaded once you’ve arrived.
You’ll also want to make a list of anyone who needs to be notified of your new address. While filling out a change-of-address form at your local post office can ensure your mail is forwarded, changing the mailing address on file with every person and company that sends you documents will ensure your physical mail is always routed to the right place.
#2: Stay Hydrated
During your planning process, you’ll want to ensure you have some handheld fans, moist towels and water bottles on hand for the move itself. Having constant access to water and a way to cool yourself can prevent you from suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke while performing physical work during the hottest time of year.
You’ll also want to take frequent breaks, especially if you’re working around the lunch hour when the sun is at its brightest and hottest. Staying in the shade as much as possible can lower your core temperature and help avoid injury.
#3: Hire Help
Professional movers can take much of the physical and logistical burden from you, allowing you to focus more on the issues only you can handle (like enrolling your children in school, finding new doctors and medical providers, and shopping for your next home).
Moving services can run the gamut from trucking services that focus on getting your already-packed items from one point to another to full-service moving companies that will pack, ship and unpack your belongings for you.
The right service for you will largely depend on factors like the total distance you’re moving, your moving budget, your timeline and the availability of any moving cost reimbursements from your employer. Fortunately, most moving companies are flexible enough to have a wide variety of offerings to fit your budget and needs.
#4: Plan a Grocery Strategy
Unless you’re just moving to a new home across town, bringing your entire refrigerator and freezer’s contents with you from your old house to your new one can be a recipe for food borne illness, especially in the summer.
While transporting some frozen or refrigerated items in a large insulated cooler can be fine for short trips, the lack of strict temperature controls in most retail coolers can leave your food vulnerable to bacteria growth.
You may want to stock up on some restaurant gift cards or investigate your local grocery delivery or pickup options to help you stay well-fed and restock your refrigerator once you’ve moved into your new home.
While spices and nonperishable foods can be more easily transported without refrigeration, you’ll still want to make sure they’re carefully packed away from sunlight and high heat that can cause damage to their contents.
In addition, many moving companies won’t handle the transportation of any type of food, so even if you’ve enlisted some professional help with getting your home’s contents from Point A to Point B, you may be on your own when it comes to moving your edible household items.
No matter what your moving needs may be, you’re sure to find the ideal arrangement for you and your family if you contact a moving company for assistance during your summertime relocation.
The Modern Movers moving team in Southwest Florida knows the ins and outs of local, long-distance, commercial, office, piano moves, and much more. You can count on these professional movers in Fort Myers and Bradenton to get you to your new home while keeping stress-free!
