Introduction
Moving is a time of chaotic stress with getting everything organised to transport from one location to another. When it comes to moving items of monetary or sentimental value such as a family heirloom or fragile items, the task becomes trickier because extra care has to be taken to ensure they remain in their pristine conditions with no damage caused during packing or transport. Mentioned here are a few useful steps that will help keep your antiques and valuables safe during a move.
Prior planning and prep
Creating a comprehensive checklist along with an inventory of items to be moved will help reduce a lot of the stress from the moving process as a whole. It helps you plan ahead and have a clear idea of the items you will need with you to ensure a safe move. You can even plan to have your valuables and antiques moved earlier separately so that the chances of them getting damaged or mixed up with the other items will be minimised. Advanced planning is always the key to avoiding mishaps on the moving day itself, especially when it comes to moving fragile items, this is very important. Create a checklist that you visually tick off as you attend to each task which will help you avoid missing out on anything.
Packing material
A good rule to follow towards protecting your antiques is to have your antiques, valuables or fragile items wrapped in brightly coloured packing so they are easy to differentiate. Select high quality packing materials along with specialised packing material, quality bubble wrap and packing peanuts. Be sure to wrap each item individually and to mark clearly with ‘fragile’ which will be impossible to miss. If the items are small enough to fit into a packing box or cardboard box then do place them in a box and secure it with crumpled paper or packing beans to stop them for shifting around during the moving process. Secure the box with good masking tape so that it does not open during transport.
Plastic wrap larger items such artwork, canvas, mirrors or furniture for additional protection. Secure the corners with heavy duty corner protectors to keep them safe. Place bubble wrap on the immediate front and back of the items before the rest of the packaging is placed. Use a similar process for preparing antique furniture. After placing foam padding protection, paying special attention to any intricate detailing or crevices and other such delicate areas, place at least a minimum two layers of bubble wrap to keep the item and any removable parts secure during transit.
Insure items
Insurance is important for valuables as it helps recover the monetary cost if anything should happen to your items during transport. This is especially important if the items are large and need to be handed over to an outside party for transportation. For smaller items, even if you can handle the move on your own it is safer to have insurance so that if there is a mishap you know that you will be covered. Always document all your items and take photographic evidence of the items before packing and of the packed items as proof of the condition they were in. Moving antique furniture especially, you cannot guarantee that something may not get damaged as they are harder to keep safe completely during the move.
Labelling items
Labelling will help you identify items quickly on the day of the move and will help you with deciding where to place boxes so there is less confusion when it comes to unpacking. Most of us do not unpack on the exact day we move. It is usually a task that happens over a period of time, especially for non-essential items. The labels will be a safety net towards forgotten fragile items. It also helps with letting others not involved with the actual packing understand which items have to be handled with extra care and caution. They will know not to place any other boxes on them or to keep them in a precarious position.
Consider hiring a moving company
When it comes to larger or bulky antique items it would be handy to hire a professional moving company to ease a lot of the stress. Professional movers will have the expertise and experience needed to move antiques. Importantly they will also have the manpower needed to wrap and pack the items and know how to protect antique furniture while carrying them to the moving trucks.
Once you have communicated with the movers the importance and value of an item or items they will take the proper precautions to ensure that they are kept safe during the transit and while unloading and if necessary while unpacking as well. Besides having all the equipment and supplies needed for a smooth move, all reputed movers have moving insurance as well.
Conclusion
Moving antiques can be stressful and will require proper planning and process to ensure its safe transit. Using the tips given here will help reduce some of the last minute muddles that can happen making the entire process a little less worrisome. Using professional movers is one of the best ways to make sure that the move is done correctly and to your specifications. Being trained in the field they will be able solve any problems that you may not have predicted.
