Moving advice

[kumudini]

I need little help in deciding folks. My husband and I had planned a move, for about a month now. We set the date for tomorrow, reserved a truck and made arrangements with moving help for loading and unloading the truck. Everything is going as planned or it was until we saw yesterday that there is a storm system coming our way. Thunderstorms and 25 mph winds. A rescheduling won't hurt much but the system seems to be a prolonged one, for 4 days and the all that unpredictability .
So my question is, is it wise to reschedule? Are there effective ways to move during rain and wind? I was thinking if we put some tarp over the boxes and furniture being moved, it might work. Then there is going to be wind, bringing the rain into the truck where it could soak the stuff. Ugh, what a PITA!

 

[snappyllama]

If you're worried about water getting into your boxes and ruining things that cannot get wet, buy a bunch of garbage bags. Put the bag into the box first, and then load up everything inside of it. Of course you don't need to worry about pots and pans and such. You can reuse the garbage bags once you've unpacked. That's also the easiest way to move hanging clothes... leave them on the hanger and gather quite a few inside a garbage bag.

For furniture, save out a bunch of towels so you can wipe off any water right away once you get the items inside.

The one thing that's great about moving when its raining... everything seems to get out of the truck faster! Good luck!

 

[dixiedragon]

Honestly, I wouldn't. Even if you are moving only 20 minutes away, there is still loading and unloading time and all of that stuff getting wet. I wouldn't want to risk wooden furniture being ruined, having to re-wash lots of clothes, etc. Plus items like books are not going to survive a thorough wetting.

 

[not_ally]

I would wait, too. Moving is such a PITA that I think minimizing something as frustration/difficulty adding as wind and rain is worth it.

If you decide to go ahead, I would go with the garbage bag suggestion for boxes, put books in garbage bags then boxes, move furniture with the tarps that have those little grommet things on the sides and use bungee cords to hold them in place, ie; take good care to protect everything that could get damaged by water. Just so much more work at a time when there is already so much of it.

 

[kumudini]

Thanks snappy and Dixie, most of the packing is done, it was hard work ( amazing how just 2 people living in a place for 7 years could accumulate so much), but it's done. I still have the last minute stuff out so we could hang on for few days. And Dixie, you are right, I wouldn't want to be washing clothes for the next couple of weeks. But we have one more week in this place and if rain stays, we will have to move in the rain. I hope it doesn't though, it seems there's clearing in the middle of the week. I just hope the forecast doesn't change too much so we could plan again.

 

[kumudini]

I would wait, too. Moving is such a PITA that I think minimizing something as frustration/difficulty adding as wind and rain is worth it.

If you decide to go ahead, I would go with the garbage bag suggestion for boxes, put books in garbage bags then boxes, move furniture with the tarps that have those little grommet things on the sides and use bungee cords to hold them in place, ie; take good care to protect everything that could get damaged by water. Just so much more work at a time when there is already so much of it.

Thanks not_ally, good suggestions. I was thinking about tarps too, may be we will end up using them if we have to move in the rain. The boxes and furniture is going to be moved by those big guys with dollies and all. I think we can supply the tarps if needed. There's this little trait of mine, I get real meaning really really upset when we have to change plans at the last moment, but talking to you folks at this moment is helping I think.