Safe Moving on a Rainy Day

Posted on 31/03/2016

When you spend a month or two in preparation for a house relocation, the last thing you want to stop you would be something unexpected like bad weather. Of course, the first thought you will have is ‘I’ll just reschedule’, but you don’t want to do that. You spent so much time prepping, you can’t let anything smaller than a thunderstorm stop you from completing your move. You just have to be prepared for the occasion – and yes, that is possible, and most likely nothing will go wrong or get damaged by the rain. But there are certain steps you will have to take – for your safety, the safety of your belongings, and even for the safety of the movers who will come to help you. Here are the main things you need to know.

Severity of the Weather
Wind, drizzle and standard rainy days should not be a problem – they are manageable in the worst of times. What you need to be aware of are the heavy rain and story days. In these cases you really will have to reschedule. Many moving companies will actually refuse to move you during these days as they will be protective of their staff and removal vans, so it will be mandatory, and for a reason. You should not try moving in such weather yourself – it’s dangerous at the very least.

Protective Gear
Of course, you should not just move in your sweatpants and most comfortable sweater. You need a raincoat, for you and for every member of the family who will help with the loading. The movers will have taken care of this for themselves and you should follow their example. A good hat and gloves will also be a nice addition. And the protective gear doesn’t just stop with you. You need to find some king of waterproof plastic sheet for the boxes and items you will load. If a box stays under the rain for just a minute it will get soaked and may moisten and damage everything inside. Make sure you load dry belongings.

Another thing you might want to cover would be your new home’s floors. Either remove the carpet or lay down multiple newspapers and plastic sheets to take in all the water you’ll bring in when moving in. The floors should not suffer because of the bad moving day.

Safe Loading
You also have the issue of loading the belongings in the moving van. This can present a problem as well. First of all, as any mover will agree and even advise, make sure the van is within the minimal possible distance of the house. The more the boxes are under the rain, the bigger the danger of them getting wet. If the van is a bit farther from the house, you should think about forming an assembly line for an easier and a speedy transference of the belongings. The less distance anyone has to walk to get a box, the better – even one slip will be dangerous to the mover and the box, so make sure you have organised the best possible method.

Safe Transport
One thing people rarely account for is their vehicle. While the moving company can guarantee that the removal van will be ready for action at any time, can you say the same about your transport vehicle? When is the last time you did maintenance of your car? Do you have a spare tyre? How about petrol? Think about anything that can go wrong with the vehicle and have a backup plan.

And with this you will be ready to face the relocation even in bad conditions. Rain and wind won’t be able to stop you from completing your removals as long as you are ready to face them. Do the right prepping and you will be fine.