Moving can be a long, arduous process. If you hire a moving company, you can greatly decrease this burden on yourself. The moving company can streamline the entire process since they can pack, transport, and unpack your belongings. However, there are definitely some belongings you may want to move yourself.
Take a look at which items you should leave to the movers and items you should leave to yourself.
Items That Should Be Moved By Professionals
Large Furniture Pieces
Pianos, armoires, tables, couches, etc. should be left to the professionals. If you try to move large furniture pieces by yourself, there is always a risk of injury. You could throw out your back or accidentally drop an item and injure your feet. Even if you have friends or family members to help, risk of injury is still there since coordinating the work takes practice.
Professional movers know how to safely move items without injuring themselves. They have dollies, ties, carts, and other tools to make this process easier. Plus, professionals know how to break down certain pieces of furniture so that truck space isn't wasted. For example, if you have a table, a professional will know how to remove the legs so that the table can fit on a side wall on the truck or on top of boxes.
General Personal Items
General household items, like clothing, bedding, books, etc. are great for movers to pack since they aren't fragile and can be put into the most basic moving boxes. These kinds of effects are not only easy to pack, they can be put just about anywhere in the moving truck without you having to worry about them being damaged.
Dishware
Even though dishware is fragile, you may want to leave the packing to the professionals since they have the right kinds of equipment, such as corrugated glass dividers, bubble wrap, telescoping boxes, etc. They will also know where to put these items in the truck so that they aren't smashed.
Items That Should Be Moved By You
Important Documents
Important financial documents, passports, passwords, wills, etc. should be taken in your own car. If these items get damaged or lost in the move, it will be a hassle to replace them.
Heirlooms
If you have a one-of-a-kind item of sentimental value, like a hand-made quilt, no amount of moving insurance will be able to replace such a priceless heirloom. Again, take these kinds of items with you in your own car.
Smaller Musical Instruments
While pianos can be moved by professionals, smaller instruments—like violins—should be moved by you since the wood is sensitive to temperature changes.
Hazardous Materials or Perishables
Ask a moving professional from a company like https://www.bekins.com/ about which kinds of items they are forbidden to move. These items often include perishable food, firearms, batteries, flammable items like aerosol cans, and so on. Some of these items you may want to give away. If you do want to take these items, they will have to go with you since laws in the area may forbid movers from taking them.