Archive for the 'DIY Move' Category
Big smiles after a green move
By Joann Pan
Let’s face it; moving your belongings from one place to another is harder than simply hiring a moving company to do it all for you. First — on the long list of things to do before moving — is organizing and packing up your old space. Unfortunately, most people are pack rats by nature; especially, when we have had a place to call our own for an extended period of time. This stuff (over time) grows and grows until we are left with a whole lot of junk to sort out come moving day.
Take a look at your home and you will be astounded by how many mugs, books and electronics that you have accumulated, but have barely touched in recent months years. Don’t we all wish someone would condense our belongings and pack up the reusable moving crates for us? But, in the end, we know what to keep and what to throw away, give away or recycle to make our moving load lighter – not to mention cut costs on our moving expenses.
Since moving is what we are concerned with 24/7, Relocation.com has compiled a list to help you save space on your journey to your new home while treading lightly on the Earth. And this couldn’t come sooner — most people in the 20th century are guilty of tossing away old computers, CD players and TVs for the latest and greatest new electronic wonder, never thinking of where their old belongings will end up. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection, the amount of computers in the U.S — ranging from 30 to 40 million — will end up in the trash in a few years. On top of all of that waste, this years switchover from analog televisions to digital ones meant that 25 million television sets found a new home in landfills. Many of these electronics contain lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and other chemicals—which are as toxic as they sound—were not disposed of properly. They ended up in national landfills as well as those overseas as a result of illegal smuggling of e-waste to disassembly centers abroad. There, scavengers pick out plastic, valuable metal pieces and microchips that they can sell at a profit, leaving the scraps to be washed off to sea.
Now that you know where your old items go, it’s easy to see why disposing of them properly is not only easy but essential for the preservation of the earth. Here’s how to do your part on moving day — this will not only save you money and clear up some space, but will result in less environmental consequences. Now that’s moving in the right direction.
1. From old fire extinguishers, fungicides, household cleaners and hazardous materials such as compact fluorescent light bulbs to mercury thermostats, the eco-conscious resource, Earth 911.com has all the bases covered. Just enter what you are looking to throw away and by zip code the website will tell you how far, where, when and what various drop-off sites accept.
2. Don’t need your old mattress anymore? Usually local home-furnishing stores and mattress outlets will take your discarded bed parts because cotton, cloth, springs and foam can all be recycled and given new life. The wooden frame can even be turned into wood chips. Before lugging your cumbersome mattress to any old store, call or check MattressDonation.com to find the most convenient place to drop your old bed.
3. Do you have piles and piles of clothes that are discolored, too small or those that you are simply not interested in (clothes with tags are a good indication of this)? Well, there are plenty of places that will take your bags of shirts and pants, which in the long-run will prevent them from filling up landfills. According to organicgardens.com, you can use your cotton, wool and old leather gloves as compost. But, that’s only a last minute resort when there is a plethora of Good Will facilities, Salvation Army locales and organizations like Housing Works NY that will take your old clothes and make money for those who need help such as for AIDS research. Or, as another option, if you have friends your size have a swap party where you exchange shirts you are tired of for new fashions—as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Recycle, reuse and renew the Earth in style.
4. For all the miscellaneous junk—from old picture frames, CDs, bulky furniture to gifts you’ve never opened—there are online resources such as Craigslist, Ebay or Amazon where people are looking for deals daily. On the “Free” neighborhood sections we have seen everything from chairs, tables, bed frames, pool tables, camera equipment, grills to pet cats! Most people are moving or making room for new stuff, so you can decidedly let willing people take your junk away for free. On Ebay or Amazon, you can “sell” your stuff for a few cents or dollars and someone will gladly pay shipping to take your old junk away from you. These options make for a win-win situation for you and the environment.
If you need additional help, there are resources such as the official EPA website, theDailyGreen.com and company websites of Apple, Dell, HP, Gateway and Best Buy— all of which tell you what to do with products after you’re done with them.
More Green Resources for your Move:
More Green Home Ideas [Relocation.com]
High-Tech Trash [National Geographic]
Ah, the humble stretch wrap.
This saran wrap-like substance is used by moving companies to protect items that won’t fit in boxes and can’t be pad-wrapped (ie, protected by moving blankets).
However, just like you have to watch for crazy charges on moving day boxes, watch out for moving day charges for stretch wrap.
First off, do your movers even charge for it? Many companies, particularly the van lines, do not. Moving companies don’t use much of it, so stretch wrap is a minor expense and they don’t pass the cost on to the consumer.
However, some companies do charge for this. And it can be hefty – I heard from one woman who said she got charged $1 a yard. Compare that to a large roll that you can buy yourself for 5 cents a yard.
If your moving company does charge, you can wrap items yourself to save on the expense (whether they charge for it should be broken out on your contract; I’d also ask specifically WHAT materials they charge for).
Which items will the moving companies want stretch-wrapped?
* Any upholstered furniture or headboards
* BBQ grills so that no grease gets on anything else
* Lawn furniture to protect from scratches
* Children’ s toys
* Some tools
And that’s, um, er, a wrap.
Related Articles:
Major Mistakes When Choosing Movers
5 Easy Ways to Save Over $1,000 on Your Move
3 Moving Scams You’ve Never Heard Of
Loading a rental truck often looks like a rugby scrum gone bad: all the helpers wildly throwing stuff in the truck, making the packing inefficient, and exposing your stuff to damages because of shifting in the truck while you’re moving.
Many people look to save a buck by eschewing moving companies, but it’s all for naught if your stuff is destroyed or you have to make two trips because of lousy loading.
There’s an easy fix: Have one person in charge. It’s their job to direct where items go on the truck. They should stand in the back of the truck as helpers bring in items, and then decide where they go in the truck.
While you might mock this person for not having to do as much heavy lifting, they’ve actually got the most important job of the bunch: their work will ensure that you get everything loaded in the truck, and that it all shows up at your new home in one piece.
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you load the rental truck:
Your First Steps
To make everything more efficient, get everything you need to load your truck before you begin actually loading.
Make sure all the moving boxes you’re putting in the truck are fully packed — top to bottom and side to side. If there’s empty space, fill it with enough paper so they don’t get crushed if other items are stacked on them in the truck.
Stretch-wrap sofas to protect them from dirt, or punctures. Also do mattresses and other soft items, or buy boxes or mattress bags for them.
Have enough padded materials (moving blankets) on hand to wrap furniture for protection. Wrapping furniture makes it easier to load tightly in the truck without hurting it. Try to load stuff tightly to prevent items jostling against one another during the move.
Loading It
Start loading at the front of the truck or van and work your way toward the back.
Stack items from floor to ceiling, and try to fill every space needs to be filled so no items shift during transportation. Boxes should be used as filler for open spaces.
Put heavy items lower on the truck, with lighter items on top of those.
Pack each ‘row’ fully (floor to ceiling), before moving on to the next row.
You might need to disassemble some things to ensure safe transport, like removing legs from tables. Don’t get lazy on this point, you could cause some real damage.
Sofas and some other pieces may be placed on their ends to achieve a tightly loaded truck, but you will need to be sure to place the items next to items that will not cause damage. And if the fabric, they need to be wrapped.
If you don’t use the entire truck, secure the back of your shipment with loading straps to keep things from sliding backward. When you rent your truck, make sure these things are available.
Many people struggle over how to pack fragile items — glass items, picture frames, that beloved neon beer sign from college.
Here’s a suggestion: stop worrying about it and have the moving company pack it. You’ll pay for it, of course, but you could end up saving in the long run.
How?
When you pack items yourself and the items inside get broken, you won’t be covered by insurance. That’s right. All the bubble wrap and good intentions in the world won’t protect that awesome ceramic cat if it gets broken in a box that you packed yourself.
Unless the box itself has visible damage and was obviously dropped or somehow damaged in the move itself by the moving company, the only coverage you’ll have is the minimum valuation that moving companies are required to provide: 30 cents per pound for local moves, 60 cents for long distance moves. That won’t go far in replacing the item.
Here’s another sobering fact: You’re bad at packing. Oh sure, you’ve moved 3 times and like to think yourself a whiz with tape and those little syrofoam peanuts.
But you’re not that good. Sorry. And even if you are good, you’re not as a good as a guy who does it full-time, every day, every week of the year.
But in the end, it’s not about who’s the best: it’s about what happens if something gets broken. And if something does, it might be the best route to make sure your items are protected by insurance.
For more information about insuring your move, check out this article on moving insurance. This article can help you learn how to pack fragile items.
