TIPS / Residential

Packing tips

• If you choose to do the packing yourself, pack a few boxes a day and begin several weeks before the move;
• Pack room by room, and proceed a corner at once. It is preferable not to mix items from different rooms in the same box;
• Use clean and moving specially conceived boxes. Grocery boxes or others are not always clean and often cannot bear the weight of the items put in them. Moreover, their unequal dimensions complicate the loading;
• Pack heavy items in small boxes and light items in bigger ones. Aim at a maximum weight of 15 to 20 kg for every box;
• Use only virgin newpaper which is available at you origin agent. Regular newspaper is dirty and can stain your items;
• Pack very small items in lively colored paper to avoid loosing them or throwing them inadvertently with the scrap packing paper;
• Make sure the caps of medicine and personal care products are well closed ;
• Withdraw light bulbs before packing lamps;
• Place frames in boxes between sheets or blankets for more protection;
• Clean garbage boxes are perfect to transport garage items, tools, balls, skates and other miscellaneous items;
• You can leave everything in your drawers as long as the weight is reasonable and that the content doesn’t risk to be broken;
• Designate a drawer for sheets and towels you will need on your first night at your new home to avoid having to go through boxes;
• Take your current phone book with you. You could have to contact residents or shops in your former city;
• Toilet-paper, telephone, toothpaste and toothbrush, snacks, coffee and coffee-pot, flashlight, screw drivers, pliers, can opener, paper plates, cups and ustensiles, frying pans and napkins are essential items you will need upon arrival. Pack them all together in the same box and ask your foreman to load it last. That way, it will be unloaded first at your new residence;
• Carry personally your valued pictures, financial documents (check books, insurance policies, deposit certificates, etc.) legal documents (wills, passports, etc.) jewels, stamps and money of value, as well as your medical files and family history);
• Describe the general content on the top and side of every box. Write also of which room it comes (or the room in which you would like it to be placed once at destination);
• Use colored stickers for every box. At your new residence, hang balloons of corresponding colors in front of the rooms where you want the corresponding boxes do be placed;
• Dangerous goods, such as inflammable products, varnish and thinner, gasoline, kerosene and oils, liquefied gas, aerosols, nail varnish and solvents, munitions and explosives, corrosive products and detergents, are examples of articles that cannot be included in the load.

 

Tips for special items

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Plants Even if plants are easily carried, their survival is not always assured. As they can become excellent gifts of good-byes for neighbors, family and friends, Allied suggests you offer them in " adoption " but if you decide to take them:

• Expose them to a maximum of sun during a few weeks so they can store the necessary energy for the trip;
• Cut the biggest branches and leaves about a month before the departure and reduce their provision in water and in fertilizers to slow down their growth;
• Never let the leaves of a plant rest on the window of a vehicle to prevent them from burning

Computers and electronic devices

• Remove all CDs from your CD player;
• Withdraw all reception devices and paper feeder of printers;
• Put your computer hard disc on " park ";
• Fill the empty space of boxes with expanded polystyrene and write the mention " extremely fragile " on the boxes. Use the original packings if you still have them, they are ideal to protect your computer and electronic equipment;
• Before connecting your computer in your new home, let it get used to the ambient temperature.

Other special items During the initial inventory of the goods to be moved, signal any item of interest to your consultant. He will be able to tell you which items need special preparation before the moving date.

• If you have to move a boat, purge the motor of fuel and oils;
• If you have a car to move, leave the gas tank to the quarter and make sure there’s no oil, battery acid or radiator liquid leaks;
• Do not load anything inside the car, trailer or boat ;
• Do not forget to give your foreman the keys of your vehicle ;
• All vehicles must be registered and fonctionnal.

 

Tips for childrens

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"When and how should we tell our children about the moving? What can we do to facilitate them the move?" Children will react differently to a move according to their age. The youngest ones will miss the people and environment they are familiar to, whereas, older ones will miss their friends and other people of their community they have developed links with. It is more advantageous to move during the school year. If you arrive in a new community during summer, you will note that it is more difficult for your children to develop quickly new friendships since other children will either be on vacation or in summer camps. Moving during the school period will allow your child to get right away in the routine of school and its related activities. Here are some tips:

• Be sensitive to their emotions and to their worries;
• Make them feel they are part of the process;
• Announce the move to your children as soon as possible. A child should never learn such a news from a third person or by "accident";
• Since the major part of the stress associated with a move is linked to the unknown, involve your children in all possible aspects of the move;
• Talk to them about details they can understand, encourage them to ask questions and listen to what they have to say;
• Let them pack a box or two of toys, games and other personal objects;
• Let your children pack their favorite toys. This will reinforce their feeling of belonging and will make them feel they are actively taking part in the move;
• Ask them to write on their boxes the room, the content, their name and new address. This is a good way to familiarize them with their new;
• Encourage your children to take the time to say good-bye to their friends and to keep in touch by exchanging address and telephone numbers;
• Insure a continuity. If your child is a member of the scout movement, of minor leagues, a choir or school troop, enroll them if possible to a similar activity in the new community;
• Do not hesitate to contact theirvg teachers and principals of their new schools;
• At the arrival, you could ask to have the television and VCR to be unloaded first to occupy the children while the unloading continues;

The Dr Keegan notes that even if a move can be disrupting, most of the children will easily ajust in a short period. Nevertheless, he adds that you should not underestimate the signs indicating that a child has difficulty to adapt. If your child has trouble sleeping, is easily irritable, shows anger, or avoids making friends, you should consult a paediatrician or other professional. Usually, the determining factor is the parents’attitude. If Mom and Dad present the move as an exciting adventure – if they concentrate on the opportunities the whole family will beneficiate from – the children will probably have a positive attitude.

 

Tips for pets

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On the the day moving day, leave your animal with friends in a calm environment and far away from the action. Before moving an animal, schedule a visit with the veterinarian. He will eventually prescribe a tranquillisant or will suggest other measures to take before the trip. By airplane

• Call the airline company well in advance to know the rules and regulations, the services they can provide and to make the reservation;
• It is preferable to have your animal travel a day of hollow period and on a direct flight;
• Accustom your animal to his cage well before the trip;
• Put the mention " Live animal " on the cage and affix a label indicating the name of the animal, your new address and telephone number, as well as all instructions of special manipulation.

By car

• Do not give food to your animal several hours before the trip and make sure to bring a bottle of fresh water with you;
• Stop frequently to have your pet drink and walk;
• Birds and other small animals can travel in their habitual cage. Make sure that it is stable, well ventilated and proctected from wind flows;
• Covering the cage of small animals will often help to calm them;
• Never leave an animal in a closed and locked car.

 

Other Tips

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• If you’re plannig to store part of your goods, visit the warehouse you wish to put them into. Check its cleanliness, organization and security;
• If, for some reason, you must move yourself a heavy item, adopt a position of secure levage: bend your knees. If possible, use a security harness;
• After having cleaned and dryed the interior of your refrigerator, put a handful of fresh coffee, of baking soda or of wood coal in a cotton or nylon bag. This will help in maintaining a fresh odor in your refrigerator;
• Once at destination, try to see if boxes present apparent damages. For your protection, leave the damaged objects in their box and do not throw the broken or chipped pieces before the complaints has been settled;
• Keep all your receipts for certain moving fees can be deductible from your income tax report. Check with your fiscal consultant for more information;
• Unpack fragile objects above their box. Should you drop it, the packing material will absorb the shock and will reduce the risk of breaking it.