When it comes to moving your household, there are items that you should plan on moving yourself. Some of those items are restricted by laws while others are personal items that you should want to move yourself.
Moving Hazardous Materials
Every household has certain hazardous materials that pose a threat when relocated by a moving company. These items are best carried to your new home by you so that everyone involved can be safer during the move. Items such as these go on that list:
• Aerosol cans
• Guns and ammunition
• Car batteries
• Charcoal and lighter fluid
• Cleaning solvents
• Darkroom chemicals
• Fire extinguisher
• Gasoline
• Liquid bleach
• Matches
• Motor oil
• Nail polish and remover
• Paint and paint thinner
• Pesticides
• Poisons
• Pool chemicals
• Propane tanks
• Scuba tanks
• Weed killer
• Anything flammable, corrosive, or explosive
You should plan on moving these types of items in your private vehicle. Otherwise, such items could get banged up enough or heat up enough in a moving truck to spontaneously combust. You could lose your furniture and other valuable items. More importantly, someone could get hurt, or worse.
Moving Your Personal Items
Some items are so personal that you should move them yourself. It isn’t necessarily the monetary value of such items you should concern yourself with as the sentimental value. Things that provide you with personal benefit that you can never get back if lost should go on your “move myself” list. These may include:
• Address books
• Airline or event tickets
• Car keys, titles, and insurance papers
• Cash
• Cell phones
• Checkbooks
• Financial documents and insurance policies
• Jewelry
• Laptop computers
• Medical and dental records
• Medicine
• Photo albums
• Plants
• Professional files with sensitive information you are required by law to protect
• School records
• Stocks and bonds
These types of items are valuable in ways that money can’t buy. Even those items that hold financial value (like laptop computers, jewelry, and financial documents) are difficult to replace if lost. If you keep them on your person or within your control during the move, they’ll be much safer.
Also, if you are moving perishable items, move those in your vehicle so that they can go straight from the storage area of your old home to the storage area of your new home quickly.
