4 Major DIY Moving Mistakes

People sometimes decide to do a DIY move rather than hire a professional moving company. While this works fine for many people, many often regret not going with the experts. The following are four major DIY moving mistakes people tend to make that you’ll want to avoid.

1. Assuming Self-Moves are Most Cost-Effective

It’s a common misconception that DIY moves are far less expensive than hiring a professional mover to manage their relocation. Moving entails far more than boxing belongings and carrying them onto a truck. Self-moves are rarely straightforward, and details will likely be missed, even if someone is an experienced DIY mover because no two moves are the same. Factors to consider before going the DIY route:

  • Is the move a local, short-distance move?
  • Does the move involve a dorm room, apartment, or house?
  • Are reliable friends and family able to help? (Rarely can people move by themselves.)
  • Will many heavy or bulky items need to be moved?

DIY moves are typically best when your move involves short distances and small spaces. Anything more, it’s probably more cost-effective to hire a pro. They can do the job in a few hours, where DIY moves often take days and involve multiple trips. Using professional movers also reduces the risks of your cherished belongings being broken and personal injury.

2. Flubs with Packing Belongings

Some people choose to hire movers to do the actual transport, but they do the packing themselves. This is not a bad strategy, unless inexperienced without knowledge about packing correctly. Some of the most significant DIY mistakes people make often include:

  • Failing to create a packing calendar
  • Using incorrect boxes
  • Packing inefficiently
  • Not properly wrapping fragile items
  • Waiting until the last minute to start packing

A proper DIY packing plan stretched out over a few weeks leads to a better move experience. Alternatively, hiring a mover who offers packing services can get the job done quickly and efficiently.

3. Rental Trucks are Easy to Figure Out

Renting a truck seems pretty forthright, but this is one area of a DIY move that often goes wrong. Mistakes people frequently make when booking a truck include:

  • Not determining the correct size of the rental truck
  • Waiting until the last minute and having slim pickings
  • Not checking the credibility of the rental company
  • Failing to buy insurance
  • Not understanding additional costs on top of the base price

Truck size is an important one because too small, and all possessions won’t fit. Yet, too large, items will shift and potentially damage your belongings. 

4. Not Knowing How to Avoid Injury

People often suffer injuries because they overload boxes or fail to get the proper straps, dollies, and other equipment to move heavier items safely. This can lead to serious back injuries from incorrect lifting or turning while carrying boxes. Other injuries happen when people do too much without help or trip because they have not adequately cleared the pathways between the truck and the home.

Moving Made Easy

Unless you are a skilled mover, it’s hard to know how to load the moving truck correctly. However, experienced, professional movers have techniques to maximize the truck’s space while simultaneously arranging belongings where they’ll be best secured to avoid breakage.

Are you looking to move? Contact us today for a free quote.