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Hazardous, Perishable or Precious – What Movers Want You to Know

The big day is getting closer, but have you and your mover talked about items you will need to move or dispose of yourself? Professional moving companies prohibit transporting certain materials, and many companies have rules and preferences regarding precious or perishable items, including things like pets or live plants.

Here’s a few things professional movers suggests you transport yourself or dispose of prior to your move.

Hazardous Materials

It’s illegal for professional movers to transport flammable, corrosive or explosive materials. These items include familiar household products like aerosol cans, ammonia, cleaning solvents and liquid bleach. Hazardous items such as ammunition, charcoal lighter fluid, fertilizer, gasoline, loaded firearms, paint thinners, paints and varnishes, pesticides, poisons and weed killers are also on the list.

At Armstrong – Raleigh, your move coordinator will provide you with a pre-move package with a detailed list of prohibited items. You’ll need to prepare for the move by removing these items from the premises or separating them from the things the Armstrong team will transport.

The North Carolina Environmental Quality website also has a list of household hazardous waste (HHW) collection centers. WakeGOV is a Wake County government website that also lists HHW recycling drop-off sites in the Raleigh area where residents can dispose of hazardous materials, free of charge.

Making plans to dispose of these items removes the risk of anything being accidentally transported by your moving company, which protects your crew and your belongings.

Perishable Items

Most professional movers do not transport perishable items such as frozen or refrigerated food. These items can quickly spoil, stain, attract bugs or cause unpleasant odors, so most companies prohibit teams from moving them.

Here’s a quick fix for perishables in your refrigerator or freezer that you can do right before the move. The night before, pack up or dispose of any food you haven’t been able to use over the last few weeks. This includes frozen foods or items such as milk, cottage cheese or yogurt. Sometimes, depending on how long your journey is, the best option is to just dispose of those items.

Transport trailers are not climate controlled, so live houseplants and, of course, pets cannot be carried by movers. You should plan to move pets and plants in your car, or temporarily relocate them until the move is complete.

Precious or Irreplaceable Items

Armstrong’s pre-move package includes a full list of items considered precious or irreplaceable. Some include personal records, documents, cash, personal electronics, cell phones, files and backups, irreplaceable family photographs or photo albums, jewelry, prescription medications and more. You’ll want to store these items in a safe, off-site location, or pack and transport them in your car.

If you’re working with Armstrong, and have any questions regarding the policies of your crew, contact your move coordinator. At Armstrong, our goal is to provide a safe, stress-free moving experience for you and your family. Armstrong – Raleigh prides itself on providing critical pre-move information that helps you be ready for the big day.

Armstrong – Raleigh is your partner for residential moving. Call one of our experts at 866.242.8598 to discuss your move today or get a quote here!

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