The process of moving from one residence to another already tends to be stressful with all the packing, organizing, cleaning, and coordinating manpower. Add in the extenuating circumstances and precautions needed during a pandemic, and that stress level has every possibility of amplifying.
While we might not be able to help you pack all those boxes or move that heavy, oversized couch, we can help curtail some of that COVID-induced stress. By taking into consideration some simple moving tips and adding a few steps to your process, your relocation can be a safe experience for you, your family, and your heavy-lifting crew.
Clean and Disinfect Items as You Pack
As you pull items off the shelves and cupboards and out of the back corners of closets, it’s always a great idea to clean and disinfect each item. Obviously, you don’t want to pack all those dust bunnies, but it’s a good idea to ensure everything that is packed is also disinfected.
The CDC offers some great tips on how to effectively clean and disinfect as you move out:
- Wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect items and surfaces, making sure to discard those gloves after use. Always wash your hands after removing those gloves.
- Clean all surfaces using soap and water first, then use a disinfectant.
- Before being packed, launder clothing and linens according to manufacturer guidelines.
Research Donation Locations for Availability
Inevitably, when you go through closets and cupboards, there are bound to be items you don’t want to pack. As you start filling up a box of items you hope to donate, be sure to reach out to your preferred charity to find out about new requirements. As Kelly Lawler from USA Today found out, “dropping off a bag of clothes at Goodwill isn’t as simple as it was before.”
Disinfect Your New Dwelling
While the CDC has confirmed that the coronavirus does not easily spread on surfaces, it is still a good idea, before you begin unpacking boxes, to pull out the cleaning and disinfecting products and give each room of your new dwelling a good once-over. Pay particular attention to kitchen and bathroom shelving where you will be storing food, dishes and utensils, bed and bath linens, and more.
Be sure, too, to disinfect all fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen as well as other often-overlooked appliances like the fridge and microwave.
Stock Up on PPE Supplies
If you have a small crew of people planning to help you, a great pandemic-friendly moving tip is to request they follow mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines throughout the day. To help in that, provide your movers with plenty of hand sanitizer, extra masks, gloves, and hand-washing stations.
Thank Your Moving Team with Gift Cards
If you’re enlisting the help of friends and neighbors for your move, it’s tradition to feed them as a thank you for all their hard work. Rather than have many hands digging into a large pizza or slicing up sections of a six-foot sub sandwich, thank your helpful friends with gift cards to nearby restaurants.
Gift cards will serve two purposes: It’s a great way to thank your crew while also helping the struggling restaurant industry. As LA Times columnist Steve Lopez recently wrote, “If we buy gift certificates, we can help keep restaurants alive . . . [and] maintain a lifeline for tens of thousands of employees.”
If a move is in your near future, consider following these five moving tips for making the process a little less stressful during this pandemic. From everyone at Le Med Apartment Homes, we wish you an easy move!