Professional Movers Association Boston, MA

03/13/2018 No Comments

Tips for Moving a Hot Tub To Another State

There are few things more enjoyable than slipping into a foamy, bubbly tub of hot water after a long, hard day of work or play. As your muscles start to relax, the tension, stress, and troubles of the day start to melt away. That is until you decide to move cross-country, and you’re faced with the painstakingly difficult decision of what to do with your beloved hot tub. Although it's honestly much less work and hassle to simply leave the hot tub where it stands and purchase a new one once you arrive at your future destination, this isn’t always an option. Hot tubs can be an expensive investment that you’re not quite ready or financially willing to part with. Plus, bringing your hot tub along with you on your major move, might make the transition to an unfamiliar area a little less intimidating, as your tub could provide that sense of comfort and familiarity to your new home. If you don't want to hire professionals like Decatur long distance moving companies to move it for you, here's how to do-it-yourself in four easy steps:

1. Gather Your Supplies

Before you begin moving anything, you will need to gather up a few supplies, including a couple of 4x4 lumber scraps, an appliance dolly, electric screwdriver, tow straps, two furniture dollies, and a few strong bodied helpers, capable of handling some heavy lifting. Cheap Movers, a provider of Atlanta moving services, recommends having at least four strong men on-site to help. Next, you’re ready to begin the actual hot tub transferring process.

2. Disconnect the Tub

Disconnect the electrical power supply to your hot tub by shutting off the gas and water supply lines on the spa panel and unplugging all of the cords, carefully gathering the cords into a neat, manageable coil to prevent them from dangling and causing a tripping hazard. Next, you will need to drain the water out of the tub completely. Once all of the water is drained, thoroughly dry the tub and then tighten the drain plug securely back in place. Remove the cover using an electric screwdriver and store in a safe place where it will not be prone to damage during the move.

3. Move the Hot Tub Onto Lumber

Place a volunteer in each corner of the hot tub and ask them to lift their corner of the tub one at a time, off of the ground and onto a 4x4 piece of lumber. The tub should now be resting on the lumber. If the path to the moving truck is flat and unobstructed, then your hot tub can be safely strapped and secured to the furniture dollies and slowly wheeled over to the moving truck. If the ground is bumpy and or uneven, an additional step of carefully tipping the hot tub onto its side, sliding the appliance dolly underneath the tub and then securing with tow straps needs to be taken. Tipping your tub is dangerous and difficult, as a hot tub weighs hundreds of pounds, so using proper safety and lifting techniques is crucial in ensuring that no one is injured. This goes for rolling the hot tub up onto the ramp and into the back of the moving truck. Always have a spotter ready to catch and assist if someone loses their footing, balance or grip on the tub.

4. Transport and Install

Upon arriving at your destination, it's time to unload, transport, and install your hot tub by carefully following the above steps in reverse order.

Finally, once your hot tub is set up and ready for use in your new home be sure to reward yourself with a congratulatory soak.

03/09/2018 No Comments

How to Declutter Your Home Before a Long Distance Move

A long-distance move is hard enough, but it's even more difficult when you have rooms of belongings to go through that you're not even sure you want to take with you. Here's a pro mover tip from Cheap Movers Las Vegas (site): before you move, do a deep clean on your entire space and get rid of everything you know you won't need. Not only will it save your back, but it'll also save you money on supplies and manpower that you don't need to spend. If you're unsure about how to get started decluttering, start with these ideas.

1. Clean Out Your Pantry

This doesn't have to be the first thing you do, especially if moving day is a still a few days or weeks away, but eventually, you'll want to get rid of all those chips and unopened cans of vegetables that you never got around to eating. But don't just throw those perfectly-good groceries in the trash, look for a food pantry that you can drop them off at or use a service like Move for Hunger to help give them to people in need.

2. Choose What to Donate and What to Sell

Once you've decided on what to get rid of before you move, make a list and decide what you want to sell and what you want to donate. The choice is up to you: selling puts items in your pocket now, while donating can come with some sizeable tax benefits. Keep in mind too that if your belongings are outdated or not working, neither may be an option, so it's best, to be honest with your list now before you drag everything downtown. Once you decide, call the appropriate people and let them declutter parts of your house for you.

3. Be Brutal With Clothing

Are you ever going to wear that lime-green jumpsuit you bought for the St. Patrick's Day party two years ago? Most likely not, so it's probably a good idea to not haul it across the country with you on your move. Though not every choice may be that clear-cut, use a very critical eye to go through your closet and decide what's keeping and what's not. Best of all, you can donate your clothes to a qualifying charity and help people who are in need.

4. Throw Away Hazardous Materials

Things like fireworks, propane tanks, and fire extinguishers are not safe to transport over long distances, much less throw in the back of a moving truck for a cross-country move. The varying temperatures can cause them to leak or even explode, which is why most long-distance movers do not even allow them in their trucks. It's best to throw those things out now before you end up with something explosive in your living room and don't know what to do with it. Be careful not just to dump them in the trash, however. Hazardous chemicals need to be disposed of properly, so call your local home improvement store or fire station to ask for advice.

09/02/2017 No Comments

5 Top-Rated Boston Moving Companies

Boston is a vibrant New England city that can be a great place to live for so many reasons. The metropolis has a lot of history and culture on its side. Education is a focal point. It has many terrific and reliable options in public transportation. It even has an abundance of friendly residents. If […]

08/25/2017 No Comments

Advice from the Best Boston Local and Long Distance Movers

Services by the Best Boston Movers for Local and Long Distance Moves When you decide to move to a new place, a moving company can help you to relocate your belongings from one state to another. The moving firm must have the capacity to offer planning, packing, transport, and unpacking services. Your mover should ensure that your items reach the intended destination safely and even offer insurance if the loss or damage of your household property occurs. To ensure a risk-free relocation, you need to follow the following tips:

Planning-Avoid Headaches and Disaster

Any long distance move is no joke. You will need to consult a professional mover to plan the relocation if you do not want pitfalls on moving day. First, you must decide whether the company you consult has the experience in both the local and long distance moves. Then, make sure they carry the proper credentials and licensing to move you!

Purchase Insurance for your Belongings

The best Boston moving services for local and long distance moves know that transporting stuff across thousands of miles in trucks poses significant breakage risks. Statistics from the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) show that over 80% of the moves in the United States do not invite any damage claims. However, 20% of the moves result in compensation claims. As per the Federal law, the mover's liability is only $.60 for every pound. Instead of relying on the basic coverage, you can purchase the full-value coverage to guarantee the replacement of the damaged property.

Packing Services for the Long Haul

The best movers have crews to pack in special boxes to cushion your items from damage. The crew also tie and seal the high-quality moving containers to avoid any shifts along the way.

Personal Documents and Sensitive Items

You must remain with the personal items, such as the social security card, driver's license, birth certificates, and passport. The client may need bank statements, pay stubs, or tax returns any time. Your clothes and hygiene products must not be put in boxes too.

The Outdoor Furniture

Inspect the outdoor furniture for pest infestation before the packing process. You may need to decontaminate the property before the move.

Never Pack the Liquids

Perishables oils can dirt or stain leading to a messed up move ‎, so you had better not load any liquid.

Classify the Belongings and Mark the Moving Boxes

Having marked boxes into which to pack each category of items saves time during the unloading. This Quincy mover recommends that you group your household belongings by room or purpose, and also have specialty boxes on hand for the delicate and breakable possessions.

Read the Delivery Window Keenly

The moving company can take up to 20 days, the holidays and weekends excluded, to deliver your belongings. It is wise to carry the items you need as you wait for the moving truck to arrive.

Prepare the Move-in House

Whether you plan to move into a rented apartment, condo, or your own house, you must get the residence ready. You must ensure that the water, gas, and electricity connections work to your satisfaction. You will then inform the mover that you are good to go.

08/18/2017 No Comments

Check Your Mover’s Credentials Before Hiring Professionals

Moving is a tiring and often overwhelming task, but hiring the wrong moving company can make your moving experience from tiring to outright frustrating and disastrous if you select the wrong one. For this reason, it is imperative to check the credentials of your Boston moving company before you hire them. Here are a few reasons why you should and what you can do to vet your movers.

Moving Company Reviews

First, it is important to make sure that the website you are looking at reviews on is legitimate. Some sites allow businesses to pay to remove reviews or let people (often business owners) write reviews from the customer's perspective, even paying people to write positive reviews for them. However, Yelp is one website that provides trustworthy reviews. Here are reasons you should always read reviews first:

90% of consumers make decisions based off of reviews
Reviews can give an honest opinion about other people's prior experiences
Businesses who keep happy customers and operate with integrity have fewer negative reviews

Before hiring a moving company, make sure that the website you are reviewing them on is legitimate. You should check for the following red flags!

Customers not receiving services after payment
Several customers having damaged or lost items
The company does not replace items that are lost or damaged
Habitually late delivery or delivering to the wrong address

What to Look For

Before you hire a moving company, make sure that you look for the following qualities to ensure excellent service.

References

Not only do customer reviews matter, but websites that provide important references on movers matter, too. Check out the moving company before you hire them and see what their references have to say.

Insurance

Companies who value not only their financial safety but their customer's inventory will carry insurance. This helps to replace and lost or damaged items during the move.

Know Your Contracts

There are three types of contracts that are offered from moving companies, and you should never sign a blank contract. Everything should be in writing! Here are the three types of moving contracts.

Non-Binding Estimates: The non-binding estimate prohibits the company from charging any more than 10% over the projected estimate.
Non-Binding to Exceed Estimate: With this contract, you are not obligated to pay any overages. Whatever the company quotes you is what you will pay.
Binding Estimate: All fees and moving expense are included in the estimate, and you do not have to pay any more than the estimated amount. Anything extra that you request specifically will be your responsibility to pay, however.

Licensing

Finally, one of the most important things to check is whether a moving company is licensed. There are a couple of levels of licensing applicable to Massachusetts moving companies:

Intrastate/Local Movers

Local moving companies performing in-state moves must be licensed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Most reputable movers list their MDPU# on their websites and sometimes include the number on the trucks as well. Check here for more information on Massachusetts moving regulations.

Interstate Moving

To carry goods out of state, or long distance, movers, must have a valid U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number. Moving companies obtain this license through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which also has helpful resources for consumers planning a move. For instance, you can look up licensing and safety records of moving companies, or browse through blog posts on topics like identifying rogue movers and avoiding moving fraud. Hiring a company can be safe and easy if you know how to distinguish a great company from a disreputable one. Make sure to keep all of these tips in mind before you hire your next moving company!