Hiring a reputable moving company to move your belongings to your new home saves you a lot of time and effort. By hiring a moving company, you eliminate the need to take your belongings to your new home in several trips, and you won’t have to beg your family and friends to help you move. However, there are things moving companies won’t move for you, and you’ll need to make other arrangements if you plan on moving these items to your new home.
1. Hazardous Materials
Moving companies consider hazardous materials anything that is flammable, explosive, or corrosive, according to Moving.com. Common hazardous materials moving companies won’t move include aerosol cans, batteries, charcoal, lighter fluid, darkroom chemicals, fire extinguishers, nail polish, nail polish remover, gasoline, fireworks, ammonia, bleach, car batteries, cleaning solvents, motor oil, firearms, kerosene, paint or varnishes, pool chemicals, weed killer, Sterno fuel, paint thinner, matches, fertilizer, chemistry sets, ammunition, fuels and oils, pesticides, propane tanks, poisons, scuba tanks, reloading supplies, lamp oil, and acids.
2. Perishables
Perishable items won’t keep during long-distance moves and can attract pests, which may cause damage to your belongings. Perishable items moving companies won’t transport include refrigerated or frozen food, produce, and opened food packages.
3. Plants
Moving companies won’t move plants. According to Georgetown Moving and Storage Company, state officials try to prevent the spread of plant diseases, insects, and parasites by restricting the movement of plants across state lines. It’s illegal to transport plants more than 150 miles without a special license.
4. Pets
This should be pretty obvious, but your cat, dog, snake, bird, or any other pet cannot hitch a ride in the moving truck. Put your pet in an appropriate carrier and transport him to your new home yourself or hire a pet transport service.
5. Equipment Containing Fuel
Moving companies won’t move anything with fuel in thetank. So, if you want your moving company to move your motorcycle, lawn mower, grill, edger, or generator, you’ll need to empty the tank first.
6. Valuables and Important Documents
Some moving companies will move valuable items. However, even if a moving company can reimburse you the value of the item if it’s stolen, damaged, or lost, these items cannot typically be replaced due to their sentimental value. For that reason, you may want to consider transporting valuable items, such as jewelry, photo albums, heirlooms, cash, and collectibles to your new home yourself.
It’s also best to transport important documents, such as birth certificates, social security cards, passports, and financial statements to your new destination yourself These documents can be difficult to replace if they are lost or stolen.
7. Liquor
The regulations for transporting liquor vary by state. While some moving companies may agree to transport well-packed, bottled liquor, others will refuse to move alcoholic beverages. Before you begin packing up your liquor, it’s best to find out if the laws in your intended destination allow for the transportation of liquor.
If you have a special wine collection, you may need to contact a reputable specialty wine mover to move your collection. Alternatively, you can move the collection yourself.
Hiring a moving company can save you a lot of time and effort when you’re relocating. Knowing the items a moving company won’t move for you allows you to make alternate arrangements for transporting the items if you wish to keep them.