Our Blog

Packing moving boxes surely isn’t rocket science but you may be surprised to learn that there are ways you can pack certain items that will help make the job easier.

Below are a few of our pro tips for people who are packing up a Boulder, CO home.

Bundle up

When you begin packing your home, you’ll want to do this room by room. If you pack your kids’ toys with your toiletries and the stuff that’s currently loaded on your desk, unpacking is going to be a special kind of complicated.

No one has time for that.

Sort things room by room. Not only will this save your sanity, but it will also save you a lot of time when you start to unpack.

Now that we’ve gotten that item out of the way when you are going room by room, you should start by packing items of a similar size and weight in the same box.

Pro tip for fragile things

If you have some packaging peanuts, great. If you don’t, you may want to go out and buy some. Once you have them on hand, you’ll want to pour a layer into the bottom of the boxes you’ll be using to pack fragile items.

From there, you’ll want to wrap the heaviest fragile things in bubble wrap and place those items into the bottom of the box. Once that's done, add a layer of cushion foam, and load in a layer of lighter, bubble-wrapped fragile items.

When the box is full, add more cushioning (ie: packing peanuts, crumpled packing paper, etc.) in the unfilled spaces. This will help prevent the items from shifting during transport.

Lastly, consider buying a roll of brightly colored duct tape to seal the boxes that contain fragile things, so they can be easily identified.

Make sure that heavy boxes aren’t too heavy

First, we’d like to say that you shouldn’t use large boxes to pack many heavy things. When you do this, moving those boxes becomes extremely difficult.

Second, you should make sure that boxes that do contain heavy things shouldn’t weigh more than 30 lbs. Not only will this make them easier to lift, but it will also make the boxes less likely to rupture during transport. Again, the goal is to make sure that all of your household items arrive at your new home in the same condition they were in when you packed them.

Consider having the Vail, CO movers pack for you

If you need help packing and moving a household, the experts at American Moving are here to help. Our company specializes in both local and long-distance moves, and if you’re not looking forward to packing up every room in your home, we can help you with that.

For more information on our rates, or for more information on our professional packing and unpacking services, call American Moving today at 970-949-4949 to get started. If you’d prefer to contact us by email, we can be reached at moveme@americanmoving.com.

In our previous blog post, we talked about the types of things you may be able to downsize during a move. And while some things, like old and unused clothing and shoes, can be donated to local charities, there are other things, such as still-working but unused electronics, that can be sold during a pre-move sale.

Below are a few of our pro-tips for Denver residents who are wanting to hold a successful moving sale.

Ask your family members to gather items they no longer want

If you go through your teenage kids’ stuff and decide what they will and won’t be taking to your new home, that’s likely to cause a mutiny.

The best thing to do is to ask your family members to gather items that they wish to sell. Once you’ve gathered the items you’d like to showcase during the pre-move sale, you’ll want to work on picking a date.

Weekends tend to be best

Saturdays and Sundays are ideal for holding yard or garage sales. However, you’ll want to make sure you don’t schedule something over a holiday weekend. You may also want to check with your neighbors to see if they’d like to participate, as well. A neighborhood sale tends to get more foot traffic than an individual yard sale.

Publicity is key

Ask the local coffee shops, your church, your kids’ school, and the market you shop at if you can put up flyers that advertise the date and time of your sale. Depending on the neighborhood you live in, you may be able to post advertisement flyers on light posts.

If you can list some of the more popular items you’ll be selling (electronics, power tools, appliances, furniture, etc.), all the better. Some people find that putting their phone number on the flyer, so would-be-shoppers can call in advance to inquire about the sale, works well.

Free online portals, such as Craigslist, can also be helpful in terms of getting the word out.

Pre-sort selling items

If you’re combining your yard sale with another family, be sure to color-code the selling items so you know which money goes where.

Hang clothing items on a makeshift clothesline and organize appliances, kitchen utensils, games, and electronics so they’re easy for shoppers to browse. Make sure you stock a cash box with plenty of change. Or, if you’re especially savvy, you can use a Square or PayPal debit card attachment with your cell phone.

Lastly, you’ll want to be prepared for the weather to change at any given moment. Have tarps or large sheets of plastic handy to cover your for-sale items, just in case.

An expert moving company in Denver

American Moving Company has years of experience in helping people in Denver and its surrounding areas coordinate successful moves for years.

For more tips on how to hold a successful moving sale, or to schedule a time for one of our team members to come to your home to provide you with a free moving estimate, call us today at 303-469-6683 to get started.

Moving can be both stressful and exciting. At the same time, if you’ve already started packing, you’ve likely realized that you don’t fully understand how much stuff you have until you need to put it all in boxes.

If you’ve been in your home for several years (or longer), chances are, you’ve accumulated more than a few things that you won’t be taking with you.

Below you’ll find our top list of things to toss before you load everything into the moving truck.

Are you really planning on wearing those parachute pants again?

We didn’t think so.

Go through your closet—do you have clothes that no longer fit? (Ie: clothes that will never fit again. If you’ve had it since college and you haven’t worn it in you-can’t-remember-how-long, it’s probably time to part ways.) Do you have things that were super cool to wear years ago but you won’t ever, ever wear again? (Ie: shirts with shoulder-pads, stirrup pants, parachute pants, and anything else that the 90s might want back)

You can toss all of that into the “donate” bin.

Shoes shoes and more shoes

Do you have a tendency to buy new sneakers without throwing out the previous pair? Do you have heels, dress shoes, or kids’ shoes that haven’t seen the light of day in more than 12 months? If you figure there’s less than a 20 percent chance those shoes will ever make it out of your closet again, tag it and donate it.

Old electronics and video game consoles

You’d be surprised how many people have a hard time getting rid of old electronics. When kids no longer use video game consoles, they tend to get shoved in a basement, closet or in attic. If you have a Nintendo 64 or a first-generation Play Station and neither of those consoles has been touched since well before your adult children went off to college, these can be tagged and donated (or sold in a moving sale).

Do an inventory of your cups, plates and dishes

We once had a client who mentioned that at the time she started to pack, she realized she’d collected about three dozen cups and glasses over the years (a lot of it had been brought by and left behind by former roommates.)

Suffice to say, she didn’t need all of that glassware.

Go through your kitchen and do an inventory of your cups, mugs, dishes, and pots and pans. You may be surprised to find that you have quite a bit of excess inventory.

Have questions? Call American Moving Company today

For more information on the types of things you may be able to get rid of or donate before a move, we can help.

American Moving Company has been the top-rated moving company in Denver, the top-rated moving company in Boulder, and the top-ranked moving company in Vail/Summit County for years.

For more information on our company or to schedule a free in-home moving estimate, call us today at 877-433-0100 to get started.

So you’re planning a move…

Moving can be stressful, regardless of whether you’re moving across town or to another part of the country. Even with the most diligent planning, there are things that can go wrong.

Several years ago, a client told us about a move her daughter had completed the year before. Her daughter lived in Texas, and she planned to move south of the border. She had a handful of friends who already lived in Mexico and they were kind enough to help her coordinate the move.

Her friends arranged plans with two Mexico-based moving companies (just in case one flaked at the last minute), and each one negotiated a reasonable rate. Well—the night before the move, company A did, in fact, flake. Company B said they could still be there in the morning, as long as she’d agree to pay 50 percent more than the price that was agreed upon.

Ultimately, when her friends showed up with the movers, it wasn’t at all what this woman’s daughter expected. Her friends arrived with two men, and a massive Ford F150. Talk about a stressful situation! Yet somehow, someway, it all worked out, and all of her stuff arrived at her new home in one piece.

Tips for coping with stress

If you’re planning to move to another part of town, or another part of the United States, your move is likely to go far more smoothly than hers did. Yet that’s not to say that moving isn’t stressful.

Are there steps you can take to minimize the stress? Absolutely.

First, you’ll want to do as much planning as possible. Make sure the things you’ll need for your first night in your new home (think toiletries, towels, and a few cups, plates, and bowls) are easily accessible.

Second, you’ll want to hire a professional moving company that is licensed, insured and that will give you a written quote. Be sure to check their social media pages to see what past clients have said about their experience in using this company.

Lastly, if you’re nervous about moving to a different town or state, or if you’re sad about leaving friends and family behind, you should focus on the move as being an adventure! Not only will you get to experience a new area, you’ll get to try new restaurants and meet new people.  If you focus on the positive aspects of your move, instead of some of the more stressful things, your move will likely go more smoothly.

Moving company you can trust

At American Moving company we have years of experience in helping people with local and long-distance moves. If you have questions about the other types of steps you can take to minimize the stress of moving, or if you’d like to have us come out to your home to provide you with a free moving cost estimate.

Call our office today at 303-469-6683 to speak with a customer service representative in your area.

If you’ve never hired professional movers before, it can be hard to determine what the proper etiquette is on moving day.

For this blog, we wanted to take a moment to address several key things your movers might want you to know.

First things first

The way you can be most helpful to your movers on moving day is to let them do their job! When you hire professional movers, you’ve agreed to work with trained professionals who have many, many moves under their belt. This isn’t their first rodeo! As long as your fragile items are marked, you should be good to go. Take a step back and take a deep breath. There’s no need to micromanage this process.

Make sure you’re packed and ready to go

When the movers arrive, they’ll be focused on loading your household items into the truck. If you haven’t hired a full-service company, which basically means you aren’t paying an additional fee for the workers to pack your items for you, you’ll want to make sure the packing is done by the time they get there. This will make their job infinitely easier.

Keep valuable items, cash and prescription drugs with you

The best way to make sure that important things don’t get lost in the move is to keep those items on you. If you have loose cash, valuable items (such as jewelry), and/or prescription medication, it’s best to keep those items with you.

Label your boxes

When you start the process of packing, be sure to clearly label your boxes. If your home has more than one bedroom, be sure to label the boxes bedroom 1, bedroom 2, and so on. This will make it much easier for your movers to get the right boxes to the right places in your new home.

If you’re able to color-code your boxes, or you’re able to mark the boxes that contain fragile items with colored labels or tape, this will help provide a valuable visual cue for the people who’ve been hired to move your household.

Pack heavy items in smaller boxes

If you own a lot of cast-iron kitchen items, don’t load everything into one, jumbo-sized box. Pack heavy items in smaller boxes—if a large box looks like it’s awkward and too heavy to carry, it probably is.

Don’t go MIA

Yes, your movers will want you to stay out of their way, but they don’t want you to disappear entirely.  You should make sure you’re available to answer questions or to help them address concerns as they might arise.

Tipping isn’t mandatory, but it’s appreciated

The standard tip for professional movers spans between 10 percent and 15 percent of the cost of your move. A lot of this will depend on how long the move takes and how many flights of stairs they have to navigate. If you’re very pleased with the services they’ve provided, you should plan to tip.

Professional movers you can trust

If you have additional questions on proper moving day etiquette or you’d like to schedule a  time for one of our estimators to come out to your home to provide you with a quote.

Call our American Moving today at 303-402-0100.

If you’re planning a move and you’ve decided to hire a moving company, but this is something that you’ve never needed to do in the past, you probably have a lot of questions in terms of what to look for.

For this blog, we wanted to offer some pro-tips for hiring the best moving company.

Inventory lists

If the moving company you’re talking to has asked you to provide them an inventory of your belongings, and they talk about trying to determine the bulk weight of your items and your furniture, these are good signs.  A reputable moving company will do both of these things. A lot of movers will base their estimate on the weight of your stuff. If you have questions about the estimate, be sure to ask.

The walk-through

When an estimator comes to your home, they should take some time to ask you about what you plan to move along with what you plan to leave behind. If there are things you don’t want on the truck, or if there are things you plan to give away or donate, you’ll want to let the estimator know. This will help them provide you with the most accurate quote possible.

Beware of the large deposit

If the moving company is asking you to put down a large deposit, this is a red flag. Reputable companies will only ask for payment upon delivery. If you pay in advance, the company will be less incentivized to deliver your things on time, because they’ll already have your money.

Beware of the switcharoo

If a moving company has changed its name several times, this is another red flag. There are some companies that try to avoid assessments with the Better Business Bureau by using several different names. When you’re researching movers, make sure they have a local address. Ask if they’re licensed and insured. If anything seems sketchy, or if you feel like something isn’t quite right, hang up and call someone else.

Ask for references

A reputable moving company will have no problems providing references to potential clients. If you’re able to get several names of local customers, who have completed moves with this company in the past several months, this will be a great place to start. You may also want to do some internet research to find out what customers have posted about this company on Yelp, Facebook and/or Google+.

Ask about extra fees

If you live in a ground-floor apartment but you’re moving to the seventh floor of a building that doesn’t have a big elevator, you’ll likely be charged an extra fee because the movers will need to carry larger, bulk items up seven flights of stairs. Be sure to ask the moving company about what types of extra fees you may face, before you sign a contract.

Trusted movers in Denver

For more information about what you should look for in a moving company, schedule a time for one of our estimators to come to your home to provide you with a free moving cost estimate.

Call American Moving today at 303-469-6683.