Moving in the winter, a different challenge

Like it or not, it’s that time of the year, winter is upon us. For some of you, your local move in Winnipeg is not dependant on the time and season of the year. It doesn’t matter what temperature it is, you need to move. A local move in Winnipeg in the winter is quite different than a local move in Winnipeg in the summer, and certainly presents a different type of challenge for you to deal with.

The obvious difference is the weather and temperature. With the summer comes rain, with winter comes snow. In summer it can cool down, but as a whole, it’s warm. In the winter, it’s just cold. In the summer, there isn’t as much move specific preparation required to move other than packing and any disassembly in order to get your things out of your home. At the receiving end, you can have your things placed and you’re done. In the winter there are a number of things that need to be prepared in advance of your movers arriving that go above and beyond the move, and certain things that are also required at your new place before you can get settled in.

Here are some tips on how to be best prepared at both your origin and destination home during your local move in Winnipeg.

Allow for extra drive time

No matter how your local move in Winnipeg is priced out, it is important to allow for extra drive time. What is a simple 20 minute drive in the summer can turn into a much longer trek come winter. When you take into consideration that there are more vehicles on the road in the winter, as well as icy or snowy street conditions it’s easy to see how it can add 10+ minutes onto the drive.

Allow your electronics to climatize before plugging them in

his one is super important, and can be a lot bigger of an issue on long distance moves. The simple fact is that your things cool down the longer they sit outside. When the cool down, they can build up ice and moisture. When they get plugged in right away when they are cold, they can short out and become irreparably damaged. For longer distance moves, give your things enough time to acclimatize so that they won’t short out. We recommend 12 hours.

Clean snow off sidewalk and driveway

Before your moving crew arrives, have driveways and walkways cleaned. Our crews do put down protection on your floors, but cleaning driveways will not only minimize any snow being tracked into the home, it will also go a long ways to keeping them safe and will minimize the chance of them slipping.

Make sure your ready to move

This is imperative during the winter. You always want to be ready for your move, but during the winter, it is all that much more important. The days are shorter, which means it gets darker outside faster. Not only that, but the more that your doors stay open, the cooler your home gets which could have an impact on various elements of your home.

Liquids can freeze

This is another issue that is even more important during the winter. Containers freeze quicker and can subsequently crack or break. The liquid inside can spill and make a mess on other items in your load. Check out the best way to pack liquids for your upcoming local move in Winnipeg.

Set aside some shovels and salt

During the winter, snowfall can happen at almost any time. In order to keep your moving crew safe and give them a clean path to the truck, keep shovels or salts on hand to minimize any ice or snow. The can easily be placed on the truck at the end of the load.

As you can see, for your local move in Winnipeg, moving in Winter can provide different challenges than moving during the summer, fall, or spring months. As we have mentioned a number of times throughout our blogs, as well as in this piece, make sure that you are ready for your move. In preparation of your move, sit down and create a plan for what you plan to have done and when. If you are unsure of what that looks like, here is a copy of a move calendar. Whether your thinking about a local move in Winnipeg, or you’re wanting to move across the country, preparation in advance will help to make your move significantly more stress free.

If you’re wanting help with your move, make sure to contact us. We offer a wide variety of services that will streamline your move, and make it as easy as possible on you. From packing and loading to crating up valuable items to shipping overseas, we want to serve you.