young girl holding fish bowl in new home

Moving is a stressful situation. You never realize how much stuff you own until you have to pack it all into boxes and move it to a new home. Packing all of your precious belongings is a time-consuming process. It can also become stressful and confusing. After all, what are you supposed to do with the things that don't fit in a box? Moving large items isn't necessarily a big deal with the proper help, but non-traditional items can be difficult to pack, move, and store. The following tips can help you learn how to safely work those unusual items into your moving plans.

Aquariums and Cages

These small pets have an entire environment of their own and moving them can be tricky. The first order of business is to find a safe travel mode for your pet. Fish can be moved to a smaller container to travel with you in the car. Remember to keep this container out of direct sunlight while traveling. Caged pets have various needs. If transporting reptiles or birds, remember to ensure they are legal in your new area of residence. Outfit carrying cages with familiar toys for your small pets. Many small animals don't respond well to extreme temperatures, so remember to control the climate in your vehicle accordingly.

Talk to your professional movers about the transport of cages and aquariums. Coordinate arrival times to ensure your pets can be returned to their familiar environment as soon as possible. Don't forget to prepare a travel pack for your pet, so you will have the necessary food and supplies on hand for the trip.

Pianos and Delicate Instruments

Your piano is a beloved but difficult instrument. Besides being extremely heavy, the shape of a piano is generally unwieldy. Moving a piano is difficult, dangerous, and best left to moving professionals. To avoid unnecessary damage or serious injury, contact your moving team ahead of time to discuss moving your piano. Remove detachable pieces before the movers arrive and transport those separately.

Many other instruments are prone to damage during a move as well. The safest way to transport an instrument is to properly store it in a hard case and ensure it is placed somewhere safe. If you don't own a hard case, disassemble the instrument and wrap each piece in bubble wrap. Place wrapped sections in a box with enough packing materials to avoid jostling inside the box.

Fine Art

While art pieces often fit into boxes, there are other issues to consider. Items like mirrors and framed or unframed artwork can easily get damaged during the moving process. Packing these items takes special care. It is recommended that you wrap glass items and artwork in Glassine (smooth paper designed to keep out air, water, and grease), and follow with several layers of bubble wrap. Corners should have additional protection like styrofoam or cardboard. Finally, the item should be packed into a heavy duty picture box. Artwork is safest when stored upright instead of laying flat.

Moving companies often have experts who specialize in packing unique and valuable items properly. At Solomon and Sons Relocation Services our teams offer full or partial packing services. A customized moving plan means you can get extra help with those difficult items.

Potted Plants

Your indoor plants may be hardy and stress resistant, but moving them isn't an easy task. Plants are living things which need oxygen. Even if they are small enough to be put into boxes, enclosing them completely is likely a bad idea. To make packing easier, transplant your plants from heavy breakable pots into disposable plastic ones. Make space for these plastic pots to sit in open boxes during the moving process. Consider the temperatures on moving day to ensure your plants don't suffer exposure to extreme cold or heat.

Moving is a wonderful but stressful time. Your belongings are valuable and more importantly sentimental. Leave the packing and moving of these special items to the professionals at Solomon and Sons Relocation Services. Visit the website for more information about the many ways our full-service movers can help you with every step of the packing and moving process.