Appliance Preparation

Appliances require a lot of preparation to withstand handling during transit or in storage, it is especially important for long distance relocations.

Movers are supposed to do the heavy lifting part, however days prior to the move day appliances need to be prepared for the move.

Most moving companies will not:

• disconnect or reconnect appliances,
• disconnect utilities,
• reapir appliances,
• remove/install window a/c or TV antennas,
• perform any wiring, plumbing, nor carpentry services.

 

APPLIANCES NEED TO BE CLEANED AND SERVICED

Below, we show the proper way of preparing appliances, we recommend our customers to have professional technicians do the preparation work, but some of our customers prefer to do it themselves.

 

DRYER

Cleaning

• Dryer must be unplugged or turn off the electrical power to the appliance.
• Remove any debris from the lint screen with your fingers or a dry paper towel. Do not use water on the screen.
• Wipe off the exterior with an appliance cleaner and soft damp cloth.
• You can remove dust from the interior with a damp sponge.
• If the dryer drum is discolored, try a mild liquid household cleaner or a paste of laundry detergent and warm water. Rub the area until the discoloration is removed. Wipe thoroughly. Then reconnect to electricity and operate the dryer with a load of old rags to remove any soap residue and to thoroughly dry the drum. Remove the rags when finished.

Servicing

• Disconnect the electrical supply to the appliance.
• For a gas dryer, the appliance should be disconnected and the gas line capped off before moving day by a qualified service technician.
• At destination, use a qualified installer who is familiar with requirements for gas and or electricity, as well as the exhaust system.

 

Washer

Cleaning

• Use appliance cleaner to wipe off the exterior.
• On the inside, clean lint filter and tub.
• Leave the lid open so that any moisture will evaporate.

Servicing

• Turn off water faucets, disconnect and drain hoses.
• Wrap the metal connector ends of hoses in a towel and place inside the washer.
• To ensure the safe transport of the washer, it should be serviced to prevent swaying of the tub.
• All water should be drained from the tub because shipments can travel through a variety of climates and terrain.
• Ask our specialist about third-party appliance servicing. There are more than 20 different washer moving kits available from various appliance manufacturers. The cost for third-party servicing is nominal, especially for the protection it provides to your washer.
• After your move, be sure to have the washer connected by a qualified installer.

 

 

REFRIGERATOR

Cleaning

• Use mild detergent to wipe off the exterior finish.
• Before cleaning the interior, dispose of perishables and unplug the power cord.
• Wash removable parts such as shelves and drawers with a mild detergent or in a solution of warm water and baking soda (about one tablespoon. of baking soda to one quart of water). Ice trays and ice storage bins should be washed in lukewarm water only.
• Wash the interior walls and any non-removable parts with a mild detergent or baking soda solution.
• Leave the door open for at least 24 hours. Allowing all moisture to evaporate. If your refrigerator is not a frost-free model, allow extra time to complete defrosting and drying.
• Secure all loose plastic parts.
• Glass shelves should be removed, cleaned and carefully packed in a carton for protection during transit.
• Be sure the appliance is totally empty and clean. A refrigerator which is not cleaned before transit can develop an unpleasant, permanent odor, making the appliance unusable at destination.
• After cleaning, place an odor and mildew preventative in your refrigerator.
• At the bottom of the refrigerator, remove the base covering and vacuum the condenser or compressor.
• Empty and clean the evaporator pan; allow time for it to dry.

Servicing

• Turn off the water and disconnect the water line if you have a cold water dispenser or automatic ice maker. You should also empty the water reservoir.
• If your refrigerator is an older model, you may need to have the motor or compressor bolted down. The majority of refrigerators now are sealed units that do not require this service.
• At destination, do not operate the refrigerator for at least 24 hours after delivery. This allows the oil time to settle, preventing possible damage to the compressor.
• Ice makers and water dispensers must be connected to a water line. Installation service or parts can be obtained from an authorized dealer. Copper tubing, a shut-off valve and fittings may be required. Once the ice maker is in service, dispose of the first few batches of ice because of possible impurities from opening a water line.

LONG CARRY OR SHUTTLE SERVICE

Long Carry

There are instances when a regular size moving truck can not get near client's facility or residence, due to many factors:

• narrow streets,
• untrimmed trees,
• unlicensed use of big trucks in the area (island, etc.)

 

Movers will first try to use their tools and equipment that are available on hand and carry items from/to the location, however if the distance is too great it becomes necessary to provide a shuttle service.

 Shuttle Service

The movers are required a use of a much smaller truck or cargo van to gain access to client's location.

If shuttle is required at;

Pickup: a smaller truck is sent to the location and loaded with as much items as possible, transported to the regular size moving truck and reloaded into it.

Delivery: a smaller truck is loaded with items from the moving truck and transported to the new location and then delivered to client's facility or residence.

 

As part of their duties our moving specialists do research to see if there is a possibility of a need for shuttle service. Being unprepared is going to cost both movers and a client a lot of time. Unfortunately, shuttle services are not cheap, however the sooner the mover learn the more time they have to prepare for it.

 

Once our company learns of a need for shuttle service and in case the delivery/pickup is taken place out of state, where we have no access to our own fleet of small trucks - our specialists will do the following preparation:

• Make a reservation for smaller truck/van from an in town rental agency (as soon as possible to ensure availability and lower rates);
• Upon arrival to town, movers will pickup the truck from rental agency,
• Movers will execute the shuttle and deliver or pick up shipment;
• Return truck to rental agency,
• Pay for the truck rental, which includes (daily rate, miles, and fuel).

 

The shuttle charges will be added to the contract as accessorial/additional services. 

HOISTING

We often have to deal with situations in which large/bulky items don't fit through the doors. The only available option is to hoist that items up and through a balcony or a large window opening.

The hoisting can some times be done simply by strapping an item and movers will physically pull it up and in. However, if the item is bulky and heavy the strapping and pulling method will not work. In that case movers need to order hoisting equipment to assist them with their task.

There are many different ways of hoisting articles.

In the old buildings the hallways were narrow, stair cases and elevators extremely small. Those building have hoisting mechanisms installed on the roofs of their buildings my management, to assist tenants with moving their items into their apartments. This can be often seen in the buildings build in the beginning of last century in New York City. 

If the building doesn't have a mechanism installed on the roof, movers can bring mechanical hoisting equipment or in special cases hire hoisting equipment commonly used by builders to lift building materials.

Here are just some tools used to hoist items:

• Straps,
• Mechanical hoisting ratchet,
• Electric mechanism,
• Gas engine hoist,
• Construction cranes.

Anything to complete the job!

Strap	Mechanical hoist	Electric hoist

 

Manual hoisting	Mechanical hoisting	Electrical hoisting

Residence or business facility's protection

Movers are trained to protect the walls, doorways and floors of residences and office or manufacturing facilities.

Movers use the same pads they use to protect furniture, to protect doorways, and stairs.

Here is a few examples of movers protection of client's residence.