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Moving Container - Iowa City - Des Moines

How to Load a Moving Container


How to Load a Moving Container

Once you’ve packed all of your boxes, from the kitchen to the family room and the dining room, it’s time to load everything into a moving container. Make sure you’ve organized everything with your moving partner, so that the moving container is where you need it to be on moving day. There are certain times of year that are extremely busy for movers. If you’ll be moving during one of these periods, then you’ll want to arrange everything well in advance.

It’s easy to rush into loading the moving container in an attempt to expedite the process and get everything out of your old home. But it’s important to consider when to load items and where to place them in the container, so that you can fit as many items as possible into the container, maintain safe weight distribution and not have to re-pack the container because of a mistake.

Packing Supplies for Loading a Moving Container

Now that you have packed everything, you will need a few different supplies for loading your moving container.

  • Stretch wrap to protect furniture from damage while it’s being moved out of your home and during transit.
  • Paper pads
  • Furniture pads
  • Dollies
  • Loading straps to secure items for transit. (Remember: Be careful tightening the loading straps because excessive force can cause damage to your items.)

How Should I Load Items?

As you consider how you want to load and position items on the moving container, keep these general principles in mind. Before you start moving things, protect items with paper and furniture pads to prevent scratches and other damage during transit. If you have upholstered furniture, use stretch wrap to protect from dirt as well as damage. Appliances, furniture and other heavy items should be on the floor, so there’s a stable foundation. If there are any open spaces, you can fill those with smaller moving cartons

If you’re unfamiliar with how to load a moving container, allowing professional movers to load, place and stack items can be the best decision. If you’re loading your own moving container, keep in mind that weight needs to be evenly distributed throughout the container. When you place a heavy couch on one end, there should be a similarly-sized appliance available to place on the other end of the container.

What If I’m Storing My Moving Container?

Properly packing and loading items is even more important if you’ll be storing your moving container. Many of the precautions that you should take while loading your container to protect items during transit will also keep your items safe in storage. But, if you’ll be storing items for an extended period of time, you should cover the items towards the top of the container to reduce exposure to light.

 

When you’re done loading the moving container, you’ll be one step closer to being finished. If you need help with anything or everything, from packing to moving to loading your moving container, Lint Van Lines has a full staff of professional movers who can make light work of it. We serve the Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Des Moines areas for local, regional and international household moves.

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How to Pack Your Dining Room


How to Pack Your Dining Room

You will have to exercise additional caution while packing your dining room, but overall, the process shouldn’t be as overwhelming as packing your kitchen or family room because it doesn’t require as much preparation. Since the dining room is a non-essential room, you’re also able to pack at your convenience and it’s always nice to finish what you can before the last minute.

Once the furniture is accounted for, silverware, dishes and other fragile items will remain. You should pack these items individually to ensure that they arrive at your new home in one piece, which can be time consuming, but it’s a straightforward process if you use good packing practices.

Packing Supplies for Your Dining Room

You will need most of the same packing supplies for your dining room as the other rooms in your house, with some extra bubble wrap on-hand for fragile items.

  • Sturdy Cartons
  • Packing Paper
  • Bubble Wrap
  • Packing Tape
  • Felt-tip Markers

General Packing Technique for Your Dining Room

Before you start to pack individual items in the dining room, pad the bottom of your cartons with crushed packing paper. Always pack the heaviest items first, with the lightest items towards the top of the carton, and separate each layer with more crushed packing paper. Items should be packed snugly to reduce movement during transit, but not forced to the point of overcrowding.

Packing Dishes

If you’re packing fine china, make sure the packing paper is clean and use multiple layers at once. Start from the corner and wrap diagonally, tucking in the overlapping edges. Then, wrap the dish as second time with the same technique for additional peace of mind. Take the same approach to securely pack bowls and other breakable dishes in the dining room.

Once you’ve wrapped the dishes, place them into cartons on their ends. This is much safer than packing dishes flat for transit.

Packing Stemware

Start by rolling a piece of packing paper and wrap that around the stem of the glass. Stuff the inside of the glass with packing paper, too, to prevent breakage from the outside. Finally, wrap each remaining section of the glass individually to ensure there is plenty of cushioning before snugly placing the wrapped stemware into a carton.

Packing Silverware

You can either wrap silverware in sets, or individually. Wrapping silverware individually will be safer, but also more time consuming. If there is a container that houses a set of silverware, you’ll either want to fill the spaces in the container with packing paper or wrap the silverware and its container separately.

Packing Glassware

Vases, decorations and other breakable items in the dining room should be generously packed with bubble wrap. Once secured in bubble wrap, use packing paper to wrap the fragile items with the same technique as the other items from your dining room.

 

After you have snugly packed a carton, seal it with packing tape and then label it depending on the contents. If it contains fragile items, make sure you label it accordingly, with an arrow indicating the right side up.

After all, it does not take much to scratch, crack or break dining room dishes, so if you don’t have time to pack, Lint United Van Lines has a full staff of professional movers who can make light work of it. We serve the Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Des Moines areas for local, regional and international household moves.

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How to Pack Your Family Room


How to Pack Your Family Room

Your family room is likely the place where you spend most of your time, watching television, chatting with friends and even working on the computer. Make sure you pack your family room so all of your belongings still look great in your new home.

Start by gathering all of the moving supplies you will need. This includes:

  • Sturdy Moving Boxes
  • Packing Paper or Bubble Wrap
  • Paper Pads
  • Tissue Paper for Breakables
  • Packing Tape
  • Felt-tip Markers

Packing Lamps

You will want to disassemble the lamp and pack the base and the shade separately. Pack the shade into a packing carton 2 inches larger than the shade and fill with packing paper. Do not pack any other objects with the shade.

When packing the base of the lamp, wrap the base carefully with paper pads and line the box with packing paper.

Packing Mirrors and Glass

Mirrors and glass are especially fragile. When you are packing mirrors you may want to ask your Lint United Van Lines representative about boxes that are specifically made to move these items. Wrap the mirror or picture in paper and put it in the carton. Tape the box all the way around.

Moving Electronics, Computers and Televisions

If you have the original boxes for these items, it is best to use them when you are packing. If not, ask your representative at Lint United Van Lines to supply proper moving cartons. A flat screen TV is especially tricky to pack securely. Use a foam screen protector and always keep the TV upright. Some flat screen televisions should not be set with the front or back down.

Regardless of what you are moving, always remember to wrap your belongings in paper to keep them in one piece.

It does not take much to scratch, crack or dent family room furniture and décor, so if you don’t have time to pack well, Lint United Van Lines has a full staff of professional movers who can make light work of it. We serve the Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Des Moines for local, regional and international household moves.

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How to Pack Your Kitchen for a Move

Get Ready to Pack Your Kitchen for a Move

Gather supplies, so you are prepared to pack your kitchen for a move completely uninterrupted. This is a room that you usually wait until last to pack, because after all, you need to eat. That makes it even more important to get the job done fast.

Packing Supplies for Your Kitchen

  • Sturdy Cartons – The kitchen holds many glass serving platters and dishes, and the weight adds up.
  • Packing Paper or Bubble Wrap – You want to separate the glass to avoid breakage.
  • Small Sealable Bags – These are great for putting salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls, herbs and spices in to ensure the contents of the containers are indeed contained.
  • Packing Tape – You will want to close boxes thoroughly and make sure the bottoms are tightly secured to hold the weight of pots, pans and plates.
  • Felt-tip Markers – Label your kitchen equipment, dishes and cooking supplies to be found easily in your new home. The kitchen is one of the first rooms you will want fully set up after you arrive.

Packing Breakables for Your Move

First, tape the bottom of the moving box so it is fill bottom of carton with crushed paper

Flat Plates and Serving Trays

  • Wrap plates diagonally, tucking in overlapping ends
  • Use a second layer of paper for extra protection
  • Place the heaviest items on the bottom
  • Place plates on their sides, not on their bottoms
  • Fill empty spaces with crushed paper
  • Label the boxes with the contents, the word “Fragile” and an arrow toward the top. Write “This Side Up” on the top of the box.

Bowls with Lids

  • If very fragile, put a layer of packing tape between lid and pan, or tap lid to pan
  • Rest the lid upside down in the bowl
  • Wrap the bowl and lid together and securely
  • Wrap bowls the same way as you would plates with a diagonal paper.
  • Protect handles with extra packing paper

Cups and Pans

  • Layer packing paper between them
  • Wrap in a similar way to plates, but tuck the paper into the deeper pans and saucers
  • Place the smaller pans and saucers inside of larger ones if they are not a stackable set

Food Items

  • Do not take perishable foods with you, unless on a short trip and you have proper coolers
  • Take only food items that you know will travel well
  • Seal open boxes and bags of foods and pastas with tape
  • Place items that can easily spill in bags and seal securely

You can even trust us with your fine China or breakable family heirlooms, because our staff is trained to pack for the best possible protection. America’s roads are bumpy and even the best air-ride trailers can bounce on a long distance or cross country move, so packing correctly is important.

If you need professional packing or moving services, contact Lint United Van Lines today! We provide local, long distance, and international moving services for Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and surrounding areas.

How to Pack For International Move - Lint United Van Lines - Iowa City, IA

What Should You Take on an International Move?

What Should You Take on an International Move?

Preparing for an international move is a stressful and exciting time. You are nervous about adapting to your new surroundings, but packing your belongings and getting your house ready for sale puts more pressing demands on you.

You may need to think through how much of your household you want to move and which items are easier to replace or too expensive to move.

There are certainly some considerations when preparing for an international move.

Are you planning to return to your current home in 2 to 5 years?

If you are planning to return in a couple of years, it may be worth storing larger household items and even some treasures from the past or home décor that you really like. In the right climate controlled storage unit, furniture and boxes of household necessities will likely be in the same condition when you get back as when you left.

Does shipping or storage cost more than the item is worth?

If you know that shipping or renting a storage unit is going to cost more than your belongings are worth by the time you get back, selling might be the easiest option. You just have to look at your belongings and decide which ones are worth shipping because you love them, which you would rather replace anyway, and if selling or storing are the best options. Also, storage units that are different sizes, or climate controlled cost more money, so how much you want to spend per month on storage may play a role in how many of your belongings you part with.

Can you buy replacements cheaper overseas?

You may be heading to a country where the cost of living is cheaper, or where you will be making a much larger salary. If you can buy cheaper or will have more expendable income, you may want a new start with new home furnishings and décor.

Which clothing will be necessary in your new location?

If you are heading for warmer climates, your winter clothes may be unnecessary, so you can pack a little lighter. By the time you come back to the U.S., your wardrobe will likely be outdated.

If the climates are similar to that of Iowa, you may want to take enough clothes with you to get by for the entire year.

Fashion trends in your future home may not look like those of the Midwest. If you can decide before you leave if you wish to follow the trends or stick with your style, you might be able to pack a little lighter.

Which items will depreciate in value over time?

If shipping your car is too much of a hassle, and you plan to be gone for more than one year, it might be worth your time to clean it up and sell it. Do your research to find out how much you can replace your car for in your new country. Find out if public transportation is a faster and more cost effective way to get from your new home to work and you may not even need a car in your new location. In many cities around the world the average family does not own a car, because public transportation is so efficient.

No matter how much you are planning to ship overseas for your move, Lint United Van Lines can help with seamless and trustworthy international moving services. Contact us today if you are moving overseas from Iowa City, Cedar Rapids or Des Moines!

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Move With Less Stress – Preparing for Moving Day

Move With Less Stress – Preparing for Moving Day

Moving day is exciting and can be a stressful time, but you can alleviate some of the stress if you are prepared for the moving truck. Whether you are planning a long distance move or just moving across town, having your belongings organized and separating the items you will use right away will help. Take some advice from the professional movers at Lint United Van Lines and you will stress less.

There are some things you should have done before moving day and items that should be kept separate from the majority of the items that will be moved.

Things to do Before Your Move

If you are packing your own boxes, have it done before moving day and place them in piles by room that they will go in in your new home. Label boxes so it is easy to see where they should be placed in your new house.

Appliances should be cleaned and you should have your washer and dryer serviced before the move. That way you know they will be in working order in your new home if you are moving them.

Empty and unplug the refrigerator the night before and let it stand open to dry. Pack food in coolers, if you can, but use most of your perishable items in the weeks before so you don’t have to move them.

Keep Some Items off the Moving Truck

There are some items that cannot be moved on the truck, like chemicals and propane tanks, but there are other items that you will need the day of the move.

Pack the essentials separately and put them in an area labeled “do not pack.”

  • Paper Towels
  • Cleaning Supplies
  • Soap
  • Toilet Paper
  • First Aid Kit
  • Clothing for Your Family for a Few Days

Also, keep packed lunches, snacks and drinks in your vehicle. There may not be time to go to a restaurant and you will not have easy access to cooking utensils and food to cook.

Protect Your Kids, Pets and Belongings.

There are a few things to think about before moving day in order to protect your valuables and loved ones.

  • Complete a high value inventory form with all items worth more than $500.
  • Keep pets out of the way, at a kennel or in a cage so they don’t get out.
  • Hire a babysitter for children to keep children occupied and out of the professional movers’ path so they can work quickly and efficiently.

After The Truck Is Packed

Do one last check of closets, cabinets, attics and the basement to see if any items were left in the house. Make sure somebody is at the new house when the moving truck arrives to let them in and direct movers as to where things go.

Call Lint United Van Lines today or request an estimate if you need professional movers for local, long distance or international moves in the Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City or Des Moines area.

Moving Trucks - Iowa City - Des Moines

Packing Your Bedroom For an Easier Move

Packing Your Bedroom For an Easier Move

Your bedroom may have most of your heavier furniture, as well as multiple types of objects to be moved. If you’re prepared and organized, packing your bedroom will be fast and easy.

Get Your Packing Materials Ready

  • Sturdy boxes of various sizes and depths for clothes, books and decorations
  • Packing paper or bubble wrap
  • Packing tape
  • Felt tip markers for labeling boxes

Packing Your Clothes

If you have seasonal clothes that will not be used before your move, pack those away now and stack them in a closet or corner so you have less to do during the last days before the move.

Leave hanging clothes on a hanger to keep them straight. You can fold them in half and put them in a large box, hang them in garment bags, or get a box with clothing rod.

Your dressers do not have to be emptied completely. Lighter clothing can be left in the drawers. Movers will wrap the drawers securely before moving to ensure nothing falls out. Jeans can get heavy if there is an entire drawer full of them, so you may want to pack them in a separate box.

Packing Bedroom Decorations, Breakables and books

When you’re packing books and breakable items, reinforce the bottom of the box with an extra strip of packing tape or two.

Wrap small items like clocks and decorations separately, padding the box with crushed paper. Using smaller boxes for these will help you avoid crushing glass and ceramic objects with the extra weight inside, and it will help ensure that those items are on top of larger, heavier boxes, rather than underneath.

Protect framed photos with packing paper and stand them on edge in a box and fill in extra space with paper or bubble wrap.

Sort books by size, pack them with the spine down, or standing on end. They get heavy, so put them in small boxes to avoid hurting your back.

When possible, keep heirloom photos, expensive jewelry and other irreplaceable items with you in your personal vehicle.

Protect Your Mattress during a Move

Moving is one of the few ways to rip or tear a perfectly good mattress. Ask your United Van Lines agent at Lint Van Lines about a mattress carton to protect your mattress from dirt and damage.

Purge as You Pack

Keep a waste basket and donation box in your room as you pack. When you see items that you have not used in a long time, or don’t think you will need at your new house, eliminate it before you move it, because once it is in your new home, you are more likely to store it.

If you need help packing and moving in Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids or the Greater Des Moines area, contact Lint United Van Lines for a FREE quote.

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Moving Day Tips from Expert Movers

Moving Day Tips from Expert Movers

You can take the stress out your move with a few moving day tips that will ensure that everything gets placed in the right room, and all of your items are accounted for the same day of delivery.

The experts from Lint United Van Lines want to help make your relocation experience seamless by offering their advice.

Before Your Moving Truck Arrives

  1. Call utility companies a few days ahead of time to make sure electricity is on and everything will be in your name the day of the move. Once in your new home, you will want to focus on getting it organized and not on setting up utilities.
  2. Draw out where furniture should be set and think about the placement of larger items. This can save you a lot of rearranging after the move. Consider what will fit best in the room and which direction it will face based on the location of windows, fireplaces and the wiring for entertainment centers.
  3. Clean your new home before moving day, or ask your moving company to arrange for professional cleaning. It is faster and easier to clean a room that does not have any furniture or area rugs blocking the woodwork that needs dusting, or sitting on the floors that can be quickly washed without having to move large items.
  4. Be prepared to submit payment to your driver. Most moving companies will accept cash, traveler’s checks, money order or cashier’s check. Credit card payments must be prearranged if you are using a United Van Lines agent like Lint.

When Your Moving Truck Arrives

  1. Make sure that you are at home and ready to go when the truck arrives. Your driver will contact you 24 hours before your move for confirmation.
  2. Have 2 people at your new home. One person should make sure everything on the inventory list is unloaded. The other should tell movers where you want things to be set.
  3. Get a babysitter for young children. Keeping them occupied or out of the house reduces risk of injury and stress that they may cause by demanding your attention.
  4. Have pets in a safe place, where they will not sneak out of an open door. You would hate to have them get out of the house on any day. Having a pet lost in a neighborhood where they don’t know their way around town and don’t consider your new house their home makes finding them even more difficult.
  5. If you find that there are missing items on your inventory list, call your United Van Lines Agent right away, so we can look for it, and file a loss claim if needed.
  6. Movers should reassemble anything they disassembled when they moved it including beds. If they don’t do that before they leave, call your moving company right away.
  7. Let movers know if there are any other services you would like them to provide such as unpacking. This can be done for an additional charge.

Let Lint United Van Lines help with the heavy lifting, and call today if you are planning a move. We can help with all of your packing, moving, unpacking and assembly needs for local and long-distance moves.

Coralville and Iowa City area moves319-337-3245
Des Moines area moves515-265-8161

Tips for Taking Inventory Before Your Move

Tips for Taking Inventory Before Your Move

If you’ll be relocating in the near future, it’s a wise idea to take inventory of your belongings before you move – especially items that have monetary or sentimental value. Whether you plan to hire a moving company for packing, or you’re just trying to be organized before you begin packing, it will help to have a list or photos of your belongings and the condition they are in.

If your items come up missing during a move, or get damaged, the process of proving the value of your loss will be easier if you can prove its existence and condition. Something to keep in mind is that a moving company is more likely to replace damaged goods if its trained staff did the packing.

When to Take Inventory

Start taking inventory of your belongings as soon as you decide you’re moving. This will cut down on the stress of last minute tasks. The items that are not used regularly can be packed during the inventory process, so you won’t have to touch them twice.

Go through your house room by room, packing and labeling boxes appropriately based on the room they need to go to in the new home. Take photos or video of the electronics, furniture and other important items in the room and pack the smaller items that are not used regularly. This will make it easier to find the photos on a disc or camera, as they will be grouped with other belongings that were in same room.

Photos or Videos Are Great Ways to Inventory Your Belongings

A picture is worth a thousand words, so having a disc full of photos or a video that shows your actual television set or gold necklace can help you get the actual value or an exact replacement item. There are some household items that are easily or frequently replaced anyway, so decide as you go which things are important enough to include.

What Should You Photograph?

You might drive yourself crazy trying to keep track of all the specifics about one item, but taking a photos or video is a great way to inventory your belongings and the condition they are in quickly.

  1. Take a photo of the brand logo, serial number and model number. There is no question about the age of the item and current pricing when you have these details.
  2. Photograph any unique features, custom add-ons or upgrades to your belongings. These things increase the value, so if there is loss or damage, it’s great to have proof that you spent the extra money on upgrades.
  3. Family heirlooms and jewelry should be photographed, but you may want to take special care in getting a value assessment as well. Antique furniture, jewelry and collectibles often increase in value over time, so ask an expert for valuation information. You can even photograph paper copies of the assessment, or save digital copies along with the rest of the photos.
  4. Table tops and other wood furniture are prone to scratches, so a clear picture of the areas that may get noticeably damaged can help prove its prior condition.
  5. If you have shelves of collectibles, you may be able to take shelf by shelf photos of the collection to save you from having so many pictures to go through. Make sure there is enough space between items and they can all be seen clearly.

Organization of Your Inventory

Save your inventory photos to a couple of CDs. You will not want to label each photo separately, but saving them in folders based on the room they were in will help you find the photos easily if you need them later.

Put one CD in a safe deposit box or have a trusted family member hang onto it, and keep the other one. This is a cheap way to make sure that if one gets lost or damaged, you still have the information you need. Most videos can be shot and stored on cards now so they’re easy to store, but also easy to lose, so keep the cards with the CDs.

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Choosing the Best Moving Company

Choosing the Best Moving Company

A moving truck pulls into your driveway and out jumps the guy who will be handling all of your belongings. The employees of your moving company will have access to your home, kids and household goods while they are working for you, so finding a moving company that is reputable is imperative.

6 Considerations to Finding a Reputable Moving Company

  1. Get recommendations from friends, family and coworkers on the best moving company they have hired.
  2. Make sure the moving company you are using is licensed for the type of move you are needing help with. In addition to the drivers having a Class A CDL for driving a tractor trailer moving truck, certain licenses should be in place for relocations across state lines. The company needs a DOT number.
  3. Does the company perform background tests and random drug tests for potential and current employees? People with a clean record are more likely to show up on time, and to be honest in handling and delivering your belongings.
  4. Find out if the company has permanent staff or does it hire day labor. Day laborers are not likely to be background checked because the cost of running the checks are too high. A larger moving company will have a staff that is trained to pack and load in the most efficient manner possible, and they will be held to the standards of the moving company more easily than day laborers.
  5. Be a sleuth. Check reviews and make sure the moving company is really a member of the associations and organizations they say they are. If the local company is a member of a larger company, find out what qualifications they need to possess in order to be an agent for that enterprise.
  6.  Ask about the moving company’s valuation options and find out what level of valuation coverage is recommended for your move. According to Federal Law, a moving company must offer two options of coverage, full value protection and released value protection. Full value protection will cost more, but it is more comprehensive coverage.

Choosing a Good Company Will Make for a Seamless Move

Moving will always be stressful, whether your destination is across town or across the country, but working with a company you can trust will make a difference. Lint United Van Lines serves the Iowa City and Des Moines areas with superior packing and moving services. Fill out a request for estimate today for your upcoming move.