How to Protect Your Belongings from Pests While Moving

01 May How to Protect Your Belongings from Pests While Moving

It’s the stuff of nightmares: you’ve just moved into a new place, and after a hard day of moving, sweat dripping from your face, you sit down on your couch to enjoy a cool glass of water, only to notice a cockroach crawling across your lap. You look around, and you notice there are bugs everywhere – streaming from your boxes, crawling around the floors, and lounging around the kitchen.

Let’s keep that nightmare scenario where it belongs: deep in the recesses of our imaginations. Here’s how to protect your stuff from pests when you move:

Use clean containers

You’re looking for boxes. You call up your old buddy, who says “Yeah, I’ve got some 2-year-old, grease-stained, pizza boxes you can use”. You figure, hey, why not save a few cents – and you’ve got yourself an infestation.

Obviously that’s an exaggeration, but the point stands: using old boxes you pick up from a friend is not necessarily the most sanitary way to go about moving. You should use fresh boxes, and ensure that they get well-sealed with tape. Where possible, use plastic storage containers with resealable lids.

Use furniture bags and plastic wrap for any upholstered furniture you’re moving. Discard the bags outside so that any bugs that may have found their way into the bags don’t enter your home.

Clean everything you’re going to move

It can be a pain to vacuum every piece of furniture and wash every item of clothing before you move – but if you want to avoid bugs, it’s the right idea. You might already have bugs in your home – bugs that haven’t been a bother since they live on fabric you haven’t touched in years. But when you start moving that fabric, the bugs may decide to take up residence in your new living room.

Some items will require special cleaning. You should learn how to identify bed bugs and eliminate them before you move. You’ll also want to check your new home for bed bugs. In most cases, you’ll want to dispose of old furniture if it’s infested – bed bugs are notoriously tough to kill. You don’t want your new home getting infested. 

Keep things dry

The damp is your enemy. Bugs love dank, damp places, and if you’re leaving your boxes in a humid basement or garage before moving, you’re inviting infestation. You also want to be careful about damp items – dry your dishes thoroughly before packing them if they’re wet. The same rule applies for any toiletries you’re bringing along.

Clean your new space

Every tip we’ve given so far is helpful if bugs live in your home already, or decide to hitchhike during your move.

But what happens if there are already bugs at your new home?

The best way to handle this is to thoroughly clean your new space before you move in. You’ll probably be (rightly) upset with the former homeowners/current landlords for setting you up with a pest-infested space, but it’s better to find out before you move in. 

Hire professional movers

Bug issues can put quite a bit of extra effort into your move – and moving is stressful enough as it is! One way you can reduce your stress levels is by hiring professional movers.

Look for a moving company that can handle all of the above for you. That means you’ll want to find a company that will pack all of your belongings using new boxes – a company that will ensure that everything stays dry, and that makes sure your furniture is properly wrapped. You’ll also want a company who will clean the new space for you before moving all of your stuff in. 

And – wouldn’t you know it – your friends at Careful Movers can do all of the above! Enjoy a pest-free, hassle-free moving experience – call us today.