Moving a piano requires skill and knowledge that not everyone has. This is a difficult task to take on for those who don’t know what they’re doing. Here at Strong Hands Ithaca, we have professional piano movers who will take care of your piano the second they move it, to the second they drop it off.
You need certain supplies and expertise to move a piano. You won’t have to provide anything or do any preliminary work as the movers have everything handled. Our workers have on hand a dolly, ramp, packing tape, pad wrapping, and straps to properly handle and transport your beloved piano.
If you need to move a piano it’s best to hire a professional who knows what they’re doing, then to go on and do it yourself. You will have with you the certainty that your piano is in good hands.
Moving is always hard. Planning ahead will definitely benefit you so everything will come out smooth and satisfactory. It’s best when you figure out what to do, and how to do it successfully without any mistakes getting in the way.
First thing you should already have an idea of is where you are planning to move. Once you’ve figured that out you should start with saving money. You will need to spend the money on your new expenses, (rent/mortgage, utilities, taxes, new furniture, etc.). If you have one, your “emergency savings” should stay untouched. If you want to hire movers, then you should save for that as well. It’s great to start exploring different options of companies and choose the best fit for you. Any amount of money you can save starting one year away from your move date, the more ready you will be when the day comes.
Once you’ve figured out where you’re moving, you should start planning accordingly. If it’s across the country/different state, you should start planning approximately one year before hand. A big move like that requires a lot more time to deal with the arrangements that need to be made. Figuring out new schools, doctors, even jobs, if that is what you’re moving for. If you plan on hiring a moving company, then you should call way ahead of time so the both of you can find a perfect time for both schedules. If you’re planning on moving locally then that wouldn’t take nearly as much time as moving to a totally different state. If you are planning on doing the move yourself, locally, then you should call and rent out a moving truck/van a couple weeks before you need it. You should also take a couple days off of work to pack, move, and unpack your items.
Moving into your new home was one job, but now you have to get acclimated into your new home. Especially when you’re moving into a new town or state. Things are going to be hard for you at first, but everything will fall into place over time.
First thing that needs to get done is unpacking. You could hire your movers to do it for you, but majority of the time people decide not to do that. It’s more fun that way. As long as you labeled your boxes you should already have a good idea about where all of your items are going to be placed.
As you’re getting settled into your new home you should figure out how everything works, if you hadn’t already when you toured. This is more in specific to checking all window and door locks, leaky pipes, where the main water valve is, fuse box, as well as checking to make sure your smoke detectors are on and ready. If you have small children or plan to, you should check that you have child-proofed your new home. The more you find out about your home from the very beginning, the less surprises you’ll run into along the way.
More important things to get taken care of as soon as you can are change of address, school, doctors, and even registering your car; (if out of state). These things should even be done before you move into your new home. If you have any pets, you should take them through the neighborhood so they get a feel for it and eventually get used to it. Taking your dogs to the dog park is good for the both of you. You could potentially make new friends and your dog as well.
I imagine that the next best thing for me would be to get to know the town I’m living in. As far as knowing how to get to your new job, or your children’s school, you should go out and give yourself and family a tour of the new town.
Moving is a big hassle to deal with. On top of work and taking care of the family, you also have to get started with packing and moving everything into your new home. Hiring a company like Strong Hands will help you majorly and leave you to go off and worry about other important things that need to get done.
If needed, Strong Hands will pack the items in your home for you and get them right onto the moving truck. This will definitely take the stress off your mind, and your body. You can sit back and watch how they do their job, or even leave them to work while you are doing other things.
Hiring a moving company will save you time as well. If you had to do all the packing and moving yourself, it could take you days. Strong Hands will quickly get your items out and into your new home in a matter of hours. There would be no going back and forth to bring more and more items, they bring a nice big truck to haul your stuff away in.
More so, the crew is experienced in the skills and knowledge of how to pack items and how to properly handle items when bringing in and out. They will have with them the correct materials to safely move and store your items. This way you don’t have to worry about potentially damaging any of your items.
All things considered, hiring a company like Strong Hands is most beneficial to you so you don’t have to even lift a finger to pack and move your items. Many things can go wrong doing this alone. They will guarantee that you will have a successful completion of your move.
The kitchen is a place in your home that will have the most odd and varied items. Making sure you can pack everything correctly is essential and will ultimately make your move into your new home much easier. Knowing what boxes to use for what things, and what items you put together, and how to put them together will make for a smooth move in.
With smaller appliances you don’t have to pack them into a box if you have the original box. But if you don’t that’s fine too. First you should clean and dry them out, if they are not already. Making sure to put those together in a heavy-duty box will ensure that they won’t fall out when they go to get picked up. Wrapping them in bubble wrap or packing paper is something that should also be done. For much bigger appliances, like a refrigerator, it is important for you to know how to properly remove, or you will risk your appliance not working anymore.
When packing your dinnerware, you should have to your side, a wrap of packing paper, you could even use newspaper. You must stack your bowls and plates in the box, separating them one by one with the packing paper. It’s important for extremely fragile items to be wrapped individually. This will result in no scratches, and no broken pieces.
Your pots and pans should be packed in a nice big heavy-duty box so everything can easily fit. Your lids should also be wrapped in packing paper, just in case. Tying your silverware in rubber bands or strings will keep them together instead of having them move around the entire box. Miscellaneous items that are in your kitchen should also be wrapped and packed in a medium sized box.
Before packing everything up you should go through your items and set aside everything you want and don’t want. Whatever you won’t be keeping you should give away, unless it absolutely needs to be thrown out. Make your move nice and easy packing your items the right way.
Putting your belongings in storage is a great way to keep them safe during a move, or even if it’s just to make more space in your home. It’s important to keep track of everything you are putting in there. As well as keeping them organized and secure.
Starting out with a list of things is helpful in this situation, as you may forget over time. Making sure you label your boxes will help you to get to what you’re looking for specifically as well. Keeping up with what you have is good for you, for when you want to take something out, or even adding something in.
Depending on the amount of time you’re going to keep your belongings in storage, it’s recommended that you keep your items protected from the storage lockers conditions. Using airtight bins is the best option, but if you don’t have them, sealing cardboard boxes really tight is the next best thing. Putting a cover on the floor will keep your items that aren’t in boxes from getting scratched up. Also putting a cover over your boxes and items will keep them from collecting dust. You wouldn’t want to move and then have the dust all over your belongings spread out through your home.
Ultimately, putting things in a storage unit better benefits you when you’re on the move. You are reassured that your items are in a safe spot, and that you haven’t forgotten anything.
Over time you and your family bring random items into your home that often end up being un-used. Sometimes it’s easy to know what you want to keep and what you don’t want to keep, sometimes it’s hard. You should already have a pretty good idea of what you are definitely bringing into your new home when moving.
There are a lot of little things like old toys, statues, framed art work, games, unwanted clothes and blankets. One great way to get rid of these things would be to start a garage sale; if you have the time of course. Many neighbors and people who drive through the town will want to stop by and see what’s for sale.
Another great way to get rid of un-used items without going through so much work, would be to give it away to gently used stores, charity, or even family and friends. They will be thankful for having thought of them and they might even love the things you’re giving away.
Sometimes it is overlooked that you have expired toiletries sitting around in the closet, or under the cupboards. Checking for and throwing those out is necessary as you don’t want you or your family to use a bottle of expired shampoo. There might be some papers or receipts around the house that are not needed and those should also be thrown away.
Going through items in your household and giving away, or throwing away, is not only essential for you but also for the move. The less things you have to take the easier it is to create a fresh new space to mold to your liking. And trust me, the moving company will thank you for it as well.
These few first time home buying tip will help you make firm decisions when it comes to staying or leaving your rental space that you have gotten some comfortable with calling home at each and every day.
For a quick glimpse check these “Buying” vs. “Renting” tips out:
PROS OF BUYING:
MONEY GOES TOWARDS YOUR PURCHASE
PRIDE OF HOME OWNERSHIP
POWER TO INCREASE VALUE
FREEDOM
POSSIBLY YOU CAN MAKE A PROFIT OF IT ONE DAY WHEN YOU GO TO SELL IT
LOTS OF TAX BENEFITS
POTENTIAL RENTAL INCOME ONE DAY IF YOU WANT TO RENT IT OUT AND MOVE ONTO A DIFFERENT INVESTMENT
If buying is something you are interested in you should absolutely follow these simple steps that are most commonly taken when going through the home buying process:
FIND THE RIGHT AGENT
PREPARE YOUR FINANCES
GET PRE-APPROVED
START SHOPPING
MAKE AN OFFER
ORDER AN INSPECTION
ORDER AN APRAISEL
SCHEDULE YOUR MOVE
CLOSING DAY!!
PROS OF RENTING:
EASY TO RELOCATE IF YOU WANTED TO LEAVE
YOUR LANDLORD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS RATHER THAN YOU AND ONLY YOU
NO PROPERTY TAXES OR INSURANCE
IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND A FURNISHED RENTAL PROPERTY
CREDIT SCORE DOES NOT MATTER AS MUCH
YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO MOVE MORE OFTEN
If you need our assistance with setting goals we offer the support give us a call at 607-342-6761. We might not be able to help with the real-estate side of thing’s but we can most definitely sit down with you and go through the pros/cons/and whatever is left in between.
Scissors and tape. Two basic office supplies that go a looooong way when it comes to cutting tape, opening boxes and snipping tags on new house purchases.
Water. Bless your heart if you can handle straight tap where you live – if not, a water filter goes a long way. You’ll be #parched from all the commotion, and instead of running to convenience stores 24/7, save the cash and just filter your own.
Hand soap. Your bathroom might not be as clean as you usually keep it unless our sister company the Clean Team came through and already took care of that for you. Have hand soap available because you obvi will want to wash your hands.
Paper towels and toilet paper. Messes happens, we try to prevent them but sometimes we cannot! You will also just want to clean the place down if you did not have the opportunity before moving in.
Phone chargers. Because it’s the 21st century.
Towels. How are you suppose to dry off with no towel? Make sure it is a cozy one too!! Why? Because you deserve it!!!
A laundry basket. As you start to unpack clothes, you will for sure find things that most definitely need washing, and you will also find things you might not even want or need anymore. Have a separate space to throw laundry, as well as one to put any “to donate” or “to get rid of” items.
Contact lens solution + prescriptions. The drugstore essentials that you just can’t go without on a daily basis.
SNACKS. Snacks make everything better. Avoid being hangry by having lots of snacks on hand for your convenience.
Comfy clothes + bed stuff. After a long day let alone moving, you’re going to crash hard. Have comfy clothes on hand to throw on, as well as blankets and pillows for a good night!!
All-purpose cleaner. Because it’s your brand new house…Don’t want it to be as clean as possible!? Have a cleaner on-hand to wipe down any countertops or shared spaces, bathroom areas, etc. Also useful if you’re inheriting a fridge or any other big kitchen appliances!
A first aid kit. Before moving, we were told to take a pain reliever before you lift any heavy boxes, to lessen the back pain you’ll feel after the process. Definitely something worthwhile to consider.
Keys. I’d recommend bringing a jar to store your new keys. If your situation is anything like some, the seller gave us, like, multiple keys to the place, as well as garage beepers and spares. Do not get yourself into a dilemma; just store them in one safe space for easy grab-n’-go.
A shower curtain. The shower though. I mean how is this not important, quite laughable!!
Self-care products. If you know you know… Self-care is the best care! But all serious though when you are exhausted, dirty, and feeling reckless you will want nothing more to shower. Make sure you’ve got a wash cloth, towel, and the right body products all ready into place at moving day. These awesome tips are move-in must-have worthy if there ever was one!
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE DO THAT MAKE THINGS A LOT EASIER AROUND THE HOUSE. STRONG HANDS, LLC., IS MORE THAN GLAD TO HELP GET CLIENTS MOVED IN AND SETTLED (E.G., PACKED, MOVED, AND UNPACKED) JUST GIVE US A CALL TO BOOK WITH US TODAY AT (607) 342-6761.
Let Strong Hands, LLC., help you! Here are our top 8 stress free moving hacks and packing tips that everyone appreciates!! We will guide you how to pack efficiently, save space, and make sure fragile items make it through the move! Our tips will make it easier on everyone than they have ever been. We have organizing tips that will help for moving without the hassle.
Moving your home can be exciting and incredibly stressful within the same breathes. Whether leaving college, moving out of your parents into your our apartment, or moving your family home from somewhere you had been since your children had been born to a place starting completely fresh. Strong Hands, LLC., is available to give all of our expertise tips and careful hands to help you get to where you want to be. Maybe you are relocating for a new job, upsizing or downsizing, all of our clients want their move to be as easy and painless as possible which is why they chose to hire us.
Most of our moving tips are essential to having a successful stress-free move that will not cost clients their sanity.
We always suggest that our clients declutter first. Before we start packing, we ask clients to go through their possessions and get rid of anything they no longer have use for and that they do not want to take with them. Doing this, there will be less to unpack later and will take up less space later on in the new place. What point is there dragging baggage with you just to get rid of it or donate it later? Get rid of it or give it away even make a little extra money of it if possible before moving.
START EARLY we always recommend to start early because better now than ever, right? Packing always takes longer than expected so begin early as possible! This will prevent chaos come moving day. Start with the things you do not use often then move onto to the things you do use daily packing them last.
Cleaning is always suggested! You want to start fresh? So make sure all of the things that you are choosing to take with you are clean by dusting all of your ornaments, washing any dirty clothes – you will have enough to do in the new place, trust us you will not want to be washing piles of laundry as well. If you are moving out of rented housing you will also have to clean it before leaving if you want to get your security deposit back. When you get into your new place, give it a good scrub, hire our sister company the Clean Team by calling 607-220-3578. Even if it looks clean, give yourself the peace of mind of knowing for sure that the place has been taken care of professionally without wasting your energy.
Hire us Strong Hands, LLC., for packing assistance for a low cost. We will not only leave you feeling relieved from our experienced applied packing but excited! Never buy cardboard boxes when we can provide them for a low rate. Also we will use any boxes, baskets and bags clients already have lying around to pack their clothes in suitcases because if you have it utilize it!! We show clients how to roll their clothing instead of folding them and fitting more in. Another thought clients do not need to buy bubble wrap – we provide it within the low cost and can wrap breakable items such as plates, glasses etc., in clothes, towels, tea towels, blankets and, if they have a bag of plastic bags we will utilize them as padding between items. It’s also a awesome idea to put toiletries in carrier bags in case they leak.
PACKING EFFICIENTLY our team puts lighter items in big boxes and heavier items in smaller boxes, otherwise the box might not be able to hold the weight of the items and fall apart when you pick it up. If clients have a mixture of both heavy and light items in a box, we keep the heavier items at the bottom so they don’t crush everything else. Boxes are marked exteriorly which room the items came from (e.g., kitchen, bathroom, etc.) and made note of a few of the items inside. This prevents any rummaging through ten boxes just marked vaguely. We always write FRAGILE on any boxes with breakables in them.
ALWAYS DO THIS pack an overnight bag full of things that are needed to be able to find easily on moving day. The bag should include the following any toiletries, phone chargers, some bottles of water, toilet paper, any important medication, cleaning supplies, bed linen, nightclothes and a change of clothes for the next day. It will be a long, busy, tiring, and possibly hectic day, being able to grab these things without running through loads of boxes will help a lot greatly!
Keep all important paperwork and documents safe yet accessible (e.g., birth certificates, passports, wills, house deeds and insurance papers) together in one box or file so that you know where to locate them. Clients should also scan them to make digital copies in case anything happens to them during the move (e.g., fire, burglary). We would strongly not like to see clients lose their hard copies at any time so it’s sensible to back them up). We recommend clients changing their address with everywhere that has it, get their mail forwarded to their new address for the first few months in case there’s anywhere you’ve forgotten to give it to. We also suggest that clients not forget to update their driving license with their new address, too.
It is important when moving such fragile items – like glass – that require Strong Hands, LLC., expertise to remember glass is NOT fun to clean up and nine times out of ten broken shards of glass ends up everywhere creating a safety hazard for everyone. To protect your glass and yourself by saving yourself the chaos of broken or shattered glass, contact us – we are more than happy to help at a low cost!
Strong Hands, LLC., ensure to account for all our client’s glass pieces first before anything else. Besides countertop this typically includes mirrors, glass shelves, and glass picture frames that we gather, efficiently wrap, and placed by the door out of the way. To keep clients glass protected and safe, the first thing our team does is wrap the items with moving blankets. Preferably, depending on how big the fragile item is we like to double wrap the item with two moving blankets using flexible rubber bands for the blankets to stay in place. After this step is completed, we bubble wrap and tape them full circle around the items to ensure that the items are secured. Sometimes we like to place the wrapped items into collapsible boxes that are thirty percent bigger than the fragile items. Once our team has safely packed our client’s glass, we make sure all glass pieces are labelled properly large and visibly on both sides of the boxes. For any flat pieces of glass, we always make sure we label them “flat” and “do not lay flat” because a flat piece of glass should always be carried and stored on its edges.
After our client’s items are properly labeled, they are gently and safely transferred directly to our moving truck and secured between heavier items that are clear away from any hard surface items that could potentially slide and/or shift damaging the glass during the move. Did you know that it is easier and safer to remove the glass from a countertop table before moving it? Yes – most glass is quite easy to remove from tables that is if you know what you are doing in the case of Strong Hands, LLC., doing it of course we know what we are doing!
The most difficult part of removing the glass from a table is if it is secured by screws but that is pretty much it. Strong Hands, LLC., always unscrews the glass and pack it separately regardless because that it how careful our team is when handling our client’s precious belongings.
When you know what to do it is always important to know exactly what NOT to do just as well.
Strong Hands, LLC., knows both ends when it comes to moving glass which is why out clients rely on us day in and day out to rise to the occasion and perform at a five star rating compacity.
We NEVER lay glass items such as tabletops flat because let think about it together when glass tabletops are laid flat they are likely to shatter and/or crack due to the glass molecular structure. Glass is strongest around it’s edges and most ideal to only be set down upright.
Keep in mind is that glass should NEVER be stacked especially after being wrapped. Dirt and grime love to take advantage when glass is stacked. This is where the anonymous scratches appears because the dirt and grime get trapped between the two glass pieces. Also, glass is hard to separate this way!
It makes common sense to NEVER store anything heavy on glass, right? This does not need explanatory – glass is fragile and most should know it cannot hold up much weight and if too much pressure the glass can break, shatter, or crack.
Pack mirrors in specially padded cartons
Strong Hands, LLC., use special flat boxes and/or glass carton sized unique for your mirror when purchasing boxes. Having all the proper boxes in-hand makes the process easier. We prepare by lining outer edges with crushed paper to create a padded bed in which your item can rest and can be moved without breaking.
Before we place clients mirror in the box, we make sure to wrap it in padded paper and/or sheets of bubble wrap to create a plentiful outside layered barrier. We then tape this wrapping tightly that you mirror is being placed in.
Once your mirror is in the box, we fill all gaps with crumpled paper. It is not normally recommended, however sometimes depending on the circumstances and item we are able to pack more than one mirror in a single box. This typical will only happen if the client chooses to consolidate items in this manner, efficient padding between the client’s items to prevent rubbing or shifting is provided.
Heavy mirrors, stone or table tops:
We generally pack heavy glass and stone into specially wooden crates to provide an extra layer of protection.
At Strong Hands, LLC., when packing and unpacking we can help you pack and unpack all your items for you.
Have you ever thought that when it comes time to purge before moving that there would also come at least 5 extraordinary revelations. Literally, “baggage” is an understatement when we hold onto materialistic stuff that might even be sentimental to us but really in actuality we can take it with us when we go. Rather than taking a ton of accumulated stuff that you truly have just held onto just because make decisions and step forwards with the truth that you are not going to somehow cram it away when you relocate. Not even just that thought perhaps you will realize you do not want to bring the baggage and cancel that small storage unit you almost invested in for another one of those just because thoughts. All told Strong Hands, LLC., works with clients to come up with a plan on down sizing then collaborates with our sister company the Clean Team even sometimes to help get clients organized and back to basics. Strong Hands, LLC., does all of the manual moving labor for our clients. For instance, we have clients decide, “What am I even packing this for” and chuck plenty of things that they completely instantly changed their mind on because half of the items they thought they want and/or needs to transfer over with them to their new space was not worth the baggage. Many times what happens is that clients encounter a few surprises when embarking on moving from one place to the next and as a newer moving company we enjoy hearing all about their experience through Google and Yelp reviews they write for us.
Strong Hands, LLC., suggest that moving often offers the perfect motivation for clients to get rid of things and prioritize what really matters. For instance, book worms, the feeling of getting rid of book that you have collected forever is what seems heart wrenching but perhaps the next book worm you donate your books to take advantage of the kindness and it becomes a continuous thing getting passed onto the next person after the next. Now how relieving is that? Think about it this way, when our clients hire us to put their things into a cardboard box and transfer it sometimes unpacking as well clients are telling us that they value these things enough to take it with them to their new place. Fine, that is absolutely great, however not a lot of stuff is actually worth hauling if you were to do it yourself instead of hiring a professional, experienced, and careful moving company. We are not discouraging clients to throw away everything they might have invested in and found valuable however we do suggest it is considerably a good idea to think about what they find at most valuable and useful to their household. Let us think more into this purging thing.
Purging for some can feel like therapy. In the sense that you can focus on more that you love. Whoa! we are not “anti-stuff” as mentioned before we are more anti-stuff-you-do not-care-about. Clients should find and sort through their belongings and pack item that bring fire up joy and junk the rest therefor they do not get in the way of what truly brings them joy such as their pet, family, exercising, outdoors, etc., whatever might bring one joy. For instance, getting rid of some coffee mugs. It is common for coffee mugs to be one of our kitchen most collected and stored away items. Pick a few out that you enjoy the most and donate the rest especially if they are chipped or discolored. That is it gone bye to the bye now you can feel fancy! I know this approach might seem a bit wasteful for some more because they end up buying the same exact thing if not comparable again but this action is actually an incentive to not replace the things you have tossed months later.
Let’s talk about thrown out intentionally and mistakenly family heirlooms… Now this is a very sticky and sensitive subject we only give suggestion briefly on being hired for the job. All honesty we always tell our clients that there is risk in throwing out something that they cannot replace. For instance, a sweater that their great grand parent might have sewed together for them as a child or brought to America from their home country. Something such as this cannot be replaced like a social security card that might be a pain to do all the paper work and wait for it to come in the mail weeks later but eventually it is replaced. We remind our clients that all of the purging that happens during moving is completely up to them and that we are only here to do for them what they are at most comfortable and satisfied with in the end. We also remind clients that if they are cleaning out storage area such as a spare closet if they throw something away they regret to not fret because life will go on. Yes, they will miss the item(s) but they will most definitely find other ways to be happy.
Strong Hands, LLC., is here to support all clients reach their fullest protentional when it comes to purging during a move. It is okay to make “junk it” your default when stuck. It is also okay to say to yourself that you are just not ready to get rid of certain items. Purging can be reckless and give many a thrill of letting go and starting over. However for others purging can be too much all at once. We would like to be the balance in your purging while moving experience. To bring us on board give us a call today by call (607) 342-6761!
