Don't hire a mover before you read this guide!
30 different ways to save money
with a professional mover.
For most Toronto movers, ourselves included, time equals money! The large majority of moving companies in Toronto charge by the hour. If you’re planning on hiring a professional moving company, there’s a ton of small things you can do before you move to save their time, and your money!
Here’s How!
- Get things organized before your move
A month or two before you move, you’ll want to begin decluttering and removing dead weight. There’s no sense paying a mover to move your unwanted items. Here are some helpful moving tips to get you started.
Purge Unwanted items & get your stuff Organized
Have a garage sale and sell what you can. Give away, or donate what you can't. Dump the rest! Items you can't easily sell or donate, can be taken to your local waste facility.
The less clutter you have in your home, the less your move will cost, period! If you’d like a more in-depth guide on how to declutter your home before you move, please follow the links below.
Pro Moving Tip... Use up all your perishables before move day!
As your move day approaches, begin slowly using all of the perishable food in your home. Also, items like bleach, paint, propane, gasoline, cleaning supplies, etc... are considered hazardous material and cannot be transported on our truck. You may want to use up these items before your move day.
START GETTING ESTIMATES FOR YOUR MOVE
After you've got your stuff organized, and have a good idea of what you’ll be moving, You’ll want to start getting quotes for your move. Reputable movers will have no problem visiting your home in person for free, and should happily provide you with a written estimate. The estimate they’ll provide you is guaranteed by law, in Canada, to not exceed the quoted price by more than 10%, so you'll have a very good idea of how much your move is going to cost before they ever touch a box.
Why is getting an In-Home Estimate so important for you?
Every move is different and comes with its own set of challenges for your movers to solve. Seeing your stuff in person lets a professional mover spot all the little details about your move that make it unique, and account for them well before they become potential problems. In-Home estimates are a very important step! Without it, movers would just be playing a guessing game with your stuff. Be wary of any moving company that won't provide you with one.
Book Your Mover & Service Elevator
As soon as you’ve decided what day you’ll be moving, reserve your movers and elevator right away!
There's nothing worse than having all your plans fall to pieces because you couldn't get the move date or elevator time you wanted. Contact your mover to reserve your move day, and call your buildings management as soon as possible to reserve the elevator time you’ll need.
Important! Choose Your Elevator Time Wisely!
Choosing the right elevator time is a crucial step in your move. Book your elevator too early, and the movers won’t have enough time to load, and deliver your stuff. Book your elevator too late, and your movers will have to wait around for the elevator to become available; costing you money!
This is one of the reasons why getting an on-site estimate is so important. Once a professional mover has seen your stuff in person, and has evaluated exactly what your move requires, they can recommend the most appropriate elevator time slot to reserve.
Start Packing Your Stuff!
Begin by packing the things you rarely use, but can't throw away.
Items like your bicycle pump, air mattress, out of season clothing, and extra pots and pans are a good place to start. Try to use larger boxes that are similar in size, and avoid the use of liquor boxes if possible. Larger, like-sized boxes will help us move your stuff faster, safer, and pack our truck better. Once you've finished packing a box, make sure you label it on top with the location you'd like us to place it in your new home. This way, when we carry the box, we can see exactly where you want it.
Pro Moving Tip... Label Boxes On Top & On One Side
If you have several boxes you don't plan on opening for a while after your move, consider labeling them on one side as well. When we stack them in your new home, we'll leave the label facing out so you can read it. Saving you from having to rummage through a pile a boxes to find what you need.
Pro Moving Tip... Pack Smarter
Pack your bed sheets and pillows in a dresser drawer. These items are typically lightweight, so they won't make the dresser overly heavy to carry, and when your move day is done, you'll know exactly where they are for easy access come bed time!
Pro moving Tip... We Provide Wardrobe Boxes & Mattress Bags For Free!
When packing your closets, you won't need to pack any clothing that you have on hangers. We'll provide all the wardrobe boxes you'll need for free! All your hanging clothes will be moved to your new home right on their hangers! This should save you a full day of ironing at your new place as an added bonus! We also provide all the mattress bags you'll need... So don't buy any! We got you.
Short On Time? We'll Pack Your Home In Less Than A Day. Call Us At 416-900-6027 For A Free Quote.
Click here to learn more about our packing services!
- What to do a week or so before your move
Moving day is fast approaching! Take a deep breath and use the following helpful moving tips to put the finishing touches on what will surely be a fantastic move!
Pack An Overnight Bag
You'll want to have a few things handy on move day to make life a little easier. Make sure to pack the following items and keep them separated in a designated "Do Not Pack Or Move" area!
Clothing! You'll need three sets. One to sleep in, one for move day, and another for the day after your move
Toothbrush and toothpaste, handsoap, and a couple rolls of toilet paper
Medicine and other important medical items like an inhaler or first aid kit
Your phone charger and other essential electronics
Food and water for your pets and a bowl to put it in
Pro moving Tip... Pack an Essentials Box
Consider packing a box or two with the necessities you’ll need during the first few days in your new home. Toiletries and hygiene products, such as your hairbrush, shampoo, soap, deodorant, and toilet paper should be included in this box. Everyday items like your kettle and toaster, coffee, dish soap, dish cloth, plates, cups, knife, fork, and spoon, bottled water or juice boxes, towels, canned food, and flashlight etc... Make sure you clearly label this box as “essentials” and place it in your "Do Not Pack Or Move" area. If possible, this box should be placed in your car and transported by you.
Make A Designated "Do Not Pack Or Move" Area
Items that you'll need immediate access to after your move, should be clearly marked and set aside to avoid confusion on move day.
Things like medicine, your overnight bag and essentials box, important documents, your jacket, shoes, or other clothing , keys, cable boxes, or routers that may need to be returned, items that belong to your house, such as garage door openers, ceiling fan remotes, spare parts for appliances and their instruction manuals etc... Designate an area in your home for these items and let us know, "DO NOT MOVE THESE THINGS!"
Pro Moving Tip... How to Prepare Your Appliances Before Moving
If you plan to move your appliances, particularly your fridge, dryer, or washing machine, you'll want to spend some time getting them ready the night before your move. Start by unplugging your fridge and letting it defrost. Make sure to place some towels at the base of the fridge to collect the water that drains out. Food can be stored in coolers with ice packs to keep it cold.
Washers and dryers should be unplugged, emptied, and drained, and have their “Transit Bolts” installed. If you're unfamiliar with this process or uncomfortable disconnecting and draining your machines, not to worry, we'll take care of everything for you come move day! There are no additional charges for this service other than the time and materials required.
Backup Your Computer
Disk drives don't like moving much. Even with RoadRunners. Go figure... You’ll be thankful you have your files saved in an alternate place if one of your drives decides to go belly up. Cloud Storage is an excellent option, but very time consuming if you have a lot of files to save. Solid State Drives or SSDs make for a super secure means of file storage but are an expensive option. Disk media such as Blu-rays or DVDs hold a lot of data and are super cheap to buy. There are several great options for storage. Choose wisely.
Pro moving Tip... How To Quickly Backup Your Computer Before a Move
If moving day is around the corner, and you realise you haven't yet completed this step, in a pinch, the simplest and quickest way to backup your important files is with a USB flash drive. They're super easy to transport, super easy to use, super cheap, and can hold quite a bit of data (pun intended). Their storage size is limited however, so they won't work well if you're trying to backup an entire music library or the last 12 seasons of your favorite show, so plan ahead.
- What to do the day before your move
It's almost game time! Today is the day you take care of the last minute details. Your time to sit down and relax is coming, and will be well deserved, but now is not that time! Take another deep breath and follow these steps to ensure a flawless move!
Reserve a Parking Space for Our Moving Truck
If we're not able to park in your driveway, you'll need to reserve a few parking spaces in front of your house for us. This can be done a couple ways. You can try the old 'leave a few garbage bins in the road trick' and hope for the best... or you can recruit a few friends to park their cars in front of your place for the day.
Important! The closer our truck is to your door, the less your move costs!
Do everything you can to make sure we have a space to park our truck! The less time we need to spend walking to and from your home, the less your move is going to cost you, Plain and simple! Walking an extra 20 feet to the truck may not seem like a big deal, but this extra distance gets added once walking to the truck, and once walking back, for every mover present, and every single item in your home! An extra 20 feet could end up adding an extra hour or more to your bill! so plan ahead!
Make A Floor Plan For Your Stuff
Proper planning prevents poor performance. It's a good idea to know how your furniture will fit in your new home before you get there. You'd be surprised how many times we see furniture just simply not fit where it was intended to go. Besides this being super annoying and a big inconvenience for you, it's also a huge waste of time and will make your move more expensive than it needed to be! Spend some time measuring your furniture and make a floor plan of your new home to see if everything fits the way you want it to. If it doesn't, make a plan to sell, donate, or junk that item.
Pro Moving Tip... Label Everything!
For an extra efficient move, you can label your furniture with sticky notes or painters tape with the location you want it to be placed in your new home. Get as detailed with the labelling as you'd like, such as "Master bedroom on east wall facing the ensuite" We're super good at following directions. The more items you label, the less time you'll have to spend telling us where to put it. Besides the cost savings you'll see as a result of your diligence, you'll have more time to take care of your other important duties on move day. It's a win win!
Pack Your Pottery, Pictures, Lamp Shades, & Lamps
These are the most often overlooked items when packing. They're easily broken and will fair much better in a box. Lamp shades can be easily stacked together and placed in an appropriately sized box. Smaller lamps can be grouped together and placed upright in a box with some throw pillows or other cushioning on their sides for protection. Picture boxes work well for pictures and other flat fragile items (wall clocks, mirrors, etc..) but are an expensive option. If your moving locally, a simple and inexpensive trick is to cut open a regular cardboard box and wrap it around these items. Place some bubble wrap or packing paper between the item and the cardboard for some extra protection. Smaller pictures, like those on your night stand, should be packed in boxes with packing paper.
If you're unfamiliar or unable to pack these items before our arrival, not to worry, we'll take care of everything for you come move day! There are no additional charges for this service other than the time and materials required.
Pro Moving Tip... How To Make The Perfect Box
If you find that the box you're currently packing is a little to short for your needs, open another box that's the same size, and slide it over top of the one you're packing until it's the right height. Voila! You now have a taller, perfectly fitting box. Just make sure you tape the bottom and sides extra well.
Short On Time? We'll Pack Your Home In Less Than A Day. Click Here for More Information About Our Packing Services
- What to do on move day!
The big day is here! It's all or nothing now. All your hard work and preparation has lead you to this day. Stay focused and power through these last minute tips for a smooth, and stress-free move!
Keep Your Phone on 
Even if Netflix isn’t a priority, a fully charged phone is still crucial. There are a lot of moving parts during a move. Details change and things happen! Plug your phone in the night before, and keep your charger close by on move day, just in case you and your movers need to contact each other.
How to get Ready For Your Movers
Once we arrive, we'll be ready to work! Make sure you're ready too, to ensure a speedy moving service. Here are some things you can do before your movers arrive to speed up your move!
Clear your driveway of any cars or obstructions to make space for our truck to park
Shovel a path from your driveway to your door. (Make sure to salt the area to reduce any chance of slipping and falling)
If your moving from a condo or apartment building, talk to the building management and get the elevator on service prior to our arrival.
Remember, movers are human too. Designate a bathroom we can use, equipped with soap and disposable hand towels
It's always a good idea to have some water on hand to offer your movers throughout the day. Although it's not a necessity, as we always come fully equipped, it's a wonderful gesture that movers appreciate, and will help get the day started out on the right foot!
Remove Hand Railings & Doors
If you know that some of your larger items will have difficulty fitting out of your home, you can remove the necessary hand railings and doors, or disassemble these items before we arrive to save time and money! Treadmills, ellipticals, fridge doors, the IKEA Kallax (formerly Expedit), oversized couches, and dining room tables comprise the short list of usual suspects.
If you're unfamiliar, unqualified, or feel uncomfortable disassembling any item, not to worry, we'll take care of everything for you come move day! There are no additional charges for this service other than the time and materials required.
Make a quiet space for your Pet
If a sitter is not an option for your pet, be sure to make a comfortable space for him or her in your home that's out of the way. The master bedroom ensuite is a perfect example of a quiet space. Make sure they have everything they'll need for their short stay in the porcelain hotel. Your beloved pets will thank you for preserving their peace of mind and safety.
Don't Forget The "Do Not Pack Or Move" Area
Things will start to move very fast once we arrive, so make sure to double check that your "do not pack or move" area is properly stocked and labeled. Items like your keys, jacket, shoes, phone chargers, overnight bag, etc... should be safely tucked away. A simple mistake like forgetting your new home's keys in a bag we packed in the truck could cost you hours!
Ughhhh!!! Time to Sit Back & Relax!
Go ahead, you deserve it! All your hard work over the last several weeks is about to pay off! If you've followed the moving tips on this page, there will be very little for you to do over the next few hours. So kick your feet up and relax, cause your work (at least for the moment) is done! Congratulations, you are about to experience the smoothest, easiest, least stressful, and most impressive move you will ever see!
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