Moving Tips
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Moving Tips
Packing yourself certainly can save you money in a lot of cases, but it is necessary to consider the time and effort needed to properly protect your belongings. To keep damage to a minimum, it is strongly recommended that you allow a professional mover to pack any fragile or valuable items.
When you use a professional moving company, you can decide, if you choose to do some or all of the packing yourself, or you can leave it all to the experts. Discuss your options with your moving company.
If you decide to pack yourself, you need to assure that all your items are properly packed, wrapped and ready to load, when your movers arrive.Â
For your moving company to be able to load, transport and unload your items, your belongings need to be packed according to moving standards. Check for any cartons or boxes that are torn or damaged or could be damaged, because they are improperly packed. Your movers will inspect your packed items to make sure that none of them will be exposed to potential damage, due to improper packing during the transport.
Consider what items you need the night before or the morning of your move and keep these items separate.Â
When packing your garage, sheds or attics, consider giving items away that you might not need anymore.
Even though you might be inclined to use non moving specific packing materials for your belongings, you might want to reconsider. Using new and moving specific materials will make it easier for you to pack and will ensure that your items will reach their destination safely.
Your moving company has a variety of boxes and other packing materials available that will fit your need.
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In general you can expect your moving company to wrap and pad your furniture and major appliances. If you do have items that require professional disassembly and/or crating – such as pool tables, pianos, or large glass table tops – it is recommended to leave those furnishings to be taken care of by your professional mover.Â
The following items are some of the items that the moving companies, by federal law or internal policy, cannot transport.
To understand, what applies to your move, please contact your moving company for a full list of items.
Hazardous Materials
Items that are flammable, corrosive or explosive
• Aerosols
• Ammunition
• Charcoal lighter fluid
• Fireworks
• Gasoline
• Kerosene
• Matches
• Paint thinner
• Nail polish remover
• Paints
• Propane tanks
Perishable Items
For example, food, plants or living things that may die or spoil in transit.
• Frozen foods
• Plants
• Produce
• Refrigerated foods
Items of personal importance or sentimental value
• Cash or credit cards
• Deeds or wills
• Important documents (including moving documents)
• Family photographs
• Precious jewelry
• Stamp or coin collections
• Any other valuable items
- Excellent staff and very friendly. Listened to my concerns and were extremely efficient.Lisa G.5/14/2025Great experience from beginning to ending of our move. The leader was a good communicator and all the workers went above and beyond, asking us many questions so they would get it right and always asking if they good do... read moreGreat experience from beginning to ending of our move. The leader was a good communicator and all the workers went above and beyond, asking us many questions so they would get it right and always asking if they good do anything else for us. They were all friendly and made the day a pleasant experience. Highly recommend them!! read lessJanice S.5/13/2025Guys were so great. Luna, Jai, David and Angelo are amazing. Nice and professional.Dawn H.5/13/2025If you want to hire professional movers who are local to Sonoma County and truly care about their customers then this is the company to chose. I’ve moved over 15 times in my life and hiring these guys was by... read moreIf you want to hire professional movers who are local to Sonoma County and truly care about their customers then this is the company to chose. I’ve moved over 15 times in my life and hiring these guys was by far the best moving experience. read lessRushan T.5/07/2025
- Excellent experience. Fast, efficient, handled our stuff really well. And friendly respectful guys. Casey and team were top notch, highly recommend.Patrick P.5/07/2025KC and team were awesome! Couldn't have done it without them. They were a huge help packing my kitchen in an afternoon, and then came back the next day for the big move. Took good care in both homes, very... read moreKC and team were awesome! Couldn't have done it without them. They were a huge help packing my kitchen in an afternoon, and then came back the next day for the big move. Took good care in both homes, very respectful and fun to chat with, great teamwork! Also love that they're all local. Highly recommend! read lessRebecca B.5/07/2025Courteous and efficient. Movers did a great job with our home contents. I would highly recommend them for your move.Steven A.5/07/2025Wow, I’m giving you five stars but I’d give you a 10 if I could what an amazing crew they worked hard for two straight days and most of all they have a really good sense of humor and they’re... read moreWow, I’m giving you five stars but I’d give you a 10 if I could what an amazing crew they worked hard for two straight days and most of all they have a really good sense of humor and they’re super polite read lessRobin G.5/07/2025
- I would highly recommend Fresh Start Movers to anyone contemplating a local move in the Sonoma County and Bay area.
We recently had a local move from Guerneville to Santa Rosa. A 3br+ tri-level home with heavy furniture, narrow doors, stairs,... read moreI would highly recommend Fresh Start Movers to anyone contemplating a local move in the Sonoma County and Bay area.
We recently had a local move from Guerneville to Santa Rosa. A 3br+ tri-level home with heavy furniture, narrow doors, stairs, plus a very tight winding road leading to the house. All the things that can create issues with a move.
Fresh Start Movers is the best local moving company we have ever used. They are eminently professional, competent and friendly. They managed with ease, all the things that had created past issues with other movers.
Kyle, the owner uses the latest technology when quoting the job and the costs were spot-on with the estimate.
4/30/25 Update: Second part of the move.
Our second part of this move went just as well as the first! The team was terrific and even helped us rearrange a room when one of our pieces would not go through a door!
Will continue to highly recommend Freh Start Movers…they really are the best! read lessCarroll D.5/07/2025Very professional. Amazing work with absolutely incredible attitude towards the job. Definitely will recommend to all my friends and family. Amazing group of people. Took care of my furniture especially the very heavy ones.Brian A.5/07/2025They were prompt polite respectful and did a great job loading and moving us into storage
Neat and Tidy very organized
I am well pleased !
Thankyou to James and his team, job well done
TanyaTanya P.5/07/2025Highly recommend Fresh Start Movers! Very professional, on time and took great care with the furniture and protected the floors and walls. Casey and his team were very personable and made my move very easy!Susie S.5/07/2025 - They were great! On time, fast, personable and careful with my stuff. Will definitely use again in the future.Kate K.4/30/2025Luna, David and John did an excellent job! They were communicative and kind, took care with everything, and were cheerful about all my requests for extra help moving things around the house, not just to and from. We had a... read moreLuna, David and John did an excellent job! They were communicative and kind, took care with everything, and were cheerful about all my requests for extra help moving things around the house, not just to and from. We had a very complicated move with several stops and things going, staying and various destinations. Everything got where it needed to go and nothing even got scratched! read lessSara P.4/30/2025These guys are amazing, polite, fast and thorough! They made a very stressful move much more fun and manageable 💕Laura p.4/30/2025Fresh Start Movers did a fantastic job for us, highly recommend!!!!Gregory M.4/30/2025