How to handle non-allowables when moving

When you hire movers, especially ones that offer a full-service package, you probably expect them to take care of everything. And, in most cases, Monterey CA movers will go out of their way to fully meet your expectations. The main goal of every mover is to make your life simpler. They will do their best to be excellent because they value their customers and their reviews. However, there are certain items that your chosen company simply won’t move. So, you can easily expect to be handed a list of items the movers can’t handle. When this happens, you’ll need to know how to handle non-allowables when moving. This is something you’ll need to do yourself, but don’t worry, because we can help! Here, we will break down some of the forbidden items and explain what you can do with them.

What are non-allowables and why won’t moving companies handle them

Simply put, any item that a moving company can’t and won’t pack, handle, or transport, is non-allowable. In very rare situations, movers can make an exception to these rules. However, it highly depends on the items, the distance, and how difficult it is to relocate them. In most cases, these items can fit into three main categories:

• Hazardous materials and any other dangerous goods or liquids
• Perishable items such as food or plants
• Personal items of significant sentimental value

If you’re wondering why Monterey moving services can’t deal with these items, the answer is pretty straightforward: safety. If something is a potential risk to workers, customers, or equipment, movers simply won’t touch it. Another good reason is the level of care an item might need, like specific temperatures for plants or foods for example. Then, there is the risk of movers accidentally losing or damaging a family heirloom that simply can’t be replaced. These rules are there to protect movers from harm and bad situations. But also, to protect their customers and make sure that all items are properly taken care of. Whether or not you should move these items yourself depends largely on their type. You should take items with sentimental value with you but avoid hazardous materials. The safety of your loved ones and your items is more important than anything.

How to effectively handle non-allowables when moving

The first step to moving these special items is knowing how to spot them. When your movers give you a list of non-allowables, you will have a good idea of what you can and can’t relocate. After this, you can sort your items into categories as hazardous, perishable, and valuable. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to take all of your items with you. Some things will sadly be left behind because there is simply no way to move them. But, you can still replace them when you arrive at your new home. Now, let’s look at the different categories of items and how to recognize them.

Hazardous materials and dangerous goods

Anything that is flammable, explosive, or corrosive is too dangerous to move. Even if they want to, your movers simply can’t do it because federal law forbids them. Some of the hazardous items are guns, fireworks, lighter fluid, propane tanks, paints, insecticides, and other poisons. Professional long-distance movers advise against packing these items for a move. Gun laws, for example, vary from state to state. This means that moving weapons yourself is not only dangerous but maybe even illegal. A better approach is to have a licensed gun store ship the weapons for you. If you still want to do it yourself, research the laws. Moving flammable liquids is also a huge no, as it is simply too dangerous. Volatile and corrosive liquids should only be moved locally. If you can’t use them up before the move, make sure you dispose of them safely.

Perishable food and plants

Food shouldn’t be moved as it can easily spoil. Movers will, however, make an exception if you’re moving less than 150 miles or 24 hours away. This is because food items can’t last longer than that in the back of a regular truck. If you have a lot of perishable foods laying around, you’ll have to use it up in advance. If you have canned foods, you can donate them to a charity near you and help someone in need. And you can pack other foods as snacks for the moving trip and use them up that way. Just like food, plants shouldn’t be moved across long distances either. And again, exceptions can be made for shorter hauls as we’ve previously mentioned. But in general, plants are too sensitive to transport. If you have plants that have sentimental or monetary value, you should hire a specialist company to move them.

Personal items of great value

There are items that you simply can’t entrust to just anyone. These items fall into a special category of personal items and items of great or immeasurable value. This includes personal documents, money, credit cards, priceless jewelry, photos, artwork, and other collectible items such as postage stamps. Personal documents are full of private information and if they’re lost, you won’t just only suffer the headache of getting them renewed, but you can also fall victim to identity theft. When it comes to moving collectible items or photos, they may not have any monetary value, but they are extremely important to the client because of sentiment. In general, companies can’t handle non-allowables like these when moving. Technically, they can, but they choose not to. And this is for the best, really. Items like these should always be close to you during the move to avoid losing them or having them stolen.