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Look here for news and information you can use to ease the stress of relocating. Also look for some interesting images of recent jobs!

4 Tips for Moving in Rainy Weather

Rain Drops — Chicago, IL — Affordable Moving Company, Inc.

Moving already involves a lot of stress, but the stress can increase if you have to deal with rainy weather. In some cases, you cannot put off the move and must go forward with your set schedule. Moving on a rainy day requires a little more logistics to ensure the move goes properly and you can keep your items protected from excessive moisture.

Follow these tips to make the most out of a move and to ensure your items stay dry and safe as you transport items from home to home.

1. Use Plastic Totes Instead of Boxes

Cardboard boxes are strong, sturdy, and easy to use, but all of the benefits go away when rain is involved. Wet cardboard can easily lose its strength, resulting in broken boxes and potential mold or mildew growth. If a box sits damp for a long time, those smells could linger in a new home and on the items you pack inside.

Top Packing Tips When Moving Houses

Couple Packing their Things in Boxes — Chicago, IL — Affordable Moving Company, Inc.

Like most people, you possibly experience mixed emotions of anxiety and excitement when you want to move houses. However, you may have to move houses at some point due to personal or career-related reasons. Fortunately, moving companies can help you plan well and ease the process.

But before you put your items in the truck, you need to pack them appropriately to prevent in-transit damage. Here are the top packing tips when moving houses.

Get Quality Boxes

Don’t be tempted to purchase low-quality cardboard boxes to pack your valuables. Although they will save you money, they can easily break and lead to losses. Purchase boxes that are strong and durable so you can pack with confidence that they will not break before you reach your destination.

3 Key Elements of Smart Residential Storage

Family Happy with Services — Chicago, IL — Affordable Moving Company, Inc.In an ideal world, individuals and families moving from one residence to another could always transport their belongings from the old home to the new home with no stops along the way. Unfortunately, real estate closing delays, work-related complications, or other issues may force those items to sit in storage temporarily.

Smart residential storage calls for more organization, safety precautions, and item protection than you might expect from simply throwing your possessions into a generic storage cubicle. Here are three key elements that can help ensure the most satisfactory residential storage experience possible.

    1. Climate Control

Chicago summer temperatures can easily top 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with winter low temperatures dipping into the low 20s. You may find yourself contending with either of these extremes during the course of your move. If your storage needs extend for several months, you may even face both ends of the scale.

Extreme temperatures can wreak havoc on your possessions in multiple ways. For instance, extreme heat can damage your expensive electronic equipment. Cameras, phones, laptops, and computers can overheat even when inoperative, especially in an enclosed storage cubicle.

Preparing for a Winter Move

House in Winter Snow

Moving in the winter doesn’t have to be hard, especially when you hire a professional moving company. In fact, winter is a great time to look for a home because fewer people do so in the winter.

However, when you move during the winter months, you should take precautions to protect your home, as well as your belongings, from damage due to the cold weather. Discover some winter moving tips to help make the transition easier for everyone.

Eliminate Extra Items

The first thing you should do is reduce the number of items that you need to move. Well before you move, go through your home and make plans to sell, give away, or dispose of any items that you no longer use or won’t fit into your new place. When you have less to move on moving day, then the move will go faster and easier, which can help with the shorter daylight hours during winter.

Top Tips for Packing Paintings and Other Artwork

Happy smiling senior couple embracing together at home

Take precautions when relocating valuable artwork. Here area few important tips to follow as you pack framed and unframed wall art fora move to a new location.

Order or Create Appropriate Containers and Boxes

All artwork should be packed in an inner and outer container. Order custom crates and boxes for your artwork that include both inner and outer protective containers, or you can make your own containers using cardboard boxes, cardboard sheets, and a box cutter. Artwork boxes can also be made with plywood.

Regardless of the materials used, a custom box should provide at least three inches of space on all sides of the frame. Order or make triangular cardboard corner pieces that slide over the corners of frames to protect the frame materials and prevent any loosening of fasteners that join the frame sides together.

Foam, bubble wrap, and cardboard sheets protect packed artwork from moving around during transit. Use ample amounts of protective materials to fill all voids in artwork packing boxes and crates.

Never use packing peanuts to cushion artwork. The peanuts can destroy the work if they make contact with the piece,and the peanuts become a nightmare during unpacking.

Moving Soon? Tips to Pack Up Your Garage

The garage can be a difficult room to pack because it’s full of items that are dirty, oily,and bulky. The garage is also a place where many people store items they no longer need and have not yet thrown away. Many homeowners dread packing their own garage. These tips can help you get through the garage-packing process. Here’s what you need to know.

Decide What Is and Isn’t Needed

The garage is a place where people store items like seasonal clothes, sentimental items, and holiday decorations. Often, these items can build up and become forgotten. Before you can pack your garage, you must first decide what you should and should not keep.

Give yourself as much time as possible to sort through the items in your garage. If you plan to sell things in a garage sale, begin a few months in advance. If you plan to donate or throwaway your unneeded items, a few weeks may be enough time.

Sort through your garage box by box. A good rule of thumb is to get rid of everything you haven’t used in a year or two years. If you need to unload some sentimental items and you’re reluctant to throw them away, give them away to family members or friends who will also find meaning in those items.

A Stress-Relieving Plan to Help Elderly Parents Deal With Downsizing

Happy smiling senior couple embracing together at home


Adult children must often assume somewhat of a parental role as their own parents grow older and less capable of living on their own. At times, this can lead to stressful conversations about the future. One common example of this is when adult children talk to their parents about making a plan to downsize from a too-large family home to an apartment that will be more convenient.

I fit is time for you to have this difficult conversation with one or both of your parents, learn what you can do to relieve the stress related to this major life change.

Top Tips for Packing Paintings and Other Artwork

Take precautions when relocating valuable artwork. Here are a few important tips to follow as you pack framed and unframed wall art for a move to a new location.

Order or Create Appropriate Containers and Boxes

All artwork should be packed in an inner and outer container. Order custom crates and boxes for your artwork that include both inner and outer protective containers, or you can make your own containers using cardboard boxes, cardboard sheets, and a box cutter. Artwork boxes can also be made with plywood.

Regardless of the materials used, a custom box should provide at least three inches of space on all sides of the frame. Order or make triangular cardboard corner pieces that slide over the corners of frames to protect the frame materials and prevent any loosening of fasteners that join the frame sides together.

Foam, bubble wrap, and cardboard sheets protect packed artwork from moving around during transit. Use ample amounts of protective materials to fill all voids in artwork packing boxes and crates.

Never use packing peanuts to cushion artwork. The peanuts can destroy the work if they make contact with the piece, and the peanuts become a nightmare during unpacking.

Use Archival Barriers for Unframed Art