Tips for Moving in the Rain

When moving homes, you can never predict what weather you will get. Unless you live somewhere where it’s sunny almost every day, you may move in the rain. While it is certainly not ideal, there are some things you can do to make moving in the rain easier. Below are our best tips for moving in the rain.

Preparing to Move in the Rain

Even if you don’t know that it’s going to rain on your moving day, it’s still best to pack as if it is going to. If you pack for a rainy moving day, you won’t have to make any adjustments if it happens. You can proceed with your move as expected, and your belongings will be protected more than if you had to adjust quickly. Here are thing things you can do to prepare for moving in the rain:

Pack Your Items in Plastic Bins or Weather-Resistant Boxes

Plastic bins are your best bet to keep your belongings completely dry and safe from humidity. This is important because unpacking takes time, and any trapped moisture could lead to mold or mildew. If you don’t want to worry about plastic bins, you can also get weather-resistant boxes that are less likely to tear after getting wet.

Have a Designated Unloading Spot

Bring a tarp or towels to set up an unloading spot in your new home. Having a go-to place for all of the boxes when it rains on moving day can help keep water or mud from tracking its way through your new house.

Keep Mats Handy

Avoid packing up your doormats and other washable mats that you can use in case it rains on your moving day. Place doormats in any high-traffic areas to avoid bringing too much water and mud into your house. Try to also keep a doormat near the moving truck to help avoid getting the ramp and inside of the truck dirty.

Put Someone on Towel Duty

If you have enough help, put someone on towel duty to wipe down items as they come into the house. If you have kids who want to be involved in the move, this is the perfect job for them. Wiping items off helps avoid large puddles, saves furniture from getting damaged, and reduces the likelihood of mold or mildew.

How to Protect Your Belongings When Moving in the Rain

Keeping your home free of water is important, but the most important task is making sure your belongings stay safe from the rain while loading and unloading them from the moving truck. Below are some tips to keep your items dry when moving in the rain:

Use Furniture Covers

Most moving and storage companies sell furniture covers that you can use to keep your furniture safe from water damage. These covers will go over your furniture to add a layer between them and the rain. It’s very important that you make sure to buy a mattress cover as well since mattresses can easily absorb moisture and are harder to dry out. If you’re in need of a furniture cover, make sure to check out our online store!

Buy Tarps

Keep some tarps around to cover large areas and keep everything dry. Be careful with tarps around delicate items, as they can scratch things like wood, especially if things move around in the moving truck. Tarps are good for keeping large furniture items or piles of boxes dry. They can also be put down on the ground to avoid moisture from the bottom up.

Don’t Set Things Down

Although moving items can be tiring, and you may have the urge to set things down, try to avoid it. When it is raining during your move, the ground is only going to make things worse. Even just setting something down for a moment can make it wet, and then you accidentally bring all of that moisture into the truck and onto other items.

Use a Storage Unit Before Your Move

Moving in the rain can be tricky, so it’s important to stay safe and avoid rushing. Take your time, and don’t do anything that would put you at risk. Renting a self storage unit in advance will elevate moving day stress.

Self storage helps remove extra items from your home, both for staging a sale and to reduce the number of items left to move on moving day. 

We hope you enjoyed our tips for moving in the rain. For more moving tips, make sure to sign up for our once-monthly blog newsletter.

And while you’re here, visit our Guardian Storage Locations page to search for the closest self storage units near you!