How To Avoid Property Damage During Your Move

Moving can be a stressful and exciting experience. A move gives you new opportunities to explore and new places to see. It is a fresh start and a new beginning. Unfortunately, your new beginning could be dampened if you suddenly find that you had property damage during moving.

Property is not just the items you are taking with you, it is also the house you are leaving behind. You want to make sure that you have left your house or apartment unmarked when you were shifting your furniture. If you are wondering which precautions you should take to prevent property damage during moving, consider these:

Packing for Maximum Safety

Make sure that your items are all packed properly so that they do not get damaged by the road ahead. The move might get bumpy, so you have to make sure that everything is secured in place and can withstand the journey.

The boxes used should be strong enough to carry the weight of the items. The furniture should be wrapped in moving blankets for their safety and the safety of anything they bang against. Make sure that the fragile items are wrapped in bubble wrap and the boxes are secured with tape.

Make Sure You Have the Right Moving Equipment

You need special equipment to ensure that there is no property damage during moving. Moving equipment helps protect your furniture and your home from any scratches or dents. The three most fundamental moving equipments are the dolly, lifting straps and furniture pads.

A dolly helps you move around heavy furniture, without the risk of damaging them. But keep in mind that you need experience in handling the dolly, so it is better to get a professional to help. Lifting straps make it easier to lift heavy items and furniture pads help in preventing the floors from being scratched.

Protect Your Floors and Walls

Your floor is the first thing to get scratched during the move. This can cost you a lot in terms of repair or replacement. Take special steps to place some old sheets or cardboard over the carpet or the floor when it is time to move. Make sure to stick the ends and corners down to prevent tripping.

The walls can also get dented or scratched, especially around narrow staircases. You can cover up the walls and also the corners of the furniture to lessen any damage they might cause. Keep in mind that there are certain ways that furniture should be moved. A professional mover will be able to help you through that. They know how to handle furniture so that there is no property damage during the move.

Get Professionals to Help You

Professionals are trained in helping you move. They are experienced in handling all sorts of furniture and will help you pack your household items. Good movers know how to prevent any damages to your furniture and your house.

Hiring a reliable moving company could save you the cost of property damage during moving, along with the equipment that is needed. Moving companies provide you with a full solution so that you do not have to go out of your way to protect your property.

If you are looking for a resourceful moving company in the Seattle area, then you can try Seattle Select Movers. They are reliable and are sure to handle your property with care.

Recycling isn’t easy

Wow, read this Seattle Times blog from 2011, mattress recycling is a huge problem

 

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/take-our-used-mattresses-please/

 

 

 

Special to NWhomes

We expect to recycle everything these days, but some products don’t make it easy. Take mattresses, please.

Although progress has been made recently on mattress recycling, they remain one of the most challenging items for consumers to recycle. We don’t need to get rid of a mattress very often, but when we’re done with it, we usually want it gone in a hurry.

Q: Let’s cut to the chase. What am I supposed to do with an old mattress?

A: The easiest solution is to ask a retailer to take back your old mattress and box spring when you buy a new set. Many retailers provide that service, although they may charge a small additional fee.

Tell the retailer you want your old mattress recycled, not landfilled. Mattress stores and other businesses that generate lots of old mattresses, such as hotels, can now recycle mattresses more easily than in the past through a Washington State Correctional Industries project and other programs.

Q: What if I have an old mattress to get rid of, but I’m not buying a new one from a retailer?

A: That’s currently the black hole of mattress recycling, especially if the mattress is in poor condition. Only a few local businesses will pick up or accept your mattress and get it recycled, and you could pay as much as $60 for recycling, usually significantly more than you would pay to throw it away.

Q: What would happen if I just leave it on a street corner somewhere?

A: Dumping mattresses and other items illegally can result in hefty fines from local governments or the state. If a mattress gets dumped illegally on your property, it’s generally your responsibility to have it hauled away.

Q: How about if I have a mattress I don’t want that’s still in good shape?

A: Some charities may accept it. For listings of charities and businesses that resell, donate, recycle or dispose of mattresses, consult King County’s “What Do I Do With?” website at your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/wdidw. Under “Select a Category,” click on Furniture, then Mattresses.

You could also offer it on Craigslist (craigslist.org) or Freecycle (freecycle.org). Before you offer a mattress for reuse, just make sure it doesn’t have any stains or rips, and of course, no bedbugs

Q: The bedbug scare has made used mattresses less appealing, hasn’t it?

A: Yes, but reputable used-furniture dealers will usually check mattresses they sell to make sure they do not have any telltale signs of bedbugs, and most individuals will not knowingly sell or donate a used mattress with bedbugs.

Q: Why are mattresses so hard to recycle?

A: A standard mattress and box spring are made of polyurethane foam, steel, wood, cotton and other fabric. Some of those materials have value for recycling if they can be separated cleanly, but that’s the hard part.

Mattress-recycling workers typically “fillet” the mattresses by hand, using box-cutters or similar tools. Because it is such time-consuming work, mattress-recycling operations may use prison labor or subsidized developmentally disabled workers to make it cost-effective.

Q: Can’t we just landfill mattresses?

A: Landfills don’t want mattresses because they take up a lot of space, and the springs pop out and get tangled in the landfill equipment.

Q: What’s the solution?

A: A “product stewardship” approach, where the mattress industry takes responsibility for providing recycling, would make proper mattress disposal easier for the public and reduce costs for governments. This might involve incorporating an “advance recycling fee” into the price consumers pay for a new mattress.

It also helps the environment when we buy high-quality mattresses, which last longer, and mattresses made from greener materials such as organic cotton.

Individuals, businesses and governments all need to pay more attention to the final disposition of bulky products such as mattresses and carpets that we spend so much time on every day. So let’s sleep on that tonight.