Moving Labor Blog - Iowa Moving 1

What does customer service mean to Iowa Moving 1?

05/09/2012 06:15:00

Excellent customer service is one of Iowa Moving 1's differentiating factors as compared to other moving companies. Without great customer service, we would not be in business. It is what helps us grow our local moving company and how we get past customers to tell others about us. We treat our customers with respect and we are very polite to them as well. We do our best to try and make things right in a honest and fair way with customers that may have problems that arise.

Our employees here at Iowa Moving always say thank you and are very kind to the customers. When we step into a customer's home we show respect for them and their family. That’s why our customers can trust us and know that we will work hard for them to make sure that they are happy at the end of their move. We know how stressful a move can be and we want to be there to reduce some of that stress for our customers. Without happy customers we would not be where we are today.We continually try to find new ways to give back to our past customers. To all our past and future customers--we appreciate you!

How do you properly load items into a truck?

04/04/2012 09:05:00

We receive a lot of questions from customers when we show up to a job site regarding the move and how we will load the rental truck, trailer or portable storage container. What do you load first? How do you protect our items from damage? These are some common questions that we will address below.

If you are loading a U-Haul rental truck it's best to start with small boxes or even chairs to put into the attic. If you load chairs remember to wrap them in a moving blanket. This is very important to get rid of damages that could possibly happen. A good example of this is in the picture below. The blankets are covering the entire chairs so there will be no scratches on them.

The best things to load after the attic is full are dressers, hutches, appliances, etc. Basically you want the heaviest items in the house. We like to call this base. After that is what we like to call mid load. That’s usually moderately heavy boxes, end tables, chairs , etc. The last is top load. This consists of the light boxes, light furniture or small awkward items. The picture below is a prime example of base on the bottom, mid load in the middle, and top load on the top.

Also there are different ways to help protect your items. The first picture has the best way to help protect furniture. Cloth moving pads offer the best protection. Iowa Moving 1 has these available to sell to our customers. The next picture shows paper pads. These are thinner but still get the job done and help prevent scratches. The bottom picture is showing how to tie-off/secure the load. Using ratchet straps are a good way to do this. Iowa Moving 1 also has these available for purchase. As you can see in the picture below we typically secure the end of our loads with a mattress. This helps stabilize the load and reduces load shifting which will reduce damages to your items. When faced with the challenge of loading, it's best to use professional movers who do this frequently. Iowa Moving 1 would be happy to provide you with peace of mind for your next loading job.

What are some of the most common furniture pieces that are difficult to move?

03/23/2012 12:32:00

It seems to be a long-standing joke/discussion at our company about the biggest armoire we have ever moved. Stories of the "epic-sized"armoire that is always bigger than the last one. Large items are very tricky to move in small stairways and in older houses. The easiest way is to tip it back with a partner and have someone at the bottom of it and someone at the top of it. However, many times the armoire is too big to get around the corner. If you stand it upright in front of the first stair and then tip it back to your partner who is up a few stairs then it should be able to make it up the stairs. Another common problem is that you can’t make the turn once you are at the top of the stairs so you have to stand it upright when you’re at the top and "press" it until you get around the corner.

Another difficult furniture item to move is an item you may not always expect--couches. They can be very tricky, especially with stairs and narrow doorways/tight corners. The best way to carry a couch threw a narrow doorway is to put the back of the couch up so you can get the best angle through the door. Also standing the couch upright and pulling out the bottom works if the couch is too tall to turn threw the doorway. Just make sure you go very slow and don’t rush it. One tip to make the couch a little bit smaller is to take off the legs. That seems to help alot. If the task seems unbearable to you and you want to avoid risk of injury or damages, call Iowa Moving 1 to leverage our moving labor expertise for your next Des Moines or Central Iowa move.

Not sure how to pack up your kitchen?

03/05/2012 22:43:00

Iowa Moving 1 has customers in the Des Moines area that frequently inquire about how to pack certain items in a kitchen. Hopefully this information will be helpful for your future move. If you want to reduce the likelihood of damages to your personal items you might want to take a few minutes to read this.

The most difficult thing in a house to pack is the kitchen. This is what has the highest risk of being damaged during transit. If you pack a dish barrel box (a double-walled sturdy box made for kitchen items) correctly you should be able to drop it and nothing should break in the moving box. First, you want to crush up packing paper into balls that are placed in the bottom of the box to provide cushion. What you want to start out with is plates. You wrap them up in paper and use about 3 pieces every time. Do this twice and you should have each plate well protected. Then when you put them in the box you want to stand them upright. I know that this may sound incorrect to what you may think, but the most common mistake by our customers is that they stack them flat in the box. Placing the plates upright will actually strengthen them. So make a layer of plates and then after that make another layer of crushed up paper on top of that. Then any bowls you have place standing up on top of the plates. Make sure to wrap the bowls up well since they are not as strong as the plates. You can also mix in cups with the bowls. When wrapping the cups make sure to put lots of packing paper in the center of the cups also to help strengthen them. Finally, once the box is nearly full place another layer of crushed up paper on top of the items and then tape the box shut. Use three pieces of tape to hold the box shut securely.

If you follow all of these steps you shouldn’t have any problems packing up your kitchen just like a professional moving company. Just make sure to use plenty of paper when doing this. Too much paper never hurts. If you don't have the time or expertise, let the Iowa Moving 1 movers handle the packing labor for a stress-free experience.

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What to do about long distance moving?

02/07/2012 17:25:00

Everyone’s first thought when they have to move to another state is that they need a full service traditional moving company with a truck. However, there is an alternative option. Iowa Moving 1 provides an unique, affordable moving labor solution that can save you up to 40% off of full service moving companies. Here are some options to consider:
1.       Get a rental truck (such as U-haul, Penske, or Budget) and our experienced movers can help load it for you. We also can assist you in finding unloading help as well at the destination.
2.       You don’t want to drive a truck? No problem, you can get a POD portable storage container or ABF ReloCube that you can store your furniture and other items in until you’re ready to unload them at your new location. Iowa Moving 1 can provide the moving labor and expertise to help you load the POD/ReloCube.
3.       If a POD or a ReloCube is too small for what you have. Another option is going with ABF U-Pack Trailer which provides a moving trailer and a driver for you. Many of our customers have gone with this instead of a rental truck since they don’t want to drive that far with the rental truck.
4.       If these are not the options that you are looking for and you really want that full service company. Then we do have full service companies that you can go through and we can still come out and provide the loading labor. These companies provide the truck and loading/unloading labor. Everything you need at a flat rate.your post here.

Ways to Reduce Damages During Your Move

11/28/2011 12:19:00

Moving is a stressful event. Use some of these moving tips to help reduce the risk of damages during your move:

- Use professional furniture pads (moving blankets) to wrap your furniture items in. Most moving labor companies sell these or you can also rent these from most rental truck agencies as well. The exact amount of furniture pads needed varies based on the items that are needing moved, but in general about 2 to 3 dozen pads for a middle size rental truck and 3 to 4 dozen for a 26ft rental truck. If the pads are smaller than 72" x 80", you will probably need to add a couple dozen more pads.

- Use tie-downs such as ratchet tie-down straps to help secure items within the rental truck, trailer or portable storage container. This will help avoid the chance of your items shifting while in transit to your destination. Ratchets are the preferred tie-down mechanism, but sometimes rope can be used as well (just not quite as sturdy).

- Use mattress bags for mattresses to help avoid rips, moisture and dust from getting on your mattress.

- Dis-assemble bed frames, desks, tables, exercise equipment, etc. and wrap these items individually in furniture pads. The disassembly will help reduce the risk of damages and also provide more space in the moving truck for loading as it can be difficult to stack on certain awkward items.

Iowa Moving 1 can provide the moving expertise to help with the difficult loading for your next move in Des Moines or Central Iowa. We sell a variety of moving supplies such as furniture pads, ratchet tie-downs, shrink wrap, mattress bags, specialty boxes, etc to help reduce the risk of damages on your next move.

Is Moving Labor in Des Moines an Option For My Move?

11/07/2010 19:34:00

Iowa Moving 1 offers an innovative alternative to what once were your only options; hiring a large moving company for a huge price or doing it yourself!

Now you can hire moving labor to help with your move. Hire our movers to do the heavy lifting and tedious packing that you don't have time or energy to do.

"You rent the truck. We do the work." Our local, skilled moving labor is available to help you load or unload your rental truck, POD storage container or trailer.

Whether moving from Des Moines to Ames or Ankeny or Waukee to Urbandale or Johnston, Iowa Moving 1 provides moving help all across Central Iowa.

Services Offered:

We load or unload your rental moving truck, POD or ABF Trailer
Packing and moving supplies (boxes, packing paper, furniture pads, etc.)
In-house furniture moves (for example, moving a couch to the basement)
Residential or commercial office moves

Why choose Iowa Moving 1?

Insured
Affordable rates up to 40% off full service moving companies
Flexible scheduling available 7 days a week

Our movers are dependable, friendly and fast.

Please call 515-975-2840 to schedule your move today!