You are relocating to another city, state or country and you have a long list of “to do’s” and may be wondering what your scheduled mover won’t or can’t move for you among some of your belongings. You don’t want to find out what your mover can’t take on the day of your move. It’s stressful enough to move and you don’t want a surprise when scheduled to be on the road.

Combustible chemicals
What personal items movers won’t move for you? Potentially dangerous chemicals include some of the following:
• Bleach
• Ammonia
• Corrosives
• Nail polish remover
• Propane tanks
• Aerosols
• Paint
• Gasoline
• Lighter fluid, kerosene
• Charcoal
• Other chemicals

Hazardous materials create too many variables in the moving process. Combustible items are simply too dangerous to transport in a moving van or truck. Luckily, most of these are household items that can be easily replaced when you arrive at your new home.

Pets/plants
• Pets – Movers simply will not move pets no matter how well-behaved they are or the type of pet carrier as well. Moving vans can get extremely hot or cold depending upon the weather. Too many variables that could go wrong, plus, it’s better to have your furry friend with you anyway.
• Plants – Did you know there are laws against moving certain plants to specific distances? Transporting plants may mean introducing such invaders to your new state. Because of laws like these, moving companies generally won’t move your plants across state lines especially to different countries. Even if they were allowed to move them, plants could soil or die in transit, potentially damaging your other personal belongings.

Other
• Perishable foods
• fireworks
• Explosives
• Ammunition

This might seem pretty obvious, but you would be surprised at what some people try to move including fireworks and other explosive items. Anything that puts your movers or your other belongings in danger definitely cannot be shipped.
It’s important to check your movers’ policy on food. Some moving companies will not ship any kind of food, while others just won’t ship the perishable items. Anything that can soil in transit should definitely not be shipped. In addition to potentially damaging the other belongings that you shipped, food like this can attract insects, which both you and your movers definitely want to avoid.

Valuables
• Cash
• Financial and personal documents
• Jewelry
• Checkbooks, credit cards
• Prescriptions, medicine

Even if your mover doesn’t have a policy against moving personal items, I would highly recommend keeping these items with you as you move especially family pictures and other belongings with high sentimental value. Keep in mind as a general rule, if any of your belongings are irreplaceable, keep them with you during your move don’t ship it.

If you are ever unsure on what can and cannot be moved, don’t hesitate to ask your mover. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more information about what items you can’t ship and items we recommend not to move.
Safe moving!
Cesar Castro is one of the owners at Rainier Overseas Movers Inc. He can be reached at mailto:cesar@rainieros.comcom or you can call him 800-426-9928. Please visit their website at https://www.rainieros.com/