How To Move Cities Safely During Coronavirus
Say what you will about COVID-19, but I’m sure most of us have noticed the growing trend of people moving out of cities. I am one of those people.
In January 2020 I sat down in a hotel in Egypt and wrote out my goals for the next 2 years and one of them was to move out of my expensive apartment, save money and start my journey towards homeownership. My rent in San Francisco was so exorbitant that I could barely afford to pay it each month. It ate up every dime I had, but I chose to keep paying it because I loved the city and my job required us to come into work everyday. Now that we’re 5 months into the pandemic with no end in sight, a lot of companies have started to create a permanent WFA (work from anywhere) policy. With this policy instituted, people are packing up their belongings, getting out of their expensive leases and tiny apartments and heading to larger, greener pastures. After 4 wonderful years in SF, I packed everything up and drove from SF to LA to be with my family. Between the cost savings and having family around, this has been the best decision of 2020 for me.
After 14 moves, I consider myself a moving PRO, but this time was different, because I have never moved during a pandemic. Safety is KEY and I had to re-think my usual moving hacks, so I wanted to put together a list of tips on how to move safely in the time of Corona.
If you’re thinking about downsizing, moving to be closer to family, purchasing a home (because rates are LOW LOW LOW), then I hope this post helps you on your journey into the next chapter of your life.
Find movers: If your friends are like mine, they will not help you move, so skip the awkward text and download Task Rabbit and find highly rated movers to help out. Hire one and ask if they have a trusted friend that can come help at the same rate. Moving Hack: It’ll save you fees on the backend of the app by only hiring 1 person through the app. Two movers are better than one, trust me, your back will thank you!
Pack everything up in advance: Don’t wait until the last minute because you’ll need to be fast and effective while the movers are there. Plus we’re being safe so have all of your items already boxed, taped and ready to go! If you’re even more on top of it, move the boxes towards the front door to minimize time indoors with strangers.
Set a 3-4 hour moving time limit: Depending on how much stuff you have, set a 3-4 hour time limit to ensure that you’re all working against the same clock and not wasting time hanging about. Less time around strangers during Covid, the better.
Require gloves and a mask: That’s right, require that all movers wear a mask and gloves the entire time! I know it sounds strict, but we’ve got to stay safe!
Have a bottle of hand sanitizer around just in case! After everyone is done moving, sanitize those hands and wash up.
Leave a towel or paper towels behind: so you can wash your hands once everything is said and done. Even if you’re wearing gloves, you can never be too safe.
Sanitize the Uhaul: When you pick up your Uhaul don’t forget to wipe down all surfaces roll the windows down while you’re moving, to get some air flow into that shared truck. Don’t forget to clean it back up when you drop it off - it’ll be a nice surprise for the next user.
Once you’re settled into your new place, clean everything off: That means wipe down surfaces of tables, lamps, and wash your clothes. It’s an extra step, but again, let’s be safe!
These are the steps I took during my move and I felt safe the whole time. Hope this helps everyone with their moves.
Also I’m not a doctor or scientist, so please please please be safe, listen to the CDC and know that my recommendations are not the final word on anything Covid related.
Let me know if the comments if you’ve taken the moving leap!