Since the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19, many things have not been the same. Moving home has always been a stressful time but with the added fear of transmission, it has become necessary to do things differently. You still need to move but also need to keep safe. Van drivers and removal companies are doing things differently to keep your family and themselves safe.

We spoke to several of our van operators about their experiences and what they are doing to make the situation as safe as possible. We would like to share these with you so you can implement them into your move, whoever you use. Needless to say, masks and gloves are recommended for use by everyone who will be touching your belongings. We also do not recommend under any circumstances travelling in the van with the driver.

Clear Rooms.  Before the current situation usually family members would muck in and help loading the van. Boxes would be passed to the person loading who would arrange them in the van in the safest and most secure manor. This is now discouraged. Removal men are now looking for a clear way.

Basically, make everything that is to be moved obvious, and let them do it themselves. Put stickers on furniture that needs to be moved and move all bags and boxes into an obvious position. Leave the house and let them work away. This leads to less contact and a safer move.

At the unloading end do not stand over the movers and direct them as may have been commonplace before. Assign the rooms numerically with signs and put the number on the boxes beforehand to relate to where it is to go. The same can be done for the furniture. When everything is unloaded let the removal men leave and have a walk around. It anything is incorrect or needs replacement let them enter again and complete the job.

The Driveway Load.  This is a very safe way to move and one that is encouraged more and more to reduce infection transmission. It is however weather permitting. Everything that needs to be moved is brought out to the driveway and the removal company never has to enter the house. They load and unload to the driveway or close to the front door. The removal men do not enter the house/apartment and do the loading themselves in a secure manor. A good removal company should contact you when they are on route or perhaps an hour away. This will give you time to get everything to the driveway and ready to load.

 Self-Loading. This is by far the safest way to use a removal company. They arrive with their removal van and open their doors and let you and your family load the van. The van is driven to its destination and unloaded by yourself and family members. There is no contact with people outside your bubble and nothing has been touched.

These three variations are now commonplace for removal companies and prices go down depending on how much work you put in. A self-load move can cost less than the traditional methods. Not all methods work for everyone. Elderly or unable people simply can’t do the Driveway or Self load, but we strongly recommend one of the above because of the times we are in.

Payment methods have changed. Try if possible, to arrange a credit transfer or use apps such as Revolut, Stripe, and PayPal. Cash if necessary, in an envelope.

It is everybody’s responsibility to make things as safe as possible. Talk to your chosen van company about your concerns and ask them about the above methods of moving.

At vanquotes.ie we send a feedback email that can be shared by future customers who use your chosen removal company. Please let us know how they performed and if the move was done in a safe way. This will help others make up their mind.

Vanquotes.ie is an Irish success story, now operating for over 10 years and has over 1000 registered removal companies. They have vans of all sizes and can cater for small and large moves. They operate in the domestic and international markets.