Moving Day Nightmares: The Items Professional Movers Refuse to Touch and Your Alternatives
Planning a move involves countless decisions, but one crucial aspect many homeowners overlook is understanding what items professional movers simply won’t transport. There are some items movers can not transport due to health and safety regulations. The main reason movers won’t move these items is for safety. Whether you’re relocating across town or across the country, knowing these restrictions ahead of time can save you from last-minute stress and unexpected complications.
Why Do Professional Movers Have Restrictions?
Professional moving companies don’t create these restrictions arbitrarily. The main reason movers won’t move these items is for safety. You must understand that safety is the most important factor when moving items. Some of those items that movers can’t move are also illegal to move, so it’s not only about moving companies being too cautious – it’s also about professional moving companies abiding by the law. Additionally, there are many complex regulations around moving items within and across states. Since moving across states involves following different state and federal laws, companies must refuse some things to ensure they remain compliant and safe with those interstate moving regulations.
Top 10 Items Professional Movers Won’t Transport
1. Hazardous Materials and Chemicals
Mayflower will not transport hazardous items, including explosives, flammable gases and toxic substances. This includes common household items like paint, gasoline, propane tanks, and cleaning supplies. Household cleaning products contain many harmful chemicals. Moving companies usually refuse to take household cleaning products to avoid spills or hazards.
2. Perishable Food Items
Moving vans weren’t designed to store perishable food, as it can go bad during a long journey. So, unless you’re moving a short distance and can transport it yourself, toss out anything that needs to be frozen or refrigerated. However, movers will accept non-perishable food: spices, pasta, rice, cereals, dried fruit, canned soup, etc.
3. Live Plants
While some movers accept plants, many restrict them due to potential damage or pest concerns. Plants are fragile and highly sensitive to changing environments — moving can stress them out and even kill them. Additionally, plants often harbor insects and diseases, which can attack crops and wildlife when released into a new environment.
4. Pets and Live Animals
Moving companies don’t transport live animals due to their specific care needs and potential stress during a move. For obvious reasons, pets don’t do well in moving vans. There’s no fresh air and the cargo section isn’t insulated, which means it’s often too hot or too cold. It’s also dark and there’s no way to check on them once the van is underway. In the interest of their comfort and safety therefore, pets need to travel with their owners or with a professional pet mover.
5. Ammunition and Loaded Firearms
Movers will not transport ammunition, so have a backup plan if you need to transport ammunition. While despite the fact that ammo is always prohibited, many movers will transport unloaded guns, moving firearms and ammunition varies by location and regulations but generally requires specific arrangements and compliance with local laws.
6. Prescription Medications and Medical Equipment
Prescription medications should be carried personally to ensure you have access to them during the move. You or a family member rely on medical equipment like oxygen tanks or dialysis machines, which moving companies often won’t handle due to safety concerns.
7. Valuable Items and Important Documents
The risk might outweigh the convenience. While not strictly prohibited, it’s often recommended that you handle these items personally. This way, you have immediate access to important documents like passports or medical records when you arrive at your new home. Plus, you’ll know your cherished items are safe and sound.
8. Alcoholic Beverages
Liquor laws vary significantly between states. Some don’t care how much you bring in for personal consumption, while others do. Liquor bottles are also fragile and can easily break unless packaged properly. Transporting alcohol long distance poses other problems as well. Moving vans aren’t climate controlled. Extreme heat or cold can damage your wine and spirits, rendering it undrinkable.
9. Wax Candles
Wax candles may melt in the hot moving truck, leaving a waxy mess all over the vehicle and other items. This might seem surprising, but some items may seem obvious like gasoline and loaded guns, but others are not so blatant, such as wax candles and indoor plants.
10. Scuba Tanks and Pressurized Containers
In a collision, there’s no way movers can be certain aerosol cans, scuba tanks, or fire extinguishers won’t rupture, even if your belongings have been secured. A hard turn or unexpected bump can cause items to shift and possibly cause a puncture as well. It doesn’t matter if you’ve emptied your scuba and propane tanks; movers won’t touch them.
What to Do Instead: Practical Solutions
Hazardous Materials
When moving your home, it’s a good time to rid your garage of certain household chemicals and hazardous materials. Check your neighborhood hazardous material dump days and take the items you don’t need there. If you are moving long-distance, it’s best to get rid of all your household chemicals and buy new ones at the new location.
Local Transportation
For short-distance moves, if you are moving locally, you can transport any needed items in your own car. DO NOT transport these items in your car in closed boxes. If you must transport them yourself, keep the box lids open and in a secure location in your car and drive safely.
Specialized Services
For items like motorcycles or specialty equipment, use a specialized motorcycle shipping service that can handle the logistics of moving your bike. They have the proper equipment and expertise to ensure your motorcycle arrives safely.
Working with Professional Moving Companies
When choosing a moving company, it’s essential to work with professionals who understand these regulations and can guide you through the process. Companies like Safe Hands Relocations, a family-owned and veteran-led company based in Florida, exemplify the type of professional service you should seek. Unlike moving brokers, we are the actual moving carrier, so you can work directly with the company handling your move, cutting out the middleman. Our dedication to providing excellent moving services is key, and all of our movers are professionally trained, background-checked, and randomly drug-tested.
Safe Hands Relocations operates with principles of integrity, discipline, and exceptional service, the company has gained a strong reputation for reliability and professionalism. By combining military precision with a family-driven commitment to care, Safe Hands Relocation ensures that every move—whether residential or commercial—is handled with the highest level of efficiency and attention to detail. Whether you need a moving company gotha residents can trust or services anywhere across the lower 48 states, working with experienced professionals ensures your move goes smoothly while staying compliant with all regulations.
Preparing for Your Move
Don’t forget to ask your mover for their full list of moving companies restricted items. Request that list as early in your preparation as possible to avoid losing precious time later on, especially when you’re forced to re-pack some of the boxes. A good rule of thumb when wondering if an item can be moved or not is: if it can’t be thrown away in the normal trash or recycling, movers likely won’t move it.
Remember that moving companies’ restricted items may vary from mover to mover, so it’s a good idea to strategize about what to do with those items before you begin to pack. Planning ahead and understanding these restrictions will help ensure your moving day goes smoothly, without any last-minute surprises or complications.
By knowing what items professional movers won’t transport and having alternative plans in place, you can focus on what matters most: settling into your new home safely and efficiently.