Safeload Coverage
Editor’s Note: Moving Help® is not suggesting or recommending you specifically hire a Service Provider who gave advice on what movers won’t move for this article. Customers are responsible for researching, reviewing, and selecting their own providers.
The best part of hiring movers is they get to load and unload all your belongings. You don’t have to worry about heavy lifting, exhaustion, or time consumption. With that said, movers won’t move every single item for you. What will movers not move?
This Moving Help guide will discuss 10 items most movers aren’t likely to move. We’ll also discuss what to do with these items that moving companies won’t or can’t move. Plus, you’ll get quotes from Service Providers who are on the Moving Help Marketplace.
10 Items Movers Won’t Move
Moving companies and movers might refuse to move certain items for a variety of reasons. These reasons could include:
- Liability
- Safety
- Legal restrictions
- Not enough helpers
- Don’t have the proper equipment to safely move an item
No matter the reason, it’s best to know this ahead of time, so you can make a plan ahead of time instead of planning on the fly.
Editor’s Note: Answers were copy edited for clarity, brevity, style, and conciseness.
1. Guns
Most Service Providers won’t move guns. Providers can still move gun safes and safes in general, which they’ll offer as a service on the Moving Help Marketplace. They just won’t move the actual guns themselves.
“One of the biggest things we refuse to move is guns,” said Brad Crothers, owner of Crothers Brothers Moving, LLC. “The reason being is because we don’t know whether they’re unloaded and prepped correctly.”
2. Excessively Large Marble Tables
Extremely large or awkward angled belongings will always be a challenge. Large marble tables will be tough to move mainly because of their weight. The marble’s high density makes it difficult to move in general.
Marble tables can weigh anywhere from 400 to 1,000 pounds.
While they’re willing to move marble tables, Nick Lamb, owner of Lamb’s Moving, wouldn’t mind not moving a giant, heavy marble table during their jobs for the day.
3. Propane Tanks or Gas Cans
Obviously, anything involving gas is going to be a no as far as moving those items from the get-go. In fact, you can’t put gasoline in the back of a U-Haul truck rental. You should only move propane tanks and gas cans after carefully emptying them.
Even then, you’ll still need to be extremely cautious when handling propane tanks and gas cans.
“We have to strongly recommend to customers that they shouldn’t move propane tanks or gas cans,” said Steve Witzke, owner of Cowboy Movers.
4. Unboxed Flat Screen TVs
You should never move a flat screen TV — or any TV for that matter — unboxed and by itself with zero protection. TVs are valuable and can damage easily. That’s why U-Haul offers TV moving boxes for customers.
Unboxed flat screen TVs are a no-go, said Arturo Hill, owner of Smoove Move #Review Based.
5. Unboxed Items
Most moving labor Service Providers also won’t want to move unboxed items. Unboxed items pose several problems. They can easily break or get lost when moving. Movers also don’t want to pack them when they were hired for loading or unloading because then it becomes a liability issue.
You should find a way to box your items. Of course, you can’t box up a mattress, but you can put a mattress cover on it. You also can pack your silverware and dishes into a dish saver packing kit with moving box rather than leaving it out.
Again, Hill’s team won’t want to move anything unboxed.
6. Fireworks or Explosives
Like propane tanks and gas cans, fireworks are items movers won’t move. Moving companies also won’t move anything that’s explosive. These items are hazards and pose safety risks. If you need to move these items, you’ll need to find another way to move them.
When working as a Service Provider before joining the Moving Help team, Moving Helper Business Development Coordinator Daniel Romero refused to load U-Haul truck rentals with fireworks.
“Fireworks pose a serious risk of ignition, explosion, or fire during transport, which endangers the customer’s belongings, and everyone involved,” he said.
7. Lawnmowers/Chainsaw
It’s not the lawnmower or the chainsaw itself as to why movers won’t move them. Most of these tools require fuel, and it’s the gas in those tools that causes problems. If you empty the fuel, most moving labor Service Providers will move those tools.
“If they’re taking yard tools such as lawnmowers or chainsaws, we advise them to drain the fuel,” Witzke said.
8. Dressers With Mirror Attached
A dresser with a mirror attached isn’t the problem as far as size, weight, or the shape of the item. A moving labor provider will be more likely to move a dresser with a mirror attached after the customer has detached the mirror from the dresser.
This way, the moving labor team can move the dresser. Then, the moving labor crew can move the mirror separately.
“Detaching the mirror is the only way to move it safely without damage,” Romero said.
9. Moving 800+ Pound Gun Safes With Stairs
Not every Service Provider would decline to move a safe that weighs more than 800 pounds between stairs, but not every Service Provider will accept this job either.
Moving a heavy gun safe is already a difficult task, and when you add stairs, it makes the job more complicated. Before your Moving Helpers arrive, make sure you verify ahead of time that they’re capable of moving your safe.
“I once had a customer who wanted an 800-pound safe move to the second-floor master bedroom,” Romero said. “We had six, strong helpers flip this safe to the middle landing, make the turn, and flip it again. This was by far the most risky and dangerous thing my crew and I have ever done.”
It’s recommended hiring someone who has specialized equipment for moving safes upstairs, Romero said. The equipment is expensive, and most providers on the Marketplace aren’t equipped for a dangerous task, he said.
10. Uncrated Stained Glass
Stained glass is extremely fragile. It also can break rather quickly. You need to take many precautions when handling stained glass. That’s why it should be packed carefully with plenty of protection surrounding the entire surface.
It’ll be hard to get a provider to handle any stained glass that is unprotected.
“I wouldn’t move large stained-glass pieces unless they were in a crate sturdy enough to hold the heavy glass,” Romero said.
When figuring out the answer to the question “What will movers not move?” this list provides 10 examples for you and your upcoming move.
What to Do With Items Movers Won’t Move
What to do with the items your Service Provider won’t move? You can sell, discard, or donate them. If you throw belongings away, you’ll want to make sure you do it responsibly and correctly.
Some items might pose a liability issue for moving companies, but those same items could be fine to move in your personal car.
Please be safe and responsible when moving your belongings.
What Will Movers Not Move
While movers will move nearly everything, some items can’t be moved for a variety of reasons. Safety and liability most likely being the top reasons when moving companies decline to move something for you.
If your movers can’t move something for you, make sure you have a plan on how to handle those belongings yourself.
Looking for top moving help talent? Then, find your perfect moving labor team on the Moving Help Marketplace today. Moving Help connects customers with local labor providers. Customers can find help at an affordable price that fits their needs and budget.
