As if moving wasn’t worrisome enough, did you recognize that there are several items your movers cannot put on the moving truck?
When you choose a moving company, they should provide you a list of the articles that they can't haul to your new house in Colorado Springs. They are not trying to make your life crazier, they're heeding the U.S. Department of Transportation statute (49 CFR 100-185) which defines hazardous materials that are not okay to put on a truck. There are a few items on the list of non-transportables that aren't hazardous, but that won't tolerate being on a moving van and the moving company will not transport.
Since you are a rational law-abiding individual, it has most likely never occurred to you that you're actually storing dangerous explosives wherever you keep your cleaning supplies. You have possibly peered around the garage and thought about your lawn mower going on the moving truck, but there are lots of other items that are considered dangerous and you will need to be in charge of moving out of the property.
Anything with chemicals is a definite moving no-no. This is because chemicals have a terrible tendency of doing bad things if they're blended with different chemicals, which can quickly occur in a moving van. A ground rule is that if you cannot throw the item in your standard trash for collection, it cannot be boxed up and put on a truck. So not only must you deplete the gas tanks on any lawn equipment (mowers, leaf blowers, weed whackers, etc), either use any fertilizers and grass seed or give it to your neighbors—a little Miracle-gro and a little leaking gasoline could have a disastrous product. And guess what—any losses will be your responsibility because you were told what not to load on the truck. It is not the moving company's job to check all your boxes for contraband, so make sure that any hazardous items-including old paint, batteries, aerosol cans, charcoal, and paint thinner—are NOT packed for the trucks. The ideal thing to do is take these items to your local hazardous waste drop-off facility or give them away to someone who can use them.
What about your houseplants? Food? Your cat? Believe it or not, a couple people have asked that their pets be moved on the truck—the answer is no. That the moving company cannot transport your plants could be a little more unanticipated. Out-of-state moves create a problem because some states are sensitive to foreign vegetation coming in, and you do not want to accidentlly bring pests to either the moving van or your new home. If plants are being transported more than 150 miles you may need to get a special license to move them—so if you're the person who brought in canker worms or aphids, your new state of residence can locate you. As for food items in your pantry, only box up unopened, non-perishable stuff with a long shelf life. Or, donate your unopened canned goods, cereals, and cookies to a local food bank, and begin anew at your new house. Toss out anything perishable or open, unless you're going to pack up coolers and transport them yourself.
Even though your valuables are not hazardous goods or likely to start an ash borer invasion, most moving companies are unwilling to transport jewelry, cash, stock certificates and other valuable items. The risks of being lost are too big, take them along with you in a carry on, or place them with other valuable documents.
Other stuff you may not realize is hazardous—nail polish, cleaning supplies, liquid bleach, fire extinguishers—are also not approved to be transported on the moving truck. Again, anything chemical or flammable is not allowed on a moving van, so be ahead of the game and dispose of or pack those items by themselves. The simpliest option is to properly dispose of these items and purchase everything new after you've moved, so you'll have brand new cleaning supplies and bleach to go with your brand-new home.
