If you've hired a residential moving company and are ready to pack, you might not feel comfortable hanging off your boxes, bins, bags, and belongings to a mover without cleaning everything first. Before your move date arrives, take a look at some sanitization and cleaning questions concerns.

Do You Need to Sanitize Everything?

In a perfect world, you'd give the movers completely clean and germ-free containers to transport into their truck. But that rarely (if ever) happens. Residential movers are realistic about what their customers pack. An experienced mover has seen it all and knows how to handle less-than-clean boxes or bins.

Even though the mover may know safe handling techniques (to reduce their risks), you should make an effort to clean and sanitize what you can. Wipe down plastic bins with disinfectant and use new boxes and bags.

Do You Need to Clean Everything?

Disinfection or sanitization and cleaning aren't the same. If you want to kill surface germs, you need to disinfect the item(s) with a chemical product. In comparison, cleaning allows you to remove dirt and debris. While cleaning may reduce the number of germs on a surface, it won't completely eliminate viral or bacterial particles.

Clean the bulk of your belongings before the movers arrive. While this won't make your boxes and bins germ-free, it will reduce the risk of accidentally transporting dust, debris, or pests.

Along with bins and boxes, clean furniture or over-sized items—especially appliances. A dirty refrigerator can bring mold, food debris, or insect invaders into the moving truck or to your new home. A simple soap and water solution can clean gunk and grime from most appliances and hard surfaces. Vacuum upholstered furniture or hire a professional cleaner to remove stains and spots.

What Else Can You Do Have a Clean Move?

Now that you've sanitized, disinfected, and cleaned as much as you can, it's time to move on to the next step: moving. To make the process a cleaner one for everyone involved:

• Pack a cleaning bag. Take a few key cleaning supplies with you in the car. Include disinfectant spray, sanitizing wipes, paper towels, and cleaning gloves. You can use these during the move and when you arrive at your new home.
• Leave a package of wipes out. Did you already turn off the water in your old home? Leave a pack of wipes out for the movers to wash their hands without water.
• Offer hand sanitizer. If wipes seem messy, leave a bottle of hand sanitizer out for the movers.

From your pre-move disinfection routine to the products you bring with and the ones you leave behind, you can make the process a clean one for the residential movers, yourself, and your family. Contact residential movers to learn more.