Packing comes first
Much of a moving day can be settled earlier, at the kitchen table, with tape and a marker. A household that is packed, labeled and listed leaves a crew less to guess about, and it gives you a record to check against at the other end. This plan starts with the boxes and brings a mover in once you know what is actually going.
Supplies before the first box
- Sturdy boxes in a few sizes: small ones for books and anything heavy, larger ones for bedding, pillows and lampshades.
- Packing tape with a dispenser, and thick markers in two colors.
- Plain packing paper for dishes and glasses, in place of newspaper.
- Old towels and blankets for padding.
- Small zip bags for screws, bolts and shelf pins.
- Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes, if you want them; ask movers whether they sell or lend them.
A packing order, room by room
Work from the rooms you use least toward the ones you use every day:
- Storage spaces first: the attic, the back of each closet, the shed or the garage shelves.
- Then the guest room, the bookshelves and the holiday decorations.
- Then the living room and the dining room, leaving out only what you still use.
- The kitchen near the end, keeping back a few plates, cups and one pan.
- Bathrooms and bedrooms last, mostly on the final night.
Packing in this order can keep the house livable while the stacks grow.
Number every box and keep a list
Give each box a number, the name of the room it is headed for and a few words about its contents. Write the same three things on a list, on paper or in your phone. A numbered list lets you count boxes as they leave and again as they arrive, and it makes any one carton easy to describe. Mark a handful as "open first": the coffee maker, towels, sheets, a few tools and the kids' favorite things.
Wrapping what can break
- Give every plate and glass its own sheet of paper, and set plates in the box on their edges.
- Fill the gaps with crumpled paper so nothing slides when the box is lifted.
- Keep boxes of breakables light enough to carry without strain.
- Write "fragile" and an arrow pointing up on more than one side.
- Photograph screens, artwork and furniture with fine finishes before they are wrapped.
Taking furniture apart
Bed frames, table legs, shelving and desks may travel better in pieces. Ask each mover whether its crew takes furniture apart and puts it back together, and whether that is priced on its own line. If you do it yourself, photograph each piece before you start, as a guide for later. Drop its hardware into a bag, label the bag and tape it to the largest part.
Items to keep out of the boxes
Ask each mover for its list of items it will not carry, and set those aside early so you can decide how each will leave the house. Pack a separate bag for your own car with documents, medicines, chargers, keys, glasses and anything you could not replace.
What the Louisiana Public Service Commission says
La. R.S. 45:164.E requires all intrastate movers of household goods to secure a common carrier certificate from the Louisiana Public Service Commission prior to engaging in any activities related to moving household goods.
The LPSC says moving household goods from one location within Louisiana to another is regulated by the LPSC, that the mover retained should be registered and in good standing with the LPSC, and that customers have the right to a written estimate from their household goods mover under the LPSC's General Order dated July 12, 2013.
When you call movers, put the same question to each one: "Does this move call for a Louisiana Public Service Commission common carrier certificate, and if so, what is your certificate number?" Write down the answer, the date and the name of the person who gave it.
Bringing the mover in
Once most of the packing is done, or you know exactly what is left, invite each company to look over your belongings in person or by video. Show it the stacks, the numbered list and the furniture still standing. Ask about the crew size, the truck, any packing the crew would still do, and what the company pays if something is broken or lost. Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation as well.
Where Shreveport's water comes from
Cross Lake is the primary source of Shreveport's water; during dry periods, Cross Lake is supplemented with water pumped from Twelve Mile Bayou.
A short history of the parish seat
Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company; in 1838 Caddo Parish was carved out of Natchitoches Parish and Shreve Town became the parish seat, and Shreveport remains the parish seat of Caddo Parish.
The last night before the truck
- Pack the bathroom and the bedding, leaving out what you need for the morning.
- Bag the hardware from any bed taken apart, and tape the bag in place.
- Roll up loose rugs and move wall hangings off the path to the door.
- Set the "open first" boxes by the front door so they go on the truck last.
- Put your numbered list and the certificate answers in the bag that rides with you.
- Charge your phone; it holds your photos and the company's number.