The crew arrives, walks the house with you, and somewhere near the garage the foreman points at a shelf and says those stay. It happens on most moves. There is a short list of things a moving truck should never carry, and nearly all of it lives in the garage, under the kitchen sink, or in the freezer.
Short answer: Movers will not load anything that can leak, ignite, spoil, or die in a closed trailer: propane, gasoline, pool and spa chemicals, open paint and solvents, aerosols, fireworks, ammunition, and car batteries; food that needs a fridge; live plants on a long haul; and pets. They also should not carry your cash, passports, medication, or house keys. Those ride in your own car, where you can reach them the moment you need them.
The garage is where most of it hides
Start with the propane tank on the grill. A tank that reads empty still holds vapor, and a trailer parked in the sun in Santee or El Cajon gets hotter inside than the air outside. The same goes for the gas in the mower and the red can next to it, the half-used paint and thinner, spray cans of anything, and the chlorine and muriatic acid for the pool or spa. A car battery that tips over leaks acid onto whatever is under it, and on a truck something is always under it.
Fireworks and ammunition are on the list for the obvious reason. Less obvious: a mover's insurance excludes damage caused by hazardous goods, so if a leaking jug of pool shock eats through a wardrobe box, the claim goes nowhere. If you booked packing services, the packers will set this pile aside as they go, but they will not haul it away. The rest of the prep is in what to do before movers arrive.
- Propane cylinders, including the small camp-stove ones
- Gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, charcoal starter
- Pool and spa chemicals
- Open paint, stain, thinner, solvents
- Aerosols of any kind
- Fireworks and ammunition
- Car, boat, and golf cart batteries
The fridge, the freezer, and the Point Loma fish
A moving truck has no power. Whatever is cold when it goes in is warm when it comes out, and a local move still means hours in a metal box. Empty the fridge, defrost the freezer a day ahead, and wipe it dry so it does not drip on the mattress strapped in front of it.
The chest freezer full of yellowtail from a Point Loma charter comes up more often than you would think. Across town it goes in coolers in your car. Out of state it gets eaten or given away.
Pantry food is a judgment call. Sealed dry goods can go on a local truck. Open bags of flour and rice attract pests, and most long-distance crews decline food altogether, because two days in a trailer crossing the desert does nothing good for it. Stop grocery shopping two weeks out, cook what you have, and hand the rest to a neighbor or a food pantry.
Plants do not travel well
Houseplants are allowed on a local truck and still a bad idea. A trailer in August heat cooks a fiddle-leaf fig in an afternoon, and a pot that tips in transit dumps soil across the load. Put them on the floor of your back seat instead and water them the night before.
On a long-distance move the problem gets bigger. Several states inspect plants at the border and will refuse or quarantine them, and most interstate movers will not take them at all. If the plant matters to you, it rides in the car with you and you check the rules for the state you are entering before you leave. If it does not, give it to the neighbor who always admired it.
Pets
No crew will put an animal on the truck. Moving day is loud and the front door stays open for hours. Cats in particular vanish into open wardrobe boxes and turn up two neighborhoods away. Shut the cat in a bathroom with food, water, the litter box, and a sign on the door, or board them for the day. Dogs do better at a friend's house than underfoot on a stair carry.
Leaving the state, the pet goes in your car or on a flight you book yourself. Airlines have summer heat rules for animals traveling as cargo, so check those before you pick a date.
What the crew should not carry for you
Cash, passports, birth certificates, the escrow file, car titles, prescription medication, jewelry, and every key to the new place go in your own car. The reason is dull and practical. Coverage on a moving truck is calculated by weight, and a folder of passports weighs almost nothing, so a lost folder pays out almost nothing. Medication you cannot reach at the new house at nine at night is a bigger problem than any broken lamp. And the truck may arrive before you do, so keep the keys in your pocket.
Pack one bag the way you would for a weekend away and keep it on the front seat. If you are still working out a packing order for everything else, start with what to pack first.
Where it all goes instead
San Diego County runs a household hazardous waste program for exactly this pile. Residents can drop off propane cylinders, paint, solvents, pool chemicals, gasoline, and batteries at collection sites around the county, and several cities run their own. Ask about fireworks and ammunition when you call, since not every site takes them. Look up the current details for your address, since they change, and keep everything upright in the trunk.
A few items have easier exits. Trade the propane tank in at the exchange cage outside the grocery store or hand it to a neighbor with a grill. Run the mower dry over the last two weekends and pour the gas can into your car. Sealed paint in good condition can be donated, and many paint stores in California take back leftover paint through the state's take-back program.
Everything else, the aerosols and the mystery jugs of yellowed solvent, goes to the drop-off. Do not leave it in the garage for the buyers. They will call, and the call will not be friendly.
Request a free estimate through our estimate form and mention the garage; we will walk it with you.
Common questions
Can movers take my grill if I take the propane tank off?
Yes. The grill itself is fine once the tank is disconnected and gone. Clean the grates, let it cool fully, and tape the lid shut. Take the tank to a propane exchange or the county's household hazardous waste drop-off, or give it to a neighbor. Do not leave it attached and hope nobody notices; the crew checks.
What happens to the food in my fridge on moving day?
The crew will not load an open fridge or anything that needs to stay cold. Use it up over the last two weeks, put what remains in coolers in your own car for a local move, and give away the rest. Defrost the freezer the day before and wipe it dry so it does not drip inside the truck.
Can I move my houseplants to another state?
Some states inspect plants at the border and refuse or quarantine them, and most interstate movers will not carry plants at all. If a plant matters to you, drive it yourself and check the rules for the state you are entering before you leave. Otherwise, give it away in San Diego, where it will do better anyway.
Where do I get rid of old paint and pool chemicals in San Diego?
San Diego County runs a household hazardous waste program with drop-off sites for paint, solvents, pool chemicals, gasoline, propane, and batteries, and some cities run their own. Look up the current site and rules for your address, since they change, and transport the items upright in your trunk. Never put them in the trash bin.
Planning a move in San Diego?
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