Moving in Summer Heat: How to Protect Your Family, Your Crew, and Your Belongings

Why moving in summer heat takes extra planning

Summer is when most people want to move. School is out, the days are long, and many leases turn over. It is also when a moving day is hardest on people and on belongings.

Two things change when you are moving in hot weather:

• The calendar is tighter. Movers book up earlier in summer, so the start time you want may be gone if you wait
• Heat slows everything down. People need more breaks, doors stand open, and some items cannot ride in a hot truck at all

Plan on at least 1 to 2 weeks of notice for a local move and 3 to 4 weeks for a long-distance move, and add to that in summer. Our guide on how far ahead to book movers breaks it down by season.

Best time of day to move in summer

The best time of day to move in summer is as early as your mover and your building allow. Temperatures usually climb through the morning and peak in the afternoon, so an early start puts the heaviest lifting in the coolest hours.

• Ask for the first start time of the day when you book
• Be fully packed the night before so loading starts the minute the crew arrives
• Have the largest furniture and the upstairs rooms loaded first, while it is still cool
• If you are moving yourself, load early, rest through the afternoon, and unload in the evening
• Choose a mid-week, mid-month date if you can. Those days are easier to get in peak season

Check the forecast a few days out. If a heat advisory is posted for your moving day, call your mover and talk about the start time.

Get both homes ready for a hot moving day

• Keep the power on at both addresses. Schedule utilities so the electricity is still on at the old home and already on at the new one. Without it there is no air conditioning, no fans, and no refrigerator
• Cool the house ahead of time. Run the air conditioning before the crew arrives. With doors propped open it will not keep up, so start cool
• Set up fans near the main door and on the stairs
• Keep one room closed and cool as a break room for your family and the crew
• Clear a short, shaded path. Reserve the closest parking spot for the truck so every trip is as short as possible
• Stock a cooler. Water and ice for everyone, plus a few sports drinks and light snacks

What not to pack in a hot moving truck

The cargo area of a moving truck is not air-conditioned. On a sunny day it can get hotter inside than the air outside, and on a long-distance move your shipment may be on the truck for days. Sort out what not to pack in a hot moving truck before the crew arrives.

See the full list of what movers will not move. For furniture, artwork, and instruments that are sensitive to heat, tell your mover when you ask for a quote so they can be loaded last and unloaded first.

Heat exhaustion while moving: prevention and warning signs

Carrying boxes up and down stairs in the heat is hard physical work, and heat exhaustion while moving is a real risk for anyone who is not used to it.

• Start drinking water before you start lifting, and keep drinking all day. Do not wait until you are thirsty
• Take a break in the shade or the cool room on a schedule, not only when you feel bad
• Wear light, loose clothing, a hat, sunscreen, and closed-toe shoes with grip
• Eat light meals and skip alcohol until the truck is empty
• Wear gloves. Metal ramps, door handles, and truck surfaces get hot in direct sun

The CDC lists heavy sweating, cold and clammy skin, dizziness, headache, nausea, muscle cramps, and tiredness or weakness among the signs of heat exhaustion. If anyone shows them, stop, move the person somewhere cool, loosen tight clothing, and have them sip water. Confusion, passing out, or hot, red skin can mean heat stroke, which the CDC treats as a medical emergency: call 911 right away, cool the person down, and do not give them anything to drink. If you have a heart condition or another health concern, ask your doctor before doing heavy lifting in the heat.

Keep kids, older relatives, and pets out of the heat

Children, older adults, and animals handle heat worse than healthy adults do, and an open house full of movers is no place for them anyway.

• Arrange for kids and pets to spend the day with a friend, a relative, or a sitter in an air-conditioned home
• If pets must stay, keep them in a closed, cool room with water and a sign on the door
• Never leave a child or a pet in a parked car, even for a quick trip back inside
• Transport pets in the air-conditioned car, not in the truck

More in our guides to moving with kids and moving with dogs and cats.

Summer moving tips for working with your crew

A professional crew works in summer heat every week and knows how to pace a hot day. A few things from you make the job faster and safer:

• Have everything boxed and ready. Local moves are typically billed hourly, and time spent waiting on packing is time spent in the heat
• Point out the cool room, the cooler, and a bathroom the crew can use
• Expect short water breaks. They keep the pace steady through the afternoon
• Keep the path clear and the doors propped so nobody stands holding furniture in the sun

If you would rather not carry anything in July, hiring movers is the simplest of all summer moving tips. Allpoints handles the packing, the furniture disassembly, the loading, and the unloading, or just the labor if you have rented your own truck. Request a free quote and ask for a morning start.

Hot weather moving day checklist

1. Confirm the start time and check the forecast the day before
2. Confirm the power is on at both homes
3. Cool the house and set out fans early in the morning
4. Fill the cooler and set up the break room
5. Load heat-sensitive items, medications, and electronics into your own car last, so they spend the least time parked
6. Send kids and pets to their sitter before the truck arrives
7. At the new home, turn on the air conditioning and plug in the refrigerator first
8. Unpack the heat-sensitive boxes as soon as you arrive

The full moving checklist covers the weeks before the move.