30 Things People Wish They Knew Before Moving Out, As Shared By The Bored Panda Community

Bored Panda reached out to professional movers in Toronto, Canada to find out a little bit more about the process and how they work. First, we asked about what people should know before hiring movers.

"The better you prep, the better. Put everything in boxes that you can easily move by yourself. Anyone will become exhausted if they carry around too many heavy boxes. You can take your own stuff apart, but if it has any intricate mechanisms, like a crib, you should be ready to put it back together yourself. It would take a bit of time to figure out how someone took something apart and then figure out how to get it together, all on the clock."

"Ask what insurance covers, how much would be reimbursed for valuables like your TV or antiques, and how they bill, such as to the nearest hour, quarter hour, etc. because every moving company is different. When do the bills start to arrive? Or once they go from home base, where? Try searching for the business name on Yelp and the BBB. Anyone who declines to visit your home for a quote should be avoided. Many states (in the US) provide a brochure with instructions on how to get ready for a relocation and questions to ask potential movers. It's worthwhile to look into."

With all of that being said, believe it or not, the movers usually have a lot of interesting stories to share, as the spokesperson for the Toronto movers told us the weirdest story on the job.

"When I initially began years ago, I relocated an elderly woman whose daughter had hired us. I didn't notice the truck reeked of urine until approximately a quarter of the way through the move. The elderly woman was insane and had been urinating everywhere for years. Particularly the mattress was a soggy, foul mess. For the record, the experience with the rental truck taught me to refuse to take some things."

Although movers are professionals not everything goes according to a plan at times. "Believe it or not, one time a $4000 50" Plasma screen was damaged while we were trying to move it. A plasma display is different from a TV in that it is a part of a high-end entertainment system and does not include speakers. We were unable to separate it from the base and place it in one of our TV boxes for transit because the man we were moving stripped the screws on the base. It was disgusting. All of it was covered by insurance, which was so generous that his friends all hired me and joked that I could break their TVs."

Lastly, the owner of the mover's company told us about the craziest thing that happened while on the clock.

"In the city, we move uprights, but nothing bigger. Just recently, I lifted a 1400-pound crate that was 7.5 feet tall, 6 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. When the stairs were taken out of a basement for construction, we once had to press a piano up over our heads to exit. The most absurd thing that happened was probably when I had to move myself and my 12 snakes. One of my guys would not approach them in any way. It's always entertaining to try to enter and exit apartments with a dozen snakes and their housing."