White Glove Moving: A Full Breakdown
At moveBuddha, we understand that every move is different. For some moves, you’ll need a little extra care and attention for your belongings. That’s where white glove moving services come in. These companies provide services that most full-service movers don’t — including packaging priceless art, antiques, and your prized wine collection.
Plus, they can do all the cleaning, picture hanging, and appliance connections. These luxury services are ideal for movers that want to ensure valuable items are well-taken care of. It’s also a great choice for people who want to do very little of the actual moving themselves.
Here, we’ll go over the services offered by white glove moving companies. Wondering how much a move like this will cost? Get a quick estimate for your white glove move using our moving cost calculator.
What is white glove moving?
White glove moving is an elite moving service where professional movers go above and beyond what regular full-service movers offer. They provide extra care and attention when moving your belongings, especially high-end and fragile items.
Here’s what we will look at in this article:
Full-Service vs. White Glove Movers
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Not all moving companies are the same.
In fact, they range from one-truck outfits run by ex-cons to Fortune 500 companies that provide executive-level relocation services to multinational corporations. When it comes to finding the best moving companies to make your move, you need to evaluate what’s important to you. If you have high-end items or valuable pieces that require extra care — or you want a truly stress-free moving experience — you’ll likely want to work with a luxury moving company.
Many full-service movers offer their customers white-glove service. But truth be told, the term is little more than a catchy buzz phrase that’s so overused, it’s lost all meaning.
Here, we’ll show you the difference between traditional full-service movers and true white glove movers and what their services entail.
Services offered by White Glove Moving Companies
White glove movers offer all the same services as professional movers, plus more. White glove movers generally tailor their services to corporate transferees, busy professionals, and the well-heeled — likely from places like New York City or, rather, “NYC” or New Jersey!
Essentially, these companies take great care during the moving process to ensure you don’t have to lift a finger and have peace of mind, even if you’re moving priceless pieces that require the utmost care.
Here are a few of the most popular white glove moving company offerings:
1. Cleaning
Yes, you read that correctly.
White glove movers will send experienced and professionally trained crews to clean your old home after you’ve moved out and to your new one before you move in.
Few things make moving day a bigger drag than moving into your new home, only to discover that the previous homeowner has left behind toilet brushes and drains clogged with hair and soap scum.
White glove movers will ensure you leave your last place spotless and move into a gleaming new spot.
2. Disconnecting and reconnecting home entertainment centers
These days you don’t need to be a high-roller to have a complex, high-end home entertainment system.
And for all but the most tech-savvy homeowners, they’re a real pain in the neck to disconnect and reconnect.
Thankfully, white glove movers have expert staff that can help.
They’ll generally go the extra mile and schedule the crew to be at your home the day before the move date. This way, your long distance moving company can disconnect the system and have it packed and ready to go when the movers arrive — hassle free!
Plan on having them scheduled to arrive at your new home to reconnect your system the day after your furniture is delivered.
3. Rearranging furniture
Full-service movers will put your furniture exactly where you tell them to. But they’ll usually only move it once.
After they’ve left, you may realize that you want a different layout. If you’ve hired a white glove moving crew, just dial teh customer service phone number and ask them to send a moving team to help get things exactly where you want them.
Two men will usually suffice, depending on the size of your home and the items that need to be moved. You’ll probably be charged by the hour, so you can keep them as long as you like.
4. Picture hanging
For customers who’d rather not hoist awkward pictures and put hammer holes in their new walls, picture hanging service can be a godsend.
But you’ll need to have your furniture in perfect condition, and exactly where you want it first, so you’ll know what wall space is available. Then just tell the crew where each piece goes.
They’ll center it, secure it with professional-grade hardware, and leave your home looking like an interior designer furnished it.
5. Servicing home gyms
Ever tried to assemble or disassemble a home gym on your own? One with hundreds of parts, tons of heavy weights, and more nuts and bolts than a bulldozer?
It’s not easy.
But fear not, because white glove movers will happily provide home gym assembly and disassembly services.
6. Packing, storage services, and handling priceless art, wine collections, and valuable antiques
Not everyone has an original Van Gogh hanging in their parlor or a bottle of cabernet from the French Revolution in their wine cellar.
But many families have items of extraordinary value, and some of them are irreplaceable or fragile items. Therefore, they need exceptional white glove moving & storage.
Specialty movers and those offering legitimate white-glove services are becoming more prevalent these days. But they’re not all as experienced as they claim to be.
If your move includes any of the items listed above, you’ll want to spend ample time researching the movers that you’re considering:
- Read customer reviews whenever possible. Our Better Moves Project features detailed reviews from real-life customers that makes choosing a mover easier.
- Check if the company is registered with the US DOT (Department of Transportation)
- Request a free quote
- Check on the quality of their packing services
- Always ask for personal recommendations from friends and family first
- And once you’ve compiled a list of prospects, check them out through the Better Business Bureau
- If you’re moving a lot of antiques, check out our guide on hiring the best antique movers.
Many legit white glove movers handle high-profile relocations for sports stars, art collectors, museums and galleries, and local celebrities. If so, they’ll usually reference them on their website.
If they’ve successfully handled tricky moves for discerning customers, chances are they’ll be able to pull yours off, too, on the day of the move, for an in-state, out-of-state move, or International move.
You can check the best international moving companies here.
Services offered by Full-Service Moving Companies
If you know something about moving, you’re probably aware that most moving companies offer similar services.
Full-service movers pride themselves on doing everything they can for their customers. And they list them in bold letters on their websites and sales brochures.
- Things like packing and unpacking by their packers, with their packing materials!
- Crating and uncrating fragile and oversized specialty items.
- Disassembling and reassembling beds, cribs, and tables.
- Covering floors and doorways to prevent home damage during your move.
These services are popular and add lots of value for harried customers, but nearly every moving company will do them without batting an eye.
What makes white glove movers so special is that they provide a range of additional services that regular movers don’t.
If your belongings need extra care and attention, be sure to get quotes from white glove moving services rather than full-service movers.
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