Pro Tips for Moving in Winter in Ottawa

If you’ve ever imagined carrying a heavy sofa or appliance down an icy driveway, you’re likely already anxious about a winter move. Add in frozen steps, muddy boots, and the fear of dragging slush across your new hardwood floors. It quickly becomes apparent that a winter relocation involves challenges that simply don’t exist at any other time of the year.

Moving in winter is about far more than the cold temperatures. It’s about navigating hazards like ice, moisture, salt, and Ottawa’s unpredictable weather patterns. These are all things that can put your belongings and your safety at risk.

Protecting Your Ottawa Home in Winter Starts at the Door

One of the biggest winter moving concerns is something most people overlook: damage to the home itself. Snow, slush, and salt create slip risks and can easily ruin floors, carpets, and baseboards. Experienced, reputable movers come prepared with specific winter protocols to protect both your old place, and your new home.

Safe Surfaces and Moisture Management

Our highly trained and experienced crews place commercial-grade floor runners and heavy-duty mats at every entry point. These are not disposable drop cloths. They are designed to grip flooring securely while absorbing moisture and shielding hardwood, tile, and carpet.

We can also use tarps and plastic sheeting to help reduce heat loss if doors are remaining open during the loading process, so your furnace won’t be working overtime on moving day.

Winter moves also require careful control of moisture. We can establish a designated “boots-off zone” or use clean shoe coverings whenever working inside your home. Exposed items can be wiped down before they reach the truck so cardboard boxes don’t absorb moisture that could weaken them or cause buckling.

If you want more tips for preparing your home for a winter move, we recommend reading the Ultimate Survival Guide: Moving in the Winter.

Protecting Your Belongings During a Winter Move

Snow and moisture can be hard on your belongings, which is why the materials and methods we use matter just as much as the muscle behind the move. Our team is trained to use professional-grade packing supplies designed to keep your items safe, dry, and secure from start to finish.

Some items simply don’t tolerate the cold or sudden temperature drops. Electronics, fine wood furniture, artwork, musical instruments, and vinyl records are all vulnerable to cracking, warping, or internal damage if they’re too exposed to freezing temperatures and winter weather.

We rely on packing supplies like high-quality cartons, clean packing paper, bubble wrap, micro-foam sheets, and durable plastic wrap to create strong layers of protection against winter weather.

Winter Packing Services For Moving in Ottawa

Fully enclosed and weather-proof moving trucks: You’ll never see your belongings exposed to the elements in the back of a pickup truck! We also tightly secure your items to prevent sliding or shifting as we travel on Ottawa’s winter roads. This protection is especially critical if you are moving to the country or navigating unpaved, secondary roads.

Sensitive items: Electronics and delicate materials are wrapped with extra padding, insulated when needed, and can be kept inside as long as possible to reduce exposure time.

Cartons for fragile items: Dishes and glassware get packed in reinforced china cartons with double-strength walls and corner protection. Instead of placing them flat, we pack each piece on its side, which reduces pressure points and helps prevent cracks during transport.

Wardrobe boxes for clothing: Winter moves mean wet entryways and slushy sidewalks. Wardrobe boxes keep clothing elevated, organized, and as wrinkle-free as it is in your closet, ensuring it stays dry and protected throughout the move.

Fresh Mattress Bags: Mattresses are sealed in clean, heavy-duty plastic bags that shield them from moisture, dirt, and salt during loading and unloading.

Plastic Wrap for Upholstered Furniture: We protect sofas, chairs, and upholstered pieces with thick, commercial-grade plastic wrap. This creates a barrier against snow, grime, and road salt, keeping the fabric clean and preventing moisture damage during transport.

These proven, winter-ready packing methods help ensure your belongings stay safe, dry, and well-protected from one home to the next.

Safety First: Ottawa Movers Remove the Risk

The biggest hidden danger in a winter move is personal injury. Slippery driveways, icy steps, and frozen walkways can make the simplest tasks risky. Professional movers have training and equipment that most DIY movers don’t.

The Right Gear for the Season

Our crews carry salt and ice melt (used where permitted), along with specialized equipment, like dollies equipped with winter treads and grips. Ramps are designed for stability in cold conditions, and our trucks are outfitted with winter tires and maintained specifically for seasonal safety.

Liability Protection and Trained Professionals

Winter conditions require proper lifting techniques to stay safe on slick surfaces. Our team trains specifically for winter moves, so they know how to handle heavy items even when footing isn’t perfect.

And unlike DIY moving, YOU are fully protected. Our insurance and liability coverage means that if something is damaged due to weather conditions, you don’t bear the financial burden.

There’s no chance of you suffering any kind of strain or injury. There’s also no risk of a friend or family-member getting hurt, with you potentially being liable.

For more on why it’s worth hiring professionals instead of going solo, see The Real Cost of a DIY Move.

Let Boyd Handle Your Winter Move

Hiring professional movers in the winter is not merely a convenience, it’s a necessary layer of protection in more ways than one..

When you hire Boyd, you’re not just hiring muscle. You’re partnering with a team of winter-ready specialists who know how to protect your home, your belongings, and your peace of mind from the first snowfall to the final box.

Start your Ottawa winter move the smart way. Get your free moving quote and focus on enjoying your first warm, cozy evening in your new home. We’ll take care of the rest. From the entryway to the moving truck, to your final destination – hiring a pro is the way to go.