You’ve done your due diligence with planning and scheduling your upcoming move, and now you’re ready to begin packing. But before you start wrapping and boxing your belongings, you should make sure you understand what items are allowed or restricted.
Moving companies that are dedicated to ensuring a seamless move experience — like Mayflower — will provide you with an important checklist of items movers will not move. Keep in mind that moving companies’ restricted items may vary from mover to mover, so it’s a good idea to strategize about what to do with those items before you begin to pack.
These items are likely to be found in your garage or with your household cleaning supplies, while others may be scattered throughout your house. Some items may seem obvious like gasoline and loaded guns, but others are not so blatant, such as nail polish remover and indoor plants.
Many people are surprised to find out that a smart move experience begins with the packing phase — and oftentimes, that’s with you — the customer. That’s why we’ve put together this list of Mayflower’s restricted items to ensure your packing process is efficient and hassle-free.
Moving Hazardous and Flammable Materials
Mayflower encourages you to read the information below prior to packing so that you can separate these prohibited items from the rest of your belongings. If you have questions about a particular item, please reach out to your Mayflower Move Coordinator for clarification.
Mayflower will not transport hazardous items, including explosives, flammable gases and toxic substances. Keep in mind that these hazardous items must be disposed of properly to comply with federal, state and local laws and to protect the environment. Contact your city or county for where to dispose of these items:
- Aerosol cans
- Ammonia
- Ammunition
- Car batteries
- Charcoal and lighter fluid
- Charged scuba tanks
- Chemistry sets
- Cleaning solvents
- Darkroom chemicals
- Fertilizer
- Fire extinguishers
- Fireworks
- Fuels/oils
- Household batteries
- Kerosene
- Liquid bleach
- Loaded guns
- Matches
- Nail polish and remover
- Paint thinners
- Paints/varnishes
- Pesticides
- Poisons
- Pool chemicals
- Propane tanks
- Sterno fuel
- Weed killer
Moving Tip: You may find you no longer need these materials or consider replacing these items once you’ve moved into your new house.
Moving Perishable Items
In most cases, Mayflower cannot transport perishable items. Exceptions may be made if your move is less than 150 miles and items will be delivered within 24 hours of loading with no in-transit servicing. These exceptions are made at Mayflower’s sole discretion and require the permitted perishable items to be properly packed. Here’s a list of perishables that Mayflower may not be allowed to move:
- Food without adequate preservation
- Frozen food
- Open or half-used foods
- Plants (indoor and outdoor)
- Produce
- Refrigerated foods
Moving Tip: You should empty your refrigerators and freezers and keep appliance doors open for at least 24 hours in advance of loading. This will allow appliances to dry out and prevent the growth of mold.
Moving Personal or Sentimental Items
Lastly, Mayflower recommends that you keep sentimental or personally important items with you
at all times during the move. These are things that you’ll either need with you or that can’t be replaced because of their intense emotional connection or level of personal importance. Valuables in this category may include, but are not limited to:
- Car titles
- Cash
- Cell phones
- Computer data files/backups
- Family photographs and albums
- Financial documents
- Insurance policies
- Jewelry and furs
- Keys (car, furniture, new home)
- Laptop computers/personal electronic devices
- Medical/dental records
- New home documents
- Passports
- Personal documents
- Pets
- Prescription medicine
- Professional files/research projects
- School records
The information provided summarizes prohibited items under Mayflower. Complete rules are included in the Mayflower tariff.