Why Don’t our Movers Wear Booties?

We’ve had customers ask us why we don’t require our movers to wear booties when they walk through new homes. We figured it’s time to address this concern and explain our policy on booties.

Aren’t Booties for Babies?

Booties are slip-on fabric covers that go over the movers’ shoes. At first, booties probably sound like a good idea since they protect your new carpet and floors from dirt and outside contamination. But if you think about the logistics of booties, they aren’t the most practical option.

Where Did the Idea Come From?

When customers ask us why we aren’t wearing booties, they’re probably thinking of plumbers or cable men who often slip on booties over their shoes while they’re on service calls. But people in these occupations bring their own tools and equipment for the job and make one trip inside the house and one trip out.

What Would Happen if our Movers DID Wear Booties?

Movers, on the other hand, make hundreds of trips back and forth. When they arrive at your new location, they would have to grab some boxes from the truck, stop at the front door, put on booties, walk inside and distribute the boxes, walk to the door, take the booties off, walk to the truck … and on and on and on. They’d probably take about 30 seconds each trip to put on and take off the booties, and multiplied by a few hours, those seconds would rapidly add up. If you’re paying by the hour (the most common practice among moving companies), you might find the cost staggering once the job is completed.

Some customers suggest our movers bring several pieces to the entryway, then put on booties and distribute accordingly. The procedure still adds time to the overall cost, but additional problems include overcrowding, disorganization, and mismanagement. For example, if they pile boxes haphazardly in the foyer, they may not be able to coordinate where each box belongs. We have a streamlined process in place to keep your move as orderly as possible, but we’d have to completely revamp the process and make it more complicated.

Booties are Dangerous!

Most importantly, our movers have to carry heavy, awkward furniture up stairs, sometimes backwards, to get everything distributed properly. Booties can severely reduce traction and make the process extremely dangerous for the movers.

What’s Our Solution?

Instead of booties, we advocate for a carpet shield for carpet and stairways, a more economical (and safer!) option. Pads taped down over hard floors can be a huge help as well. Our movers can easily wipe their shoes off before entering rooms. We want to protect your new home as much as possible, but we also want to protect our movers, and we find this solution to do both!

Call 585-288-8000 if you have any further concerns and we’d be happy to chat!