Plan ahead for a sick kid, cold weather, personal injury, MIA movers and rain. During the week leading up to your move, watch the weather reports and if there’s any possible indication of rain, even in sunny skies, over prepare. Better to be safe than sorry — it’s a cliche for a reason. Use these helpful tips for moving in to ensure your stuff is protected and to save you time and money later on.

Make a list ahead of time with the items and locations that need to be protected and leave space in the budget for supplies.

Florida residents: Because you know it’ll rain on your moving day right around 4 PM, always prep ahead. While the downpour often lasts only a few minutes, the streets can remain damp for hours.

Protect Your Furniture & Electronics

Keep your fabric-covered and untreated furniture dry with plastic slipcovers, tarps and tape. Same goes for electronics, sports equipment and musical instruments. Bubble wrap is another solution to keep your most precious items water-free and safe from damage. It can get slippery though, so be sure the items are handled with extra care — Affix “FRAGILE” stickers as a reminder. If you can get your hands on a mattress bag or two for your beds, do so. If not, wrap in two plastic drop cloths and tape them up.

Cover the truck bottom with a tarp so water doesn’t pool on the floor if moving yourself.

Protect Your Carpets

It don’t matter if you rent an apartment in Richmond or just sold your home in St. Louis, the carpets should be protected from sludge, dirt and rain. Not only do you want to protect the inside carpets from dirty shoes but you’ll want to have a clean path from the truck to the door. Movers.com advises you to lay down an inexpensive runner carpet in lieu of slippery plastic sheets for traction and protection. Find used carpets at Goodwill locations.

To cover your interior flooring from a rainy day, use resin paper, cardboard or fabric — again, safer than plastic, which can prove, slippery when wet. Hold the material you choose with painters tape for stability.

Protect Your Boxed Belongings

While it would be nice to sit back and trust that your movers (whether professional, family or friends) will handle each box like a baby, it’s unlikely considering the weather conditions. They’re human, and a wet cardboard box can easily lose its rigid structure. Pair the two and your belongings could be accidentally dropped and fall right through the damp box or break inside.

Protect Your Movers

Torrential downpours won’t stop your movers. Be sure you’re looking out for them by offering towels to dry off and if it’s a cold rain, offer them some hot tea or coffee. Oh, and always provide water.

Move Safely

If you happen to be moving yourself, garden gloves will help grip boxes and large items. Boots will help prevent a fall. Drive extra cautiously and take precaution at turns and signals. Drive slowly and allow maximum stopping distance. There’s no use protecting your things from the rain if you end up damaging them by poorly driving.

Once you arrive at your new home, thoroughly check your items for signs of any damage (water or property), so you’re able to address them right away with the moving company and/or insurance company. The more steps you take to prepare for anything, the smoother the move.