Relocation isn’t an easy process, especially when you’re bringing your furniture with you. Big pieces of furniture such as wardrobes, desks, and tables pose an extra challenge for both you and any movers you hire. After all, you don’t want to end up scratching or breaking your furniture while moving.
Fortunately, there are simple yet effective ways you can do to safely transport your belongings. Aside from hiring a reliable furniture moving service, the following tips can help ensure that your items will reach their new home in one piece.
Prepare the Necessary Packing Tools
Before anything else, you need to have the right tools for packing first. These include:
- Sealable plastic bags
- Plastic stretch wrap
- Bubble wrap
- Covers for sofas and mattresses
- Corrugated cardboard sheets
Take advantage of store sales, and make sure to buy extra pieces. You can also recycle old boxes and small containers if you wish to save money and take a more sustainable approach in packing.
Disassemble Furniture
If you can dismantle a piece of furniture, do it. Not only do items such as beds and wardrobes take a lot of space, but attachments like legs and knobs may also break or get lost while moving.
With that said, do this only when it’s safe to do so. If the attachments are glued in place and cannot be safely removed, pack them as a whole. If you still have the item’s owner’s manual, use it as a reference to find out how to properly disassemble a piece.
Place Fasteners in Small Plastic Bags
Fasteners are the collective term for screws, bolts, nuts, and other small pieces that help attach parts of furniture. You can easily lose these items, so make sure to pack them in sealable bags and label them properly. Moreover, you can opt to tape them to the furniture itself, so you don’t get confused with the parts upon assembly.
Clean Furniture Before Packing
With the hustle and bustle of moving, cleaning furniture would seem like the last thing on your mind. However, taking the time to dust and wipe down your items not only avoids bringing dirt into your new home, but also saves time and energy in setting up your new living space.
Wrap the Furniture Properly
Aside from your other possessions, take the time to prep your furniture properly for moving. After disassembling big pieces of furniture, make sure to wrap different parts (e.g. table legs) with plastic wrap to protect them and keep them together. As for your sofas and mattresses, you can use special covers or moving blankets to prevent the upholstery from dirtying or tearing.
Rent a Truck with a Ramp and Tie-Downs
If you plan to move your items yourself, make sure to rent a truck with a ramp and tie-downs inside. Having a ramp will make the unloading process significantly easier for you. Meanwhile, tie-downs inside the truck help ensure that the furniture and boxes will remain in place throughout the trip. For extra measure, you can inspect the truck first before renting to confirm that everything is in working order.
Plan Your Furniture Placement in the Truck
The last thing you want upon opening the truck is finding a messy heap of dislodged boxes over your furniture. Thus, it’s crucial that you properly plan the arrangement of your items, furniture, and other possessions inside the vehicle.
Start by stashing heavy boxes in the back of the truck. This will create a fine wall that offers both protection and stability to the rest of your items. Make sure there aren’t any fragile items in these boxes.
Next, place your furniture, and utilize any available space for your other possessions. Remember to put moving blankets and cardboards between the furniture to avoid scratching and denting. As for your mattresses and upholstered items, you can opt to place a blanket or old tarpaulin on the floor to prevent them from getting dirty.
Lastly, don’t forget to use the hooks inside the truck to tie and secure your items from moving. Do this in portions throughout the vehicle as you slowly load your items.
Use Rugs, Gliders, or Cardboard to Move Furniture
Even with help, carrying heavy furniture is a difficult and dangerous task. Not only do you risk damaging the item, but you also risk hurting yourself. If you don’t have a dolly or a hand truck, place rugs, towels, or gliders underneath the legs of your furniture to help you slide it across the floor. Aside from making it easier to move, it has the added benefit of protecting your floors. This is important especially if you are planning for a long distance move or even just an interstate move.
Prepping your furniture for moving takes more time and planning, but it’s time and energy well-spent. Secure your items properly and feel assured that your furniture will settle in your new house in good shape.