Susan Melony
Moving can be stressful, especially when it comes to packing furniture. You want to make sure everything arrives safely without damage. You can get your furniture custom-packed to ensure extra protection, but if you’re packing it yourself, there are important steps to follow. Here’s what to keep in mind when packing furniture for a move.
Do’s When Packing Furniture for Moving
Plan and Prepare Ahead of Time
It’s important to plan and prepare before moving heavy furniture to ensure a smooth process. Develop a comprehensive moving strategy showing furniture positioning for your new home or the desired setup in your existing space.
Take precise measurements of doorways and passageways, including staircases, just to ensure your furniture moves through them easily. You should also gather essential tools, including dollies, straps, and moving blankets. Doing so makes the moving process easier.
Create an Inventory
Furniture is very expensive, and any misplacement or damage during relocation creates additional financial strain on your family. Therefore, you want to be as careful as possible when moving your furniture.
Start by creating a detailed inventory for each piece of furniture and outline essential information like type, weight, size, and location. Only create an inventory once you have completed selling or donating furniture that you won’t need at your new residence. It quickens and simplifies your packing process.
Use Proper Lifting Techniques
To prevent injuries during heavy furniture movement, you must use proper lifting techniques. Lift with your legs, not your back, and position the furniture near your body to maintain stability. You should also lift without twisting or turning to protect your back from strain. If the furniture is too heavy, you should use a dolly or ask for help.
Dismantle When Necessary
Furniture items that cannot fit through pathways, doors, stairs, and hallways in one piece need to be disassembled before packing to ensure easier movement. Capture images and videos of multi-part furniture to ensure you can reassemble it properly once you reach your new home.
Clean and Treat Furniture
Failure to clean and treat wooden furniture before packing can lead to dust and dirt contamination, as well as damage from moisture, grime, and pests. Therefore, you should inspect your furniture pieces to ensure they are clean and pest-free. This prevents structural damage during storage and keeps your new home pest-free.
Protect Your Furniture
When moving, you should protect your furniture to avoid scratches and other types of damage, like dents and rips. Use moving blankets or bubble wrap to cover the furniture pieces before moving. These materials protect items from scratches and impacts.
You should also secure your furniture during transportation using straps or ropes to prevent them from moving or falling. Detach parts like drawers and knobs before the move, and store them separately to avoid damage.
Inspect for Damage After the Move
Perform a thorough inspection of your furniture pieces to identify any potential damage before and after moving them. Look for scratches or dents that might have happened during transportation.
Should you discover any problems, record and report them to your moving service provider or insurance agent when necessary. Documenting how your furniture looks before and after moving can provide essential evidence for insurance claims when necessary.
Don’ts When Packing Furniture for Moving
Overload Yourself
When moving heavy furniture, you should avoid lifting too much weight at once, as you can get injured. If the furniture exceeds your lifting capacity, ask for help from friends or family members. You could also hire professional movers to do the heavy lifting.
Pack Before Gathering Everything You Need
Don’t pack your belongings until you have all the necessary moving aids. These include bubble wraps, masking tapes, and moving boxes. You could also ask friends and family for old blankets or towels. Having all the resources available allows you to take all the necessary steps to protect your furniture in transit.
Pack Furniture That’s Too Old
Avoid moving furniture items that are either too old or damaged or will no longer serve their purpose in your new home. Moving furniture you no longer need will only clutter your new space and cause unnecessary financial strain on your budget.
Use Low-Quality Packing Supplies
When moving furniture items, it’s essential to use high-quality packing materials. Purchasing top-quality moving blankets and bubble/foam wraps, as well as having a good supply of packing tape and plastic wrap, helps prevent difficulties in the packing process.
Use Bubble Wrap Directly
Avoid placing bubble wrap or packing tape directly on delicate furniture surfaces because they can damage the fine finish. Instead, you should use soft packing paper first as an initial protective layer, followed by a second layer of bubble wrap or moving blankets.
Rush the Packing Process
Wrapping and securing furniture takes time and requires the right techniques. That’s why you shouldn’t rush the process or rely solely on an item’s sturdiness to ensure it arrives at your new home undamaged. You must dedicate your time and energy to ensure that all parts are covered and protected.
Drag or Slide Furniture
Moving furniture by dragging or sliding damages the flooring and the furniture itself. To safely move furniture across the floor, you should either lift it or use sliders. You should also protect your carpet from damage by placing a plywood sheet or large cardboard underneath when moving furniture across it.
Forget to Measure Doorways and Hallways
Ensure your furniture can pass through doors, hallways, and stairways before your scheduled moving day. This prevents unexpected difficulties in securing your furniture. Large furniture pieces should be dismantled so you can easily move them through doorways and hallways.
Pack Smart for a Safe Move
Packing furniture the right way can save you time, money, and stress. If you want extra protection, you can get your furniture custom-packed for a safer move. But if you choose the DIY route, follow these do’s and don’ts to ensure your furniture arrives at your new home in perfect condition.
Sources
https://www.gominis.com/blog/2023/june/the-dos-and-donts-of-moving-heavy-furniture/
https://moving.tips/packing-tips/dos-and-donts-when-packing-furniture-for-moving/
https://www.betterremovalistsbrisbane.com.au/dos-and-donts-when-packing-furniture-for-moving/
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