How to Protect Your Furniture During Relocation

Whether you’re doing everything on your own or hiring cross-country movers, you want to make sure all of your furniture gets properly packed for transport when moving. From getting the right supplies to loading and unloading the truck, this guide will show you how to protect your furniture from getting damaged during transit.

Gather All the Necessary Supplies

Before you can start packing, you’ll need to get some supplies that will keep the furniture safe and intact during the long trip and later when it’s in storage. Go to the nearest hardware store and get the following:

• Moving blankets
• Bubble wrap
• Plastic stretch wrap
• Ziploc plastic bags
• Corrugated cardboard
• Packing and painter’s tape
• Labeling kit

If you’re on a budget, you can find some of these materials for free online or in local stores.

Prepare the Furniture for Packing

Before you pack anything, make sure that you’ve thoroughly cleaned and dusted all the furniture. Leaving any debris on hard surfaces can scratch them or even cause significant damage. Cleaning everything before you start packing things up will prevent you from moving any pests and grime to your new place.

You should also take some time to remove any smaller parts like knobs and handles from the furniture, as these can also get damaged pretty easily when loading the truck. Taking out drawers from the dressers will also make them much lighter to move, and you can use them to store some smaller items. Pay extra attention to wooden furniture because this type is easy to scratch so you’ll need to be extra careful.

Start Disassembling the Furniture in Advance

If this is your first time moving to a new place, you’ll see how much work there is. It’s always a good idea to think about a little help from cross country movers who know what needs to be done. It’s impractical to move most of the furniture in one piece. If you can safely disassemble any of its parts, you should do it, as it will make it a lot easier to move and load into the truck. There are a few things to keep in mind when disassembling furniture:

• Plan on dismantling the furniture at least a day before moving out, as this will leave you with a lot more time to finish the rest of your tasks.
• Use the original object’s manual to determine how to disassemble it correctly.
• Place all the screws and other furniture accessories individually in a labeled ziplock bag. This will prevent you from mixing pieces from different objects.
• If an item has many components, mark where each piece goes or use masking tape to keep them together. This will enable you to assemble the furniture correctly without breaking it.
• Lower the torque setting on your drill before you use it, as this will keep the screws from getting stripped too quickly.

Pack Your Furniture Correctly

Plastic and bubble wrap are some of the best materials that you can use to prepare your furniture for moving. Plastic wraps will keep your sofa, mattresses, and any other upholstered items safe from getting damp or scratched. If you can’t afford these materials, you can also wrap the furniture in blankets. Protect two wooden surfaces from scratches by placing a piece of cardboard between them.

Bubble wrap is the number one material for delicate, fragile objects such as mirrors. Start by taping a large X over any glass surface with painter’s tape. While this won’t keep it from breaking during transport, it will keep it from shattering and potentially damaging other things. Proceed to wrap each fragile object entirely with bubble wrap, paying close attention to corners and sharper edges. Finish it off by placing two pieces of cardboard around the item.

Have a Loading Plan in Place

Even a correctly packed object can break during transport if not properly loaded into the truck. Taking some time to plan out the loading process:

• Start by placing your heaviest boxes in the back of the truck. They need to be tightly arranged so that they don’t slip during transport.
• Place the square furniture such as desks or dressers directly against the wall of boxes. Remember to use cardboard or blankets between each furniture piece.
• If possible, place additional lightweight boxes on top of the dressers and desks.
• Mattresses should be placed on a blanket on the floor to protect them from dirt.
• Upholstered items should be secured to the hooks with rope and additionally wrapped with moving blankets.
• Plan how you’re going to unload the furniture. The longer it takes you to find the correct spot, the more likely the item will suffer some damage.

Final tips

Don’t stress too much when relocating furniture. Gather the necessary supplies, start preparing everything on time, and you shouldn’t have any problems securing your belongings for the trip. If you need any help, you can always hire some cross-country movers to assist you.

About The Author: Emma Joyce is a blogger based in Australia. She is a true home décor and DIY fanatic. Emma is interested in music and also is a big reading enthusiast. Finding new designs and patterns is her daily task.

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