How to Pack Furniture for Moving
Did you know that the average American moves 11.7 times in their lives? Whether you’re moving for the 1st or 11th time, it’s always a dilemma when it comes to bringing along your furniture!
Not only do you have to disassemble and reassemble them safely and securely, but you also have to store these pieces in the right fashion. Otherwise, you’ll risk damaging them in transit.
If you need help packing your furniture, then you’re in the right place. Read on to find out how to pack furniture for moving so you can do it right!
Get the Right Supplies
Before you even touch your furniture, you’ll want to go out and get the right moving and packing materials. While you might already have some of these items for the move, you’ll need:
- Tool kit (screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, etc.)
- Packing tape
- Plastic/bubble wrap
- Markers
- Boxes
- Cardboard
- Packing paper
- Blankets or cloths
All the above will suffice for smaller furniture. If you’re planning on moving bulkier things, then you’ll want to either purchase rent equipment that’ll make things easier on you. For example, you might want to get some straps, wheels, and dollies for better maneuvering.
Disassemble Furniture
The best thing you can do before you pack and move is to disassemble your furniture. While it’ll take a lot more time and effort to do this, it’s the best way to ensure your furniture will be secure; it’ll decrease the chances of things breaking during the move.
To avoid damaging your furniture, locate the manuals and go backwards to disassemble your pieces. If you’ve thrown out your manuals, the good news is, there are many online manuals available, so just give it a search and you should be able to find the appropriate ones!
As you’re going along, place all small bits and pieces into a ziplock bag. That way, you won’t lose them on the floor. You’ll also want to slip the manual into the bag once you’re done so not only do you know which piece of furniture these pieces are for, but also how to put it back together.
And an added bonus is once you’ve moved into your new place, all the nails, screws, small pieces, and manuals for each piece of furniture will be neatly stored away. All you’ll have to do is open the bag and start reassembling them!
Pack Furniture
Once you’ve disassembled everything, it’s time to pack your furniture so they’re protected while in transit.
Here are the ways you should pack different types of furniture.
Wood Furniture
If you’re not careful, wood can get scratched up easily when moved. So you need to wrap it up, in case of any bumps along the way.
An easy way to pack your wood furniture is to throw a blanket or large cloth over the piece. Make sure everything’s covered.
Then, add plastic on top and then tape it all together. Take care not to get tape on the wood, as this will damage the surface.
Glass Items
With glass furniture, you’ll want to follow the same steps for wood furniture. Pad the piece with a blanket, put bubble wrap around it, and then tape everything together.
You’ll also want to avoid getting tape on the glass here, as it can be tough to peel off. But there’s less risk of damage here.
Corners
For some pieces of furniture, the corners might stick out. To protect these corners, you’ll want to cut out cardboard and tape them on. That way, if you accidentally run into a wall while carrying the piece in/out, it won’t get damaged.
Loading up the Truck
Packing and wrapping is just half the work; loading everything in your moving van is the other!
In general, you’ll want to put heavier things on the bottom and lighter ones on top. You should also distribute all the heavy items around the truck against the walls so not just one side of the truck has all the weight.
Try to secure as many pieces of furniture as possible with straps. Even though they might seem heavy, it’s very possible that they’ll shift in transit. If this happens, your more fragile items might get smashed up, so the best thing to do is to secure as many things as you can.
Reassemble Furniture
Once you get to your new house, it’s time to reassemble the furniture. Slowly unload the truck, unwrap all the pieces, find the corresponding plastic bags with the small pieces, and then get to work.
Consider Hiring Professionals
Depending on your pieces, your confidence in your skills, and how much time you have, you might want to say “no” to DIY. Getting professional movers in can be a better choice.
They’ll be able to do all of the above steps and move your items safely so you can have peace of mind. Because they’ve got years of experience and skills in the industry, you can trust them to pack some unusual and fragile items like pool tables, pianos, etc.
Not only can this free up some time, but it can also lessen physical strain and mental stress surrounding your upcoming move.
Know How to Pack Furniture for Moving
By now, you should have a good idea of how to disassemble, pack, and reassemble your furniture for a move. Taking the right precautions can mean all the difference in your pieces making it to your new home safe and sound.
Of course, you can always hire pro movers to do the job for you. For some people, it’s a small price to pay to ensure their treasured pieces arrive unscatched!
Now that you’ve learned how to pack furniture for moving, keep reading our blog to get more advice on how to move smoothly!
