Preparing furniture for moving

Moving to a new home can be a stressful and time-consuming process, but proper preparation can take some of the difficulty out of it.  Part of that preparation includes preparing your furniture in advance to reduce the risk of damage and to make the moving process go more smoothly.

Take it apart

Wherever possible, disassemble furniture. Removing legs, shelves and drawers will make furniture easier to move and store. If you have screws, pegs, brackets or other small parts, put them in a plastic bag and clearly mark it with the piece of furniture it came from. You could even tape the bag to the main part of the item so that it doesn't get lost. If you don't want to pack the contents of each individual drawer, a quick and easy way to keep track of them is to put the entire drawer, together with its contents, into a large plastic bag such as a bin bag. 

Pad and protect

Vulnerable pieces of furniture such as tabletops are at risk of getting scratched during transportation. To prevent this, you'll want to protect them with furniture pads. A removals company may be able to provide padded covers for tabletops and other items; alternatively, you can use blankets as pads, holding them in place with stretchy plastic film. For smaller items, a large sheet of bubble wrap makes a good protector. Plastic bags or sheets will help keep fabric and upholstery from being smudged during moving. 

Plan your access

Preparing to move can leave your home filled with suitcases and packing boxes. While unavoidable, these can really get in the way of moving larger items such as beds or bookcases. Before you start your move, make sure that you've cleared paths through these obstructions for your furniture removalists to take these items safely out of the house. Heavy furniture will probably be loaded into the moving van before anything else; proper planning will mean that you don't have to shift a large number of boxes on moving day. Make a quick list of the order in which you're going to load your furniture to help you organise the move. 

Moving your furniture is one of the most demanding parts of moving house, but with the correct level of preparation, it doesn't need to be stressful. Spending a little time getting ready will save you a lot of time on moving day itself. 

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