Simpson
Renovating your space consumes energy, time, and money. Generally, you would move stuff out of your house. Some property owners prefer renting a storage unit. Others pack them and stack them somewhere else to provide enough space for the remodeling. The former may be more space-efficient, while the latter is likely an excellent way to save money.
In most cases, an effective fixture and furniture move are necessary. Moreover, having a comprehensive and detailed checklist can be helpful before, during, and after moving.
If you want to have a trouble-free furniture move, here’s an article that you may consider. It zeroes in on the 17-item checklist that could make your move seamless and straightforward. So, read on!
Pre-Moving
1. Hire A Professional Moving Company
Before your furniture move, you may start by searching for professional movers near me on the web. You may check the services they offer. Most of them provide the furniture removal services you’ll need for your space renovation. Generally, professional movers have the skills and experience in disassembling and unmounting furniture, especially the antique that needs utmost care.
In choosing one, you may consider hiring a professional mover who offers a vast array of services. You may ask your friends who have recently moved about what to look for in a qualified mover. You may also look into the following qualities to simplify your hunt for a mover:
• Organization: The mover should also have an operational plan from pre-moving through the day of moving.
• Punctuality: The moving teams must arrive and begin on the scheduled date and time.
• Flexibility: The movers are willing to extend help beyond what is expected from them.
• Professionalism: The movers have long years of service, licenses, and certifications.
• Talent: The moving company has the skills and expertise in handling various types of furniture.
2. Create A Budget
The budget plays a role in any furniture move. If you’re planning to move a lot of furniture, you may want to establish a cash cow first or save a considerable amount. If you have a few pieces, budget is less likely to be your problem. Either way, a fat budget could help you seek the first-rate services needed in moving your furniture.
3. Label Each Furniture
Whether you wrap it with a breathable cover or a blanket, mark each piece of furniture with labeled tape. You could also identify the fragile pieces of furniture using particular labels. In addition, you may also keep tables, chairs, and other wood pieces with wobbly parts so that you and the movers can handle them with caution.
Furthermore, you could take pictures of each to have complete details to account for all furniture. Lastly, you could keep the records and images in Dropbox or Google Drive for easy reference. That way, you could create a detailed inventory of your furniture.
4. Dispose, Keep, And Store
As part of having new looks and feels, you have the option to sell or donate your old furniture then buy a new one. On the other hand, you may also keep them. In deciding whether to sell or keep, consider the price of what to sell and what to buy. If buying new furniture is more expensive, look into the old pieces if they are worth trading away.
If you decide to keep your furniture, you could also remodel them to improve its appearance. For wooden furniture, you may consider applying sanding sealer and other compounds. It may be better for high-priced furniture and fixtures to maximize the selling to add more budget to your renovation.
At this point, you may need to decide whether to hire a storage unit or not since you may move your furniture to give way to the renovation. A storage unit could help you in keeping your stuff within a paid, particular time. Yet, you may choose not to if you could keep your furniture in your friend’s house until the remodeling.
5. Clean The Furniture
It’s necessary to clean your furniture before moving them to identify which are still in good condition and which are not. You may need to refer to the tips given by expert furniture cleaners for the best results. In addition, you need to ensure that you’ll use appropriate cleaning materials.
Hence, it’d be best if you use a fabric cleaner on the cushions and arms for upholstered furniture. For wooden furniture, you may polish them with furniture wax. For another type, vacuuming or dusting off are simple yet effective ways of getting them spotless.
6. Check Your Car
Whether you decide to ride along with the moving van or transport your stuff and furniture, you may need to check your vehicle. This way, you are sure that you have a working battery, lights, brake, and engine. You could check your tires if they could afford to carry your heavy furniture. Or replace them if needed.
In addition, you may need to see if your oil, gas, and water are at an excellent level. You could refill or do last-minute repairs if necessary. Doing these little tasks helps in ensuring that your car is ready for the move, even for the entire day.
Packing
7. Consider The Size, Weight, And Material
Packing the furniture may be the most challenging part of the move. In doing so, you may need to consider the type of furniture, according to size, weight, and material. Also, you could consider moving out the larger and heavier pieces of furniture to put in the mover’s van. To prepare for moving of big pieces of furniture, consider the following tips:
- Measure the length and width of the furniture and the doorway so you can make the necessary adjustments or look for wider exits.
- Clear all the possible ways so moving the furniture is hassle-free.
- For furniture like cabinets and tables with drawers, clear the contents inside to reduce the weight.
- Move chairs and similarly shaped furniture in an ‘L’ shape, especially in narrow spaces.
- Call a friend to help you carry tall furniture, such as shelves and cabinets. This way, you evenly distribute its weight when you move them.
- If you keep jewelry and other valuables in your furniture, you need to transfer them into different containers for safe stowed.
Also, you may need to pack first the heavy and wide-hipped furniture. You may cover the corners and edges of the large furniture with pads or pillows. That way, they’ll avoid getting damaged during the transfer. When lifting heavy furniture, refrain from twisting your body to avoid back injury. As much as possible, move in a particular direction.
8. Select The Appropriate Packing Material
Packing may be the most delicate and time-consuming task in furniture moving. What simplifies this job is the materials used to wrap and protect the furniture from bumps and falls. To pick the appropriate material, here are some of the most common options you could choose from:
- Bubble wrap: This packing material is a plastic sheet with air-filled portions or bubbles for cushioning purposes. It’s ideal for furniture with breakable parts, such as glass.
- Plastic wraps: This is suggested for upholstered furniture as this material could help prevent stains, odors, and residues.
- Furniture blankets: Whether you decide to move your furniture or leave it on your house, this blanket could help protect your furniture. Wrapping them with furniture blankets could prevent them from scrapes and dents caused by falling tools.
- Corrugated cardboard sheets: These are helpful as layering materials if you decide to stack your furniture. In addition, these sheets prevent dust and moisture.
9. Clean Your Home
In most cases, your house may be prone to dust, paper strips, and plastic waste. You need to remove all this waste before moving so that the remodeling starts as soon as possible. Apart from this, cleaning your space will keep your property spotless and well-maintained.
10. Check The Inventory
On the day before moving, check if all the pieces of furniture you’ll bring are on the list. Note if something is missing so, you’ll have enough time to look for it. At this time, you could also make last-minute decisions on what furniture to leave or bring.
11. Talk To The Mover
You may need to call the mover or their representative a day before your move. It ensures that the mover will give you direct communication when they’re trouble with the moving. You may need to provide the appropriate address, direction, and contact info. So, the movers and furniture depart and arrive timely and safely.
During Moving Day
12. Rise Early For The Move
Waking up early could provide enough time for anything you need to do for the moving day. You may start the day eating with a heavy meal and strong coffee to energize your day that’s likely to be exhausting and long. You could re-check the furniture on the move. Also, you could do eleventh-hour wrapping or cushioning if necessary.
In addition, you could fix last-minute issues, such as delayed arrival of moving companies. You could call for a replacement or wait if the time is still enough for the furniture removal. Whatever happens, keep thinking of the bright side of things and look for ways to solve problems should they occur.
13. Take Photos Of The House And Furniture
Keep the images of the house you’d leave for remodeling and the pieces of furniture. This way, you could compare what changes have happened after the moving day. In addition, the pictures of the furniture can contribute to the inventory, if ever you refer to them for identification.
14. Secure A Parking Space For The Movers
Keep a space wide enough for the vehicle that’d transport your furniture. Select a part of the road where cars could easily maneuver. Think about the elevation of the road. Although most movers have tools and equipment for moving, you may need to prepare a ladder to ease loading processes.
15. Ensure Safety
When moving, you need to ensure safety throughout the day. You may need to remove what may block the entryway. You probably know what are the best exits for the furniture due to the earlier run-through. You may also look in advance at the slippery spaces and the corners where turning furniture would be tough.
16. Give Gentle Reminders
You may need to talk to one of the movers, probably the leader, about the furniture that may need extra care. In addition, you could get their number for easy and quick communication. Also, you could suggest possible solutions to the movers, even if they’re professionals in this line of work. Since most moving companies offer a great range of services, you could make the most of them. Lastly, stick to the checklist whenever you don’t know what to do next.
17. Help In The Off-Loading
When unloading, make sure that you’re present. This way, you’ll be able to examine the furniture. Always refer to your inventory and photos prepared earlier if required. At this point, you could also look if your chairs and cabinets were transported properly and avoided dents and scrapes.
Final Thoughts
Transporting furniture is one of the most challenging types of moving. Luckily, there are reliable moving companies you could avail. Some of them even offer their services for packing the furniture. That way, you may ease up your moving preparation. You may choose the movers who share tips and tricks about packing, unpacking, and moving.
To find the best mover, you may ask your friends who’ve recently moved. Ask them about which movers are competent and time-conscious. You may also read reviews about your local movers and weigh the services they offer. Above all, think about how your expenses would match the services and packages that movers are willing to provide.
