Taking the stress out of moving with furniture
Packing for a house move means boxing up your belongings, from books and clothes to bedding and dishes. It's furniture, however, that can pose the biggest challenge. Large, heavy and sometimes awkward, your tables, chairs and bookcases need a little extra preparation when you're packing to move. These tips can take some of the hassle out of packing up your furniture as you prepare to move house.
Decide what you need
If you're moving a long distance, it may actually be more efficient to get rid of some of your old furniture. Inexpensive items like flat-pack bookcases may wind up costing more to ship than they're really worth. In this case, it may be wise to simply sell or give away some of these items and pick up new ones when you arrive at your new home. Decide what you need and take the opportunity to get rid of furniture you're not going to use.
Take it apart
As far as possible, you should take multi-part furniture items to pieces before moving. Unscrew table legs and remove shelves, drawers or doors from other pieces. These joints are among the most vulnerable parts of the furniture during the moving process. Keep screws, pegs and other small objects in resealable plastic bags; if possible, tape them to the piece of furniture they correspond to.
Wrap it up
Wrap tabletops and other surfaces that might be vulnerable to scratching in soft padding. Your removalists may be able to offer you special furniture pads; alternatively, wrap your furniture in spare blankets. You can keep the blanket tightly packed around the item by wrapping it in stretchy plastic film. Wrap smaller items such as loose shelves together to keep them organised.
Pack tools as well
When you get to your new home, you'll need to put your furniture back together, which will be easier if you know where the relevant tools are. Pack a tool kit and keep it close to the furniture you'll need it for. If you're putting items in storage over the period of the move, you should keep your tool kit with them. You'll have everything you need to reassemble your furniture close to hand.
Moving furniture can pose some unique challenges, especially when you're dealing with older or fragile items. If you have any concerns, the best thing to do is consult your removalist. Qualified removal firms have extensive experience dealing with different types of furniture and will be able to advise you on the best strategies for packing and preparing them.