7 DIY Moving Tips for Preventing Damage
Heavy furniture, steep steps, bulky appliances, narrow doorways, and valuable breakables. When you're faced with moving all your possessions out of one home and into another, it doesn’t take much to cause costly damage. Without the proper moving preparation, you not only put your precious belongings at risk for damage, you could also put scratches on floors, gouges in wall paint, and dings in narrow doorways. Or worse yet, you could injure yourself. Pack away these DIY moving tips to ensure minimal damage the next time you move.
1. Shield your Floor
Whether your moving items over hardwood, tile, linoleum, laminate, or carpet flooring - start by obtaining floor covers. Not only do they prevent scratches and tears, they also protect against dirt and heavy foot traffic. In addition, floor coverings for moving protect you by creating a non-slip surface.
2. Protect Doors and Doorways
Doorways take a beating during move-out and move-in - especially your front door. Everything you own will need to go through it. And if you've moved before, you know the struggle of maneuvering a couch or dining table through a narrow doorway. Protect all your doorways with a door jamb protector and cover doors in a quilted door cover for quick and easy protection.
3. Take Proper Precaution with Breakables
Nothing is worse than going through all the work of packing and moving, only to unpack and find that your dishes are broken, pictures are bent, and mirrors are cracked. To ensure your most delicate items arrive in your new home the same way they left your old one, make use of the proper supplies. Start by wrapping breakables in plenty of packing paper. Use a double wall dish box and dish partition kit to ensure dishes stay properly positioned during the move. Remove bulbs before packing lamps and consider using a specially designed lamp box.
4. Construct and Pack Boxes Smarter
All boxes are not created equal. Without a strong and properly constructed box, all your items could end up on the sidewalk. Construct your boxes with plenty of quality packing tape to avoid broken boxes and extra work. Tape the center seam twice and tape once along the bottom edges where the flaps fold in. The tape should extend four to six inches up the side of the box. To avoid overpacking boxes, it's best to pack heavy items in smaller boxes and lighter items in larger boxes.5. Protect your Furniture
Move, load, drive, unload, move. Moving day presents plenty of opportunities to ding your new washing machine or put dirt all over your white mattress. Wrap your expensive furniture in moving blankets and moving pads to shield against scratches, scuffs, and dents. To ensure they stay put during transport, consider putting stretch-wrap around the blankets, or use pre-shaped furniture protectors for a perfect fit around love seats, refrigerators, and more. If precipitation is in the forecast, plastic furniture covers will ensure everything stays dry.
6. Take the Pressure off Yourself
The average king size mattress weighs about 150 pounds. The average front load washing machine? 225 pounds. Moving all this is not only a lot of work, it's potentially dangerous. But you don’t need to be an Ironman Champion if you have the proper moving tools. Moving straps take pressure off your arms and back and allow for better control and maneuverability. If you use a hand truck or moving dolly, you can simply push and pull many items into your new home.
7. Load Smart and Secure Cargo
Take the time to load your boxes and furniture in a safe and smart manner. This means loading larger and heavier items first to avoid crushing. No matter how far you're moving, you're probably going to run into some bumps, potholes, and sudden stops. Secure any items that could shift around or blow away with bungee cords or tie-down straps. Below is an example of what not to do.