Protect Your Furniture When Moving With These 5 Tips

Whether you’re moving by yourself or with the help of furniture removalists, protecting your furniture should be one of your main priorities. The last thing you want is to arrive in your new home with your expensive and heavy items all dinged up. Without proper care and precaution, your furniture could suffer from scratches and unsightly marks which can definitely ruin the experience of moving into a new space.

Thankfully, you can keep your furniture protected with just a few supplies and a couple of neat little tricks. Learn how to prepare your furniture so they are well-protected throughout each phase of your move.

1. Gather the necessary packing materials

One of the most common moving myths that we hear is that cardboard boxes and packing tape are all you need to keep your furniture safe. While these items help provides some form of protection, they do not completely guarantee your furniture from damage. Some packing materials worth picking up are:

• Bubble Wrap
• Sofa and mattress covers
• Plastic stretch wrap
• Sealable plastic bags
• Corrugated cardboard sheets

These items can be had for cheap and will add another layer of protection to your furniture. Since furniture is heavy, they are prone to breaking if mishandled. By using bubble wrap and dedicated sofa/mattress covers, you won’t have to worry about your furniture getting damaged when loading/unloading them.

2. Preparing the furniture for packing

It’s worth prepping your furniture before packing to avoid any unwanted scratches. Dust, dirt and debris can rub on the surface of your furniture and create tiny, microscopic scratches. Give the furniture a quick wipe using a microfibre cloth to pick up dust and other loose particles before wrapping them with bubble wrap.

If you’re transporting drawers and cabinets, take the time to remove the knobs, handles, and casters. Take the drawers out and pack light items inside of them to give you extra storage space.

3. Disassemble your furniture

It’s always a good idea to disassemble furniture whenever possible so you can pack them tightly inside moving boxes. This allows you to transport furniture much easier and will help eliminate damage caused by moving parts during transportation. If you plan on disassembling your furniture, keep the following tips in mind:

• Refer to the owner’s manual on how to dismantle furniture correctly.

• Use sealable plastic bags to hold the screws and other hardware for each piece of furniture. 

• Take a photo of the furniture as reference for when you re-assemble the parts.

• Disassemble furniture a day before moving day to save time.

4. Wrap furniture correctly

Plastic sheeting and bubble wrap are two of the best packing materials you can use to safely move your furniture.  Plastic wrap or specially designed plastic sofa covers are great for protecting upholstered items while bubble wrap is more suited for delicate wooden pieces. You can use old blankets if you don’t have any plastic sheeting. Sliding corrugated cardboard sheets in between wooden pieces can provide a bit of cushion and protect the pieces from rubbing against each other.

For glass items like mirrors and tabletops, bubble wrap is more than enough. Before wrapping, consider taping the mirror with an “X” pattern using painters tape so that in case it breaks, it is less likely to shatter. Wrap the glass or mirror completely, paying special attention to the corners. Finish by placing the item between two sheets of corrugated cardboard.

5. Place items strategically

This is something that most people get wrong. You don’t want to just stack boxes on top of one another. You need to have a strategic placement plan so that your furniture stays intact during transportation. Here are a couple of key pointers:

• Always leave the heavy boxes on the truck floor and stack lighter boxes on top. Create a wall of boxes on the backend of the truck to provide a bit of stability when you load up your furniture later on.

• Use the tops of the dressers for lightweight boxes. You can sandwich a few small boxes in between to prevent them from slipping.

• Upholstered items need additional care. Use a rope to secure the pieces to the hooks in the truck and select which items will be packed around them. While your upholstered items already have plastic wrapping, including a layer of packing blankets is always a good idea for a bit of security.

• Don’t forget to take care when unloading the truck as well. Make sure the path to each room is clearly marked for the movers. The less time spent finding the correct spot to put down your heavy furniture, the less likely it will become damaged.

Moving furniture takes time and preparation. The more effort you spend on preparing your furniture, the less likely they are to get damaged during your next move. Ideally, you should be preparing your furniture well in advance of moving day (about roughly a week) so you can wrap them properly. Make sure to follow these tips so your furniture arrives in excellent condition in your new home.