Wrapping and Protecting Your Furniture for a Move

Moving to a new house is exciting, but it can be stressful too. Trying to remember everything that needs to be done, packing up your items – the last thing you need is to damage your furniture during the move.

But don’t worry, you can avoid wear and tear by following our tips for protecting and wrapping furniture. Gather the right materials and wrap pieces carefully to ensure your furniture survives the big move.

Disassemble First

Large items of furniture such as dressers weren’t designed to fit comfortably around corners and through doors. But they can be disassembled to make moving them easier. Before taking them apart, take pictures. That way, you have a visual reminder of what your furniture should look like when it’s remade.

Also, take pictures through each step of the disassembling process. You’ll have enough things to remember throughout the move. Don’t assume you’ll recall how that tricky cupboard gets built again. Using the pictures you’ve taken as a reference, you should have hints on how to remake your dresser or cabinet.

Use the internet to search for instructions for how to rebuild the piece. Retailers often have instruction manuals that come in handy.

Remove cushions from sofas and wheels from desk chairs. Unscrew table legs and knobs from dressers and desks. Keep screws and fixings together in plastic bags, so you have all the items you’ll need to rebuild them once you arrive at your new home.

Have a Placement Plan

Planning ahead is a key factor before wrapping furniture for moving. It’s easy to forget an important item that might be tricky to move. Especially when you’re faced with the mammoth task of unpacking. That’s why taking inventory is so important.

On top of a detailed list of all your belongings, a placement plan makes it clear where everything needs to end up when you move in. After all, you don’t want to be faced with the arduous task of carrying a bed upstairs, only to realize that you’ve placed it in the wrong room!

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Moving Blankets and Mattress Covers

Also known as furniture or transit blankets, moving blankets are extremely convenient and offer effective protection. They’re large enough for tables, chairs, dressers, and sideboards to be wrapped inside. This will prevent them from unpleasant scratches and knocks while in transit.

They come in an array of sizes, materials, and prices. All will help prevent furniture rubbing up against other items in a van or truck. They’re handy for keeping your items out of harm’s way when getting them through tight doorways or awkward staircases.

For larger items like your mattress, consider purchasing a mattress cover, available in full, queen, and king size beds. These are designed to protect your mattress against dirt and water damage as you are transferring your bed to your new home.

Foam Padding and Dish Protection Kits

You can buy lots of foam padding sheets for little money – you’ll find these at most home improvement stores. They will protect glassware, china, and dishes from smashing and breaking while packing, in transit or carrying them into your new home.

They’re surprisingly versatile too. You can tape the ends of the sheets to stick on plates or scrunch them up and place them inside bowls for protection.

To make things even easier, you can purchase Dish Protection or Partition Kits from your local storage facility which contains everything you need to help protect your glassware while moving.

Don’t Use Bubble Wrap or Tape Directly on the Wood

Moving blankets are the right way to protect your furniture. Bubble wrap and tape may not be enough padding for older pieces of furniture, particularly if they’re wooden. They may keep scratches and knocks at bay, but they can trap moisture and lead to damage while being moved or stored.

You can use bubble wrap as an extra line of defense. Place a layer of moving blankets or furniture pads in-between. Then the plastic won’t come into contact with wood.

Rather than using tape to keep drawers closed, consider twine. It can stop them popping out and getting scraped and avoid damaging wooden furniture. If you happen to have antique furniture, it’s even more important to avoid using tape directly on wood. When you pull it off, it can strip away the varnish, damage the finish or leave hard to remove sticky marks.

Secure Loose Drawers and Doors

You will need to empty the drawers of your furniture first. Moving dressers and cabinets when full will make them heavier and cause drawers to start opening and bouncing while in transit, or while you’re carrying them. This can damage the handles, gliders, and the drawers themselves.

You may be tempted to think removing the drawers would be better. However, keeping them in and fastened up means you’re moving the entire piece of furniture in one trip. Use rope, string, or twine to keep your drawers secured, rather than tape, to avoid damage or hard to remove sticky marks.

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Pack Sections That Can Be Placed in Boxes

It’s a good idea to invest in high-quality moving boxes. Relying on old cardboard boxes may be cheaper, but they’re prone to collapsing. They can even end up contaminated with unwanted pests.

Pack boxes as full as possible, to avoid items jumping around. Having said that, make sure they don’t weigh too much. 30 pounds is about the limit, otherwise you’re going to have a struggle on your hands.

If you need to move furniture out of the old home but your new home isn’t ready yet, try using a storage unit to keep it until you need it. A local storage unit can be a handy place to keep sofas, lamps, dressers, and chairs that don’t fit in your living space now, but you still see a future with the piece.