Tips for Packing and Moving Delicate Furniture

Moving can take a big toll on your belongings, especially on delicate ones. Luckily, there are things you can do to minimize the risk of damage and have your items arrive safely at your new home. Read on to find tips for packing and moving delicate furniture.

Don’t move delicate furniture alone

The first and probably most important thing about moving fragile furniture is that you should never do it completely alone. Not only do you risk damaging an already fragile item but a DIY move also poses a high risk of injuries. Just imagine yourself trying to lift that vintage chest of drawers alone! After all, have you ever seen a single mover carrying something alone? Chances are you haven’t, and there’s a good reason for it – safety! So for your own safety and safety of your goods, always find help when moving, especially when dealing with sensitive items. Your first option is to ask a couple of friends to help you out. You can, later on, treat them to dinner, some drinks, or anything else you find suitable to show your appreciation for their hard work.

Your next option is to hire professional antique furniture movers NYC such as Dorothy and Martha Movers. They’ll bring quality packing supplies, prepare your fragile furniture for moving, and have it transported safely to your new home. This is usually the most expensive option but it’s usually worth it, considering you don’t risk damaging your belongings. In case you don’t want to hire full-service movers and you can’t find any friends available, you could also go for moving labor services. In this case, you’ll pay an hourly rate and you’ll get help for only a part of your moving process. For example, for lifting or hoisting your furniture piece.

Pack like a pro

Another extremely important thing about packing and moving your delicate furniture is that you can’t rush it. In order to get the best results, you must take as much time as you need to pack each piece properly. Find a guide for packing your household like a pro and follow professional tips for efficient packing. Use proper packing strategy and quality packing materials. Invest in some quality bubble wrap, packing paper, packing tape, and other materials necessary. That depends on the type of furniture you’re moving. Some items may even require special moving containers. So, do take the time to understand what’s needed to keep your delicate item protected during the move.

Waterproof materials may also be beneficial in some cases. So, look into that if you’re moving off-season or you expect bad weather conditions on your moving day. You should also use plenty of packing materials to create soft padding inside the box before you pack items inside. Also, add a bit of extra padding inside before you close and seal the box.

Disassemble

Once you have your packing materials and you’re ready to start packing, take a moment to see if your furniture piece can be disassembled. If you wonder how to disassemble furniture when moving, that’s usually an easy task. Take your furniture apart as much as possible. Moving smaller pieces is much easier and faster than moving one bulky and fragile piece of furniture. Sometimes, only a few inches and a couple of screws can make all the difference and keep your item and your property away from getting damaged. So check if furniture legs can be removed, carefully remove the doors, shelves, drawers, and anything else that could make the item lighter and your job easier. While you’re doing so, be sure you keep all the tiny parts in a separate bag so they wouldn’t get lost in the process.

Make space

When taking your delicate furniture out, you may find that it’s too big or too awkward to fit through the doors. In this case, you may feel like forcing just a little bit is the right thing to do, but you’d be wrong as even the tiniest pressure can make a delicate item permanently damaged. So the right thing to do in this scenario is to be extra cautious and find an alternative way to carry your item out. That may be by removing doors of the hinges or removing the glass from windows, as long as it allows you to pass with an item without forcing anything.

Use sliders

One great tip for packing and moving delicate furniture is to use furniture sliders. They’ll help you protect floors when moving and avoid damaging your moving items. You can find plastic ones or soft ones or you can make your own using plastic container covers, even bedspreads and towels could do the trick. The main idea is to slide your delicate furniture instead of carrying it, making the process easier, not to mention safer for your back.

Label

Once you’re finished packing, you should make sure that each box with delicate items is labeled accordingly. You can use a red sharpie marker and write “FRAGILE” on several sides of the box, and then add an arrow pointing upwards so the boxes wouldn’t be placed horizontally. You can also use premade labels to label moving boxes but make sure you mark each fragile box. This may seem unnecessary and you may think that you’ll remember that specific box with your favorite antique lamp, however, moves are notoriously stressful and busy, and identifying one box among the pile of other boxes can be more difficult than you think. So save yourself the trouble and label boxes before loading them.

Load delicate furniture carefully

Whether you’re moving mirrors, artwork, antique furniture, or any other type of delicate furniture, you should follow a general rule and not place anything on top if. When loading a moving truck, make sure your delicate items are top-loaded and there is no risk of something crushing or damaging them. Once you pack everything that’s being moved, continue to pack your delicate belongings last. That being said, there are some delicate things that should be left out of your moving vehicle entirely so if you’re moving things like small electronics make sure you move them yourself, preferably by car.