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Moving Tips - Household appliances


Huge furniture pieces such as beds, wardrobes, desks, closets, couches, sofas, cupboards, dining tables, etc. will probably be the first objects to pop up in your head when you picture big and heavy household items waiting to be moved, and you’ll be right to do so. However, the abovementioned items are not the only heavyweight contenders you will have to prepare and move come moving day.

Heavy and large household appliances are never a joke when it comes to moving them to a new residence. Wouldn’t you be also interested in knowing how to move appliances easily and safely, without injuring yourself or inflicting costly property damage? Sure you would.

Read our practical tips for moving household appliances to a new home easily and safely.

Should you move your major appliances?
Before you worry about how to pack and move your large and heavy household items, you must decide whether it’s a good idea to take them with you in the first place. There are several points to consider before you make up your mind to move your big appliances with you or leave them behind.

Vote YES! to moving your household appliances if:
they are brand new or have been recently purchased;
you’re used to their practicality and functionality, and want to keep using their extended features;
your new home does not come already fitted with household appliances that fit it better;
the purchase agreement of your current home does not require you to leave some or even all major appliances behind.
Vote NO! to moving your household appliances if:
your major home appliances are old, outdated or have technical issues, and therefore are not worth the relocations costs they will inevitably incur;
your new home is outfitted with newer and better looking appliances;
your new home, and especially your new kitchen, have different layouts and designs which won’t allow your current appliances to fit there seamlessly.
Once you have reached the informed decision about which major home appliances to take with you and which ones to leave behind, it’s time to get down to the actual moving job.

What to do before moving large appliances to a new home ?
The strenuous job of moving domestic appliances consists of 2 separate preparation tasks which you should complete in advance so that no personal injuries, damage to your appliances or harm to your home dampen your relocation mood.

Proper equipment for moving appliances safely
Some pieces of moving equipment you definitely can’t do without, while others can be successfully substituted. Either way, don’t start moving household appliances without procuring these moving assistants first.

Appliance dolly: this wheeled helper is a must. Purchase a high quality dolly from specialized home improvement stores or rent one from your local moving company.
Furniture blankets: also universally known as moving blankets, these protective cloths will provide exactly the type of protection you need for your valuable home appliances. Contact your local movers to get hold of such blankets.
Furniture straps: you will need them to secure your appliances to the dolly and inside the moving vehicle. However, they can be easily replaced by considerable lengths of rope or a roll of two of stretch tape.
Sliders: also known as gliders, these sliding pads offer the best way to move appliances on wood floors, without any damage and usually only a short distance until the home appliance in question can be loaded onto the moving dolly. Rent or purchase such gliders from your local moving company in order to move appliances safely.
Proper property protection
Of course, the last thing you would want is to damage your home while moving heavy kitchen appliances out and then into your new residence. The main dangers appear to be for your hardwood, tile, vinyl, or carpeted floors, so take adequate safety measures to protect them. Use large pieces of thick cardboard to cover the exit paths of your major home appliances and lay protective sheets of durable polyethylene on high traffic areas to avoid paying for costly home repairs right after the move is over.

Besides eventual damage to your floors, walls can also be in real danger of property damage. If you fail to observe the safety guidelines when moving large and heavy appliances out of your home, chipped corners, scratches or dents on the walls could really halt the successful flow of your relocation.

How to move major appliances
Finally, it’s time to point out some specific tips for moving home  appliances to a new house or apartment:
Refrigerator / Freezer

  • Disconnect your fridge from the power supply no less than 24 hours prior to moving day.
  • Empty its contents and pack your food supplies separately (it’s best if you have managed to use up almost all your food before this very moment).
  • Take out all removable fridge parts and pack them separately.
  • Clean out your fridge thoroughly and let it dry out well.
  • On moving day, secure the door of the fridge with rope or stretch tape to keep it from opening during transport.
  • Coil the power cord and tape it on the back of the appliance for safety reasons.
  • Wrap the body of your fridge with moving blankets and secure them in place with moving straps or rope.
  • Load the big kitchen appliance on the moving dolly and secure it extremely well to the wheeled helper.
  • Do your best to keep your refrigerator in an upright position as much as possible. Avoid tipping it excessively or laying it on its sides as that will cause the compressor oil to leak into the cooling mechanism and even possibly damage your appliance.
  • When you reach your new home, leave your fridge unplugged for at least 3 hours before you power it so that the oil has had the chance to stabilize inside the cooling mechanism.
  • Washing machine / Dryer / Dishwasher
  • Unplug your home appliance from the power, and disconnect and drain all hoses after you have turned off the water supply. Make sure no water remains inside the washing machine.
  • Secure well the power cord and hoses to the machine so that they don’t come loose during transport and compromise the moving day safety.
  • Clean the interior of your household appliance with a soft and dry cloth.
  • Clean out the machine’s filter if applicable in your case.
  • Your washing machine probably came with special transportation rods with the purpose of immobilizing its drum during transport. If this is the case, re-install them so that the drum won’t get damaged by the vibrations on the road. This is a vital step, so don’t skip it.
  • Cover your washing machine (or dryer, or dishwasher) with thick moving blankets and tape them in place to protect your appliance and home at the same time.
  • Secure your protected machine on the dolly and be extra careful when taking it out of your house.
  • Stove
  • Gas appliances can be really dangerous, so unless you know exactly what you are doing, have a qualified professional technician come over and disconnect and cap off the gas line of your gas stove.
  • Tape the power cord to the back of the stove.
  • Remove all detachable parts such as cooking racks and glass sheets from your large kitchen appliance and pack them separately.
  • If your stove has a glass section, make sure you protect it well by taping a large sheet of bubble wrap over it.
  • Wrap the entire unit with protective blankets before loading it safely onto the moving dolly.
  • Go only one little step at a time and be very cautious when navigating the wrapped up bundle through tight corners and narrow corridors.

Once you have your stove delivered to your new home, consider hiring a professional to reconnect it to the gas supply.
All in all, the easiest way to move appliances is to hire professionals who have experience in relocating household machines of all types. If you think you can handle the relocation challenge on your own, be sure to read the user manuals of your household appliances before you get down to work.

Our tips for packing a house continue with brief advice on how to prepare the major groups of house items for a quick and safe house move, or in other words – how to pack your house for moving by yourself,  but in order to request service from our moving company, just give us a call 1 (818) 770-2727 , or please send to us moving service request through webpage form and you will receive 5 star moving services include packing, wrapping and delivering to your new place.
 
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