Moving to a new location can be an exciting new adventure for you and your family. But before you can move into your new home, you have to deal with all the belongings your family needs to transport. While a U-Haul or your average moving company can deal with most of your items, these might not be enough to handle certain larger items like cars, heavy equipment, and your other large possessions.
If you have many belongings that you’re not sure how you’re going to transport them, here are some tips for moving large items during your big move.
Vehicles & Equipment: Use an Auto Transport Company
Instead of personally driving all your vehicles to your new location, or if you’re worried about traveling long distances with large equipment, opt for the services of a local mobile hauling company instead. These companies ship all vehicles, boats, heavy equipment, and trailers to local and international destinations.
This is the ideal option if you have plenty of vehicles and equipment, and it’s impractical to drive all of these to your new home one by one. It also makes you and your family’s move much easier because your vehicles will be delivered to your new address while you and your family can take a taxi, Uber/Lyft, or the company’s complimentary shuttle to the airport.
Large Furniture: Moving Blankets, Plastic Wrap, and Sliders
It’s highly recommended for big-haul moves like yours to buy moving blankets and plenty of plastic wrap for large furniture like dressers, tables, bookshelves, and bed frames. These things help prevent damaging the finishes and smooth surfaces of your furniture to prevent them from scuffing. If you can, disassemble furniture that can be disassembled so that they require less space. To make your move easier, have sliders on-hand to make it easier to move your belongings.
Mirrors and Glass Items: Tape, Bubble Wrap, and Cardboard
To prevent your glass items from shattering and causing damage, form a large X onto the surface with a wide and durable tape. If your glass does break, the X can help prevent the glass from further shattering and injure anyone transporting it.
Next, cover your item with multiple layers of bubble wrap. Make sure that the bubbles face inwards as these will cushion your item. Use tape to hold the bubble wrap into place. Finally, wrap or place your item in a cardboard box. As an added layer of protection, mark the box as fragile.
King-Size Mattresses: Mattress Sling
A king-size mattress can fit into a large moving truck, but if your truck is too small or full, there’s the option of securing it to the top of your car. Remove all the beddings from your mattress and wrap it in thick plastic or its original bag. Next, create a mattress sling using some rope or a bungee cord. This will make it much easier to get your mattress out of your old home. Secure the mattress onto your car roof using the sling. Make sure it’s well-fastened, and if you’re going to drive, avoid busy and bumpy roads.
Bookshelves
Remove all the books and place them in a sturdy box. If possible, detach the shelves and doors from your bookshelf if they can be reattached in your new home. Wrap these detachable parts in bubble wrap or moving blankets. Use a slider or dolly to move your bookshelf, depending on its size. Because bookshelves are uneven and hollowed out on one side, these are prone to wobbling when moving. Make sure you have someone helping you move it to avoid accidents.
Kitchen Appliances
Defrost your refrigerator at least 24 hours before moving it. Make sure that your fridge is empty of food items and all its inner detachable parts like shelves, drawers, and racks are removed and placed in a separate box. Unplug your refrigerator and neatly tie the cord so that it doesn’t come loose during your move.
Use a dolly to move your fridge out of your home. Use bungee cords to keep it safely strapped to your dolly. When placing it in your moving vehicle, keep it upright as tipping it over can damage your fridge’s cooling system and compressor.
For other kitchen appliances, ensure that all detachable items are removed and placed in a separate box. Smaller items like blenders and mixers should ideally go back into their original packaging, but if you don’t have that, wrap it in bubble wrap and place it in a cardboard box.
The logistics of your big move can be difficult because of your big items. If you don’t want to bother dealing with this, it’s best to hire professional movers and people to transport your items for you. It’ll cost more, but at least you get a smoother, easier, hassle-free move to help you focus on the next chapter of your life in a new location.
