Audrey
Moving into another state isn’t easy as it looks. Apart from worrying about adjusting to a new lifestyle, you also need to consider how the entire moving process will go. If you’re planning to only bring your clothes with you, then great. However, if you’re planning to bring some of your furniture, it’s best to know your options on how to move them swiftly.
If you’re still deciding which city you’re moving into, Moving Proz explains that one of their top choices is moving to Aurora, Colorado. But if you have another place in mind, feel free to go where you’re most comfortable.
As you plan on moving your furniture with you to a different state, know that it isn’t the same compared to shipping smaller household items, such as books, bedding, and clothes. The preparations and precautions to take when transporting furniture are very different.
To help you out, listed below are some tips for moving your furniture into another state:
1. Identify Your Moving Strategy
Before you overwhelm yourself with the process of moving a piece of furniture, you should first identify which strategy would be your best option. This way, you can pick a service you’re most comfortable with and adjust your budget accordingly.
- Hire A Mover
Hiring expert long distance movers is one of the most popular and traditional ways of transporting anything to a different state. This way, you don’t have to spend too much time studying their process and how they work. With their service, they’ll be loading all of your furniture into their trucks and into your home. However, it’s highly suggested that you get insurance to cover any possible damages if something happens to your furniture while in transit.
- Consider A Freight Shipping Company
Another great option you might consider is hiring a freight shipping company for your furniture move. With this option, you can either pick an LTL (Less-than-truck-load) or FTL (Full-Truck-Load), with different fees, security, and time. If you’re going with an FTL, expect your furniture to stay on a single truck load during the entire trip, but it might cost you more. An LTL, on the other hand, will move your furniture from one point to another, which might get mixed up with other furnishings.
- Rent A Portable Storage Container
If you’d like to have full control over your furniture and bring your car with you, renting a portable storage container would be a great choice. This way, you can personally store everything you have inside the container and drive it yourself to your new home. It’ll cost you less while also giving yourself peace, knowing that your furniture is safe under your supervision and care.
3. Take Measurements Of Your Furniture, Doors, And Hallways
A huge problem associated with moving furniture is the furniture not making it through one of the doorways. You’re torn between disassembling your furniture or removing the whole door and the frames during such times. You can avoid such difficult decisions by taking the measurements first.
You must measure your furniture, doors, and hallways. Take note of each of your furniture’s width, height, and length in this process. Remember, the hallways have corners; if you don’t estimate them well when moving, you’ll be stuck. Again, the door might be smaller than your furniture, making it harder to go through. In this case, you’ll need to reduce the furniture size.
Alternatively, you can try out different angles. The angles are handy when you don’t want to disassemble your furniture or the door. Furthermore, expert Louisville movers will know what to do in such situations.
4. Disassemble Furniture
If you’ve bought a piece of furniture that requires you to assemble it, as they usually deliver it to you in a single box, take that opportunity and try to disassemble it before shipping them into a different state. This way, you can minimize their size and allow them to be compact for shipping. This will help you save space and cost since larger furniture will require you to rent a larger truck or containers.
Apart from minimizing space, disassembling your furniture also allows you to prevent damage. You can keep everything in the same place without the risk of falling, bumping, or scratching the surface against other things in the container or truck. But before you disassemble your furniture without the manual, label their pieces well by using tape, so you’ll have a basis about which parts go with each other. You can even take photographs of the furniture from every angle, just for you to be safe.
5. Gather The Right Packing Supplies
You must wrap your furniture like any other delicate pieces you’ll be moving. It helps reduce the damage that can be caused by spillage. Additionally, it reduces the risk of wear and tear. Use the right packing supplies for wrapping your items. Some of the common materials for wrapping furnishings include:
- Regular blankets
- Bubble wrap
- Shrink wrap
- Corrugated boxes
- Duct tape
- Sealable bags
- Special crating
Here are tips on what to use on each surface:
- Furniture bag: It’s ideal for protecting your leather couches. Avoid plastic wrap since leather needs to breathe.
- Packing paper: This is the best packing supply for your glass components. First, detach them carefully. Then, wrap the glass correctly and pay more attention to the corners. Ensure you fasten the paper with masking tape and apply layers of bubble wrap. Cover the top with corrugated cardboard sheets to avoid heavy objects falling and breaking them.
- Blankets: Cover your wooden furniture with the blankets to avoid damaging their finish.
Remember that different items require unique sorts of wrap when moving. For fragile objects, bubble wrap is the best, while plastic coverings are suitable for upholstery. Note that you can use blankets as a final protective layer. The added security is essential for protection.
Adhering to the safety measures used to wrap your furniture ensures they’re unscratched and unbroken. For wooden furniture, it helps you reduce the costs associated with changing the coat after you’ve moved into your new home. On the other hand, you’ll also evade the problem of dealing with breakages from fragile items.
6. Secure With Protection
Since you’re moving into a different state, expect your furniture to go a long distance, which might put them at risk while passing through bumpy roads. While it might seem like a minor thing, it can cause serious damage to your furniture. With that, you need to ensure that you secure all of your furniture to prevent dents and breakage.
You can begin by wrapping the entire furniture in a protective wrapper, such as a bubble wrap, honeycomb wrapper, or shrink wrap. For smaller furniture, try to put them inside a box and fill them with fillers to keep them intact during transit. Moreover, you should also prioritize your furniture’s edges as they’re most likely going to experience damage due to a bumpy ride.
7. Secure Cabinets And Drawers
Dressers and drawers can be bulky and heavy, making it hard for the movers to lift them. Bulky furniture can be the leading cause of accidents; accidents associated with lifting heavy and bulky things are severe. They can result in spine injuries that can be hard to treat.
As such, it’d be best to make them light before you move. For instance, remove the drawers and their contents. It helps decongest the whole dresser, making it easy to carry around. You can pack each drawer’s contents into corresponding boxes to make it easier to unpack later on.
If you plan to move by yourself, you can use tools like utility dollies and lifting straps to make the lifting easier. You can decide to purchase the tools or hire them from local storage companies. Instead of adding more expenses, you can hire moving companies already equipped with lifting tools.
On the other hand, the cabinet doors can fly open during the move. It’d be best to secure them with stretch wrap to prevent the doors from opening. If they have removable shelves, bundle them with kraft paper and secure them with duct tape.
8. Pack Pillows And Cushions Separately
When packing furniture, remove the couch cushions and pack them separately. This way, you’ll be able to protect them by wrapping them appropriately. Especially if you move during the rain, you don’t want to get them wet. Again, the rigorous impact of moving can easily damage them if they aren’t well protected. Remember, most cushions are made of ornate fabric. For such reasons, you can pack the cushions in a large moving box.
The same applies to pillows. Most people make packing mistakes by using all their pillows for cushioning. You can use the old pillows for this course but risk destroying your good ones. The disadvantage is that the pillows are soft and can be easily torn if your furniture has sharp edges. As such, you can sort them first and set the good ones aside for packing. Invest in high-quality material for wrapping your pillows. You can use plastic bags, vacuum bags, and cardboard boxes for storage after you’ve secured your pads with packing paper.
9. Take Care Of Furniture Corners
One risk associated with moving is injuries from furniture corners. You’d want to protect the movers and your family members from injuries. Thus, cushioning the corners is essential to reduce the risk of injuries. Also, the edges can rip off or tear your stuff during the move. To prevent wear and tear damage caused by the corners of your furniture, you can use cardboard for cushioning. Fold the cardboard to fit over the corners, and use movers’ wrap to secure them.
You can use protective gear, such as gloves, for your safety when handling furniture. They reduce the likelihood of something slipping from your hands and breaking your legs. Also, you can wear protective boots to avoid stubbing your toes or hurting your knees. Other tips on moving your furniture are:
- Move the heaviest furniture first.
- Clear pathways to avoid tripping while carrying boxes.
- Wrapping them correctly and covering the edges.
- Put them strategically by placing lighter boxes on top of heavier ones.
- Use a suitable material for packing.
- Use a rope to secure upholstered items.
- Place your square furniture against your box wall. It helps in cushioning.
Takeaway
Moving your furniture to another state isn’t an easy task, especially since you need to consider how you will ever get a large piece of furniture into a new place without developing any scratches. Moreover, you also need to see which moving option would best fit your furniture and your budget. While it might seem extra work, moving your furniture safely to your new home would absolutely be worth it.
