How to protect your furniture & wooden accessories when moving house or office

When you are moving house, one of the prime concerns in your mind is the safety of your belongings. And furniture features right on top of that list. After all, some of your most favourite possessions happens to be your furniture. Be it emotional or financial, they command high value in your universe. Stands to reason, therefore, that you must be extra mindful while moving these items. After all, carelessness in this area can lead to wooden pieces getting scratched and gashed, upholstery getting shredded and can cause glass to break as well. Here are some pointers therefore to keep in mind while moving your furniture.

Get the basics right

Make a list of all the items of furniture in your house before moving house or office, and create an accurate inventory of all the items that will be moving with you into the next destination. Follow this up with a detailed measurement of the bigger pieces. Jot down the width, depth, height and diagonal dimensions of each, and map them back to the floor plan of the new address that you are headed for. It is important to ensure that the two are ‘matched’. Then, you must make a note of pre-existing damages and imperfections in your furniture – old, outdated, worn out or outright damaged. Take photos so that you can compare them later. It is a good idea to remove as many knobs, drawers, castes and ‘pulls’ and pack them separately to save on storage space. Finally, wash (if possible) or dust your furniture clean before you move on to the next phase.

Keep the supplies handy.

Head on over to your local hardware store or log onto your favourite online shopping site and stock up on all the knick-knacks that you will need to pack and protect your belongings. Some of the things you will need are duct or packing tape, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, ‘moving blankets’,  covers for couches and mattresses, plastic stretch wrap, corrugated cardboard sheets, packing paper, shrink wrap and sealable plastic bags (for screws and furniture parts – you can also use plastic garbage bags for this). That apart, make sure you have your measuring tape, markers, highlighters, post-it slips, pieces of paper (for writing notes), pencils, erasers, rule & scales, unused fabrics (such as old T-shirts, pyjamas, rugs, towels, aprons, bedsheets and curtains that you no longer use), newspapers and crumpled papers ready at arm’s length.

Dissemble with care

You must dissemble as much of your furniture and décor accessories as you can. Remove the covers from the cushions and other accessories. Take the bed frame apart one piece at a time. Dismantling makes the large and unwieldy items easier to handle and move. It will help you save space in the vehicle that’s carrying your furniture when moving house or office. And it will go a long way in keeping them out of harm’s way.

Wrap ‘em up gently

It’s time to ‘pack and package’ your furniture. This is the all important step in the process – what all your previous actions have been building up to. The idea is not to ‘stash’ your furniture into the moving truck, but to ensure that they get there with proper protection against dirt, moisture, dust and other similar hazards.

The first layer of safety, so to speak, when packaging is ‘Soft Packing Paper’. Once you have done that, plastic wrap (or plastic sheeting) and Bubble Wraps are your Go-To saviours. Use plastic wraps (or plastic covers) and specially designed sofa covers to wrap your furniture items, especially those that carry upholstery and those that have legs (tables, desks and chests-of-drawers, for instance). The clingy and tear-proof qualities make them an ideal candidate for the task. The other article that’s used for such items are ‘moving blankets’. Being thick, they not only buffer your furniture from damage and wreckage but protect your walls as well. If you don’t have blankets, you can use old items made of fabric or cloth  (T-shirts, rugs, towels and the like), big pieces of sheets and flat shaped cardboards. What about those bubble wraps then? Well, bubble wraps are used to insulate more delicate and fragile items of wood and accessories like table tops, mantle-pieces and mirrors. Corrugated cardboard sheets, on their part, will provide a great way to protect the glass surfaces of your furniture pieces. Finally, as you ‘wrap up’ your task, ensure that you have placed each item between two sheets of corrugated cardboard.

Move in sequence.

It can be a big help during crunch time if you have a ‘placement plan’ in advance. So move the square items (like tables and dressers) first, placing them against the corners of the box or vehicle to get maximum space and leverage for the remaining items. The mattresses can go in next – set them up on a bed of old clothes or blankets. You can now upload your upholstered items into the vehicle. Try to secure them against the hooks of the containers or vehicle wall for added security from jerks and shakes during travel.  After you reach your destination and are offloading your furniture from the truck or vehicle, make sure you mark your pathways clearly so that each furniture is taken to the right room. The longer it takes for your delicate and heavy furniture to settle down, the higher the risk of damage.

Parting tips.

Relocation services may sound easy (sometimes it doesn’t even sound that  way), but it actually isn’t. It is a good idea, therefore, to not attempt this potentially hazardous task all by yourself. Getting yourself the services of a professional packer and mover for moving house or office, ensures that they use specialized vehicles, materials, processes and technologies to get the job done. To sign off, it is always safe to opt for insurance. Consult your packer and mover on the type and size of your insurance. Make an estimate of the value of your furniture, and get sufficient premium to cover it adequately.