If you’re getting ready for a relocation, you’ve probably wondered how on earth you’ll transport your bulky household appliances. Should you just leave them in your old place and purchase new ones when you’re settled in? Should you try to move them and risk injury or irreparable appliance damage? What’s the best course of action?!
At Ace Moving & Warehousing, we’re here with some answers. Unless you’d like to shell out thousands of dollars for a brand new fridge, stove, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and whatever else you own, there’s no need to bid your current appliances farewell.
Continue reading to learn valuable tips that’ll help you prepare and transport your household appliances with ease. Let’s get started!
1. Take Accurate Measurements
First and foremost, you absolutely must record the dimensions of every appliance you plan to move. Depending on their size, some of them may not fit through your main entry door, so you’ll need to plan accordingly.
Some homeowners may need to take doors off their hinges to allow the appliances to fit, while others can make due by taking the long way around and using a sliding glass patio door. In any case, you’ll need to know this information in advance of your move date, so you can plan accordingly.
If you’re planning a DIY move, protecting your safety is paramount. To learn about moving safety best practices, be sure to check out our top tips for avoiding injuries before, during, and after your relocation.
2. Use Floor Protection
Flooring protection is an absolute must when moving appliances! Wood floors can easily suffer deep scratches and dents with the slightest mishap, while tile floors can easily crack after a single slip of the hand. To avoid accidental flooring damage, select one of the following protective materials:
- Cardboard. Many homeowners opt for sheets of cardboard as floor protection because it’s cheap and easy to attain. However, cardboard has a tendency to slip and slide, so it may not be your safest or most effective option.
- Scrap carpet. If you have access to scrap carpet or carpet runners, you can distribute pieces of the material across your floors. When it’s time to move your appliances, position them on top of the scrap carpet, and you can easily slide them across the floor.
- Plastic floor guides. Protective plastic floor guides are specifically designed for moving heavy objects without damaging hardwood or tile floors. Like carpet, these pieces of plastic simply glide along the floor with your appliances situated on top.
- Moving blankets. Really, any old blankets will do. However, if you don’t have old blankets lying around that you’re willing to rough up, you can pick up moving blankets from your local moving supply store for just a few bucks. When you’re ready to move an appliance, situate the blanket on the ground next to it. Carefully lift the appliance onto the blanket and it should easily slide across your floors.
3. Clean Your Floors
Before you lay down your flooring protection, don’t forget to clean your floors! Moving heavy appliances across dirty floors—even with appropriate floor protection—is a recipe for flooring damage.
Even tiny particles like sand and dirt can create noticeable scratches when they become trapped beneath your protective materials. The weight of your appliances creates enough pressure on top of gritty dirt to cause hundreds or even thousands of dollars in flooring damage, especially if you have high-end hardwood floors.
4. Practice Proper Prep Work
When it comes to moving your large appliances, you can’t take a willy-nilly approach to the process. You might be able to get away with casually packing most of your other possessions, but with appliances, proper prep work is key for a smooth move.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to prepare your large appliances for loading and transport:
Dishwasher
Power down the unit, pull it away from the wall, and unplug it. Use a wrench to loosen the fittings around all of the hoses and place a bucket beneath each pipe before you disconnect it. Then, open the door and leave it open for 24 hours to allow any residual moisture to evaporate.
You’ll also want to secure the hoses to the back of the unit, secure the inner racks, and secure the door closed with packing tape. It’s also a good idea to wrap your dishwasher with moving blankets and secure those blankets with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can pick up some air-filled plastic wrap from a moving store and use that to wrap the appliance instead.
Stove
If you have a self-cleaning oven, run the cycle at least 24 hours before you plan to pack. When the stove is clean, turn off the power and remove the inner racks and burner coils or grates (if necessary). Tape the door closed and secure the operating knobs with packing tape.
As with your dishwasher, it’s a good idea to wrap everything up with plastic or moving blankets to protect your stove from scratches and chips.
Refrigerator & Freezer
Remove all items from the fridge and freezer and place them in portable coolers or toss anything that might not make it to your new home. Disconnect your unit from the power source and place a bucket beneath the water line for the ice maker before you disconnect it (if you have one).
If any of the shelves are made of glass, remove them and wrap them separately. Thoroughly clean the interior of the unit and leave it open for 24 hours to allow moisture to evaporate. Secure the door with tape, and then wrap the entire unit in moving wrap to ensure the doors remain closed.
If you’re only moving a short distance away, you may not need to defrost the unit and leave it open for 24 hours. Typically, you can get away with not doing this if your move will require eight hours or less.
Washer and Dryer
To prep your washer, remove all clothing and linens from the drum before running the unit on a clean-only cycle. Next, disconnect the power, water supply lines, and drain hoses. Leave the door open for 24 hours to allow moisture to escape.
If you have a top-load washer, it’s a good idea to wedge styrofoam squares between the top of the drum and the washer frame. This will help ensure the drum doesn’t jostle excessively while the unit is in transport. Finally, secure the power cord to the back of the washer with packing tape and tape the door shut, too. Wrap the unit in moving blankets and secure the blankets with plastic wrap.
To prep your dryer, make sure the unit’s drum is free of linens and clothing. Clean the lint screen thoroughly and disconnect the unit from the power source. Secure the power cord to the back of the dryer with packing and tape and tape the door shut too. Like all of your other appliances, you’ll want to wrap the unit with moving blankets and plastic tarp to keep it protected.
5. Use an Appliance-Specific Dolly
If you’ll be moving your appliances with the help of a partner or two, be sure you have the right equipment before you start! There’s more than one type of dolly, and the most commonly used type isn’t made for appliances. Don’t use that one.
Rather, you’ll want to rent an appliance dolly from your local moving store. This specialty dolly is specifically designed to accommodate large, heavy appliances and features heavy-duty straps that secure the appliance to the dolly itself. This type of dolly typically also has rub rails, which help protect the exterior of your appliances from damage.
Speaking of damage, you may also want to check our tips for preventing damage when you move, for ideas on how you can keep your home and belongings safe during your relocation.
6. Hire Professional Appliance Movers
Moving appliances is no easy task, and even if you have big, burly friends, they’re probably not well-versed or trained in safe appliance-moving practices. That’s where the knowledgeable assistance of a professional moving company comes in handy.
Rather than risk harming your high-value appliances (or yourself), take the safe route and hire professional appliance movers.
At Ace Moving & Warehousing, our professional moving teams are extensively trained in the proper handling of high-ticket valuables, especially heavy, bulky appliances. We know how much your things mean to you and how invaluable they are to your home’s efficient operation, so we treat your appliances as if they were our own.
If you’re planning to hire a moving company, don’t forget these seven crucial questions you must ask when you’re gathering moving estimates.
Searching for Appliance Movers in Minneapolis?
If you’re planning a Twin Cities relocation and need reliable appliance movers you can trust, our team at Ace Moving & Warehousing is here to serve you. Beyond appliance moving, we also offer full packing services, custom crating, furniture moving, on-site planning, and a variety of other helpful moving services.
To learn more about how we can make your move as easy and stress-free as possible, give our team a call at 763-755-2045 or send us a message on our contact page. Looking for a pricing estimate? Feel free to request your quote online, and we’ll be in touch!