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According to a recent article in The Express, moving home is one of the most stressful times in people’s lives; and if you’re moving abroad, worried about losing sentimental items, or moving delicate or antique furniture, those stress levels can go through the roof. To help you cope with at least one of these aspects, here are a few tips to make sure your furniture reaches its destination undamaged.
Once should be enough
You should be planning your move so that your delicate items are moved as little as possible. If you have thought about the order that your things will be placed into the transportation, and labelled them with the rooms they will go into on arrival, then they’ll only need to be moved once. If you haven’t, they could be moved from pillar to post all through the move. The more times an item is moved, the more chance of damage to it; so plan well and move once.
Break it down
Antique furniture is often impossible to break down, but modern delicate furniture may have parts that can be separated, and if at all possible, do so. This will make packing the furniture easier and a less complicated shape will be easier to secure.
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Box it
Packing crates are vital if you have expensive items, and are even more important if those items also happen to be antique. The boxes are used to separate individual items from each other, and to stop potential damage as they move around and bang into each other. It’s not as simple as placing items into boxes, though, and packing materials will be needed to stop movement. Most removals companies will have professionals to do this for you, and you should consider this if you are truly worried about your delicates.
Take your time
If you rush your move, you’re inviting disaster; and this is especially true if you are packing yourself. Plan ahead and decide where each packing case or item will go in the new property, and take the time you need to wrap everything individually. Have storage boxes delivered early and fill them at your own pace, and, if you have no space for them when they’re full, use a removal company that can organise storage for you (click here for a great example), as you don’t want to be wasting time moving boxes and crates around your home.
Know your route
You may feel that you know the layout of your home like the back of your hand, but you still need to plan the route your furniture is going to take. Make sure your furniture will have a smooth journey to the removal van by the simplest route, and use a spotter to make sure there are no bumps & bangs en route.
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Care when lifting
Make sure you’re super careful when lifting delicate items, and always support the weight from underneath. Never pick up furniture by the handles, arms or legs, and never drag it across the floor. Even putting the furniture into a crate can be a delicate operation (especially if it has to be lifted in), and extra care will be needed if the furniture has to be lifted above waist height. Remember that a trolley is your friend and will reduce the chances of anything being dropped.
Insurance
Your home insurance may give you some cover on your contents, but will it insure your move? Most home insurance won’t cover a house move, so you may need to top it up. The Insurance Information Institute has some great information about what you should be looking for in home insurance, so research what to look for before taking out or extending a policy.
Knowing how to approach a problem is the easiest way to reduce stress. So, by combining these tips with good individual packing practices, you’ll get your furniture to its destination in great condition. Your removal company will already be using many of these ideas, but, if you know too, it can only help your peace of mind.
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