If you thought moving home is stressful, then try moving appliances. Most of these machines are big and heavy, which makes things more complicated. The biggest challenge is you cannot move appliances without help. Failing to seek the necessary help risks you damaging your appliances, and this can be very costly.
In this post, we shall discuss how you can move appliances safely.
Unplug everything from power
The first thing to do is to unplug all the appliances that you need to be moved from power. This should include your fridge and freezer too. Besides, ensure that you remove all the perishables from your freezer and fridge. You should do this at least 24 hours before your scheduled move. Also, you should unplug these appliances within the said time frame.
This will allow you to clean the interior of the appliances. Besides, you’ll also need your freezer to have defrosted and drained completely before moving it.
Use the proper equipment
There is some equipment that you’ll definitely need when moving your appliances. This equipment will allow you to move the appliances safely and easily. However, you don’t have to worry, as you can substitute some of the equipment.
Here are some of the things that you will need:
- Appliance dolly – you will need this wheeled equipment if you don’t want to struggle. You can purchase one from specific home improvement stores, or just rent one from a reputable moving company.
- Furniture blankets – these are also known as moving blankets. They are protective clothes that protect your valuable appliances when moving them. While it can be a challenge to get hold of them—consider contacting your moving company.
- Furniture straps – these assist you in securing your appliances to the moving dolly, as well as inside the moving truck. However, you don’t have to worry if you cannot find them. You can easily replace them with ordinary ropes or stretch tapes.
- Sliders – also referred to as gliders or sliding pads, they make it possible to move your appliances safely on wooden floors, without damaging it. However, you can only use them for a short distance until you’ve loaded the appliance onto a moving dolly. Most moving companies do provide sliders—you can purchase or rent one from them.
Hire professional movers
If you are not experienced in moving appliances, just hire professional movers to help you with the exercise. Yes, it might be costly to hire movers to help you with moving your appliances. However, the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged appliance is higher than the cost of hiring professional movers.
One notable thing with professional movers is their skills and experience. That means, they will handle your appliances safely, without damaging them, as well as the surrounding areas.
Protect your property
The last thing anyone wants to damage their property when moving their appliances, particularly the heavier ones. Tile, hardwood, carpeted, or vinyl floors are some of the areas susceptible to damage while moving furniture. Therefore, you should take the necessary precautions to protect these areas.
Thick cardboards allow you to protect the exit paths when moving your appliances. Besides, you can lay some protective polyethylene sheets in areas with high traffic if you don’t want to start dealing with costly home repairs after you are done with your move.
Apart from damaging your floors, the walls in your house are also prone to damage. Failing to observe the above safety measures when moving heavy or large appliances out of or into your home, scratches, dents, or chipped corners on walls can lead to unwanted and costly repairs. These are costs you don’t want to incur when moving.
Secure the appliances
Use a bubble wrap or tape to secure your appliances. This should cut across all the appliances, including the smaller ones, like your microwave or toaster. The last thing you want is the doors to start popping open when moving the appliances. This can damage your items or injure the movers. Thus, ensure that you’ve secured all the oven doors, dishwasher doors, and fridge doors, among others.
Bottom Line
According to Toronto movers from Torex Moving Company, every appliance in your home comes with different safety requirements when moving them. Thus, you will need to handle and move your dryer or washer differently from your stove or fridge. Besides, you might need to hire professionals to make the move safe.
This is particularly essential when moving appliances connected to gas lines. Hiring a professional will make sure that the gas line is safely disconnected or reconnected when moving. Other appliances, like washers and dryers, are located upstairs—which makes it a challenge to move them.
Thus, you will need to hire professional movers to help you in moving these appliances, together with any other heavy appliance in your home. Lastly, ensure that your freezer and fridge are handled properly to avoid damaging the interior of the appliance.