Moving house is a stressful enough experience in itself, but moving long-distance adds new challenges. The cost is higher, it takes longer for your furniture to arrive, and there are legal and regulatory requirements to consider for interstate moves. Relocating to another state or country is a major life change, and during the chaos of the move, it’s easy to forget to take care of your furniture.
Moving furniture—especially the large, awkward, or fragile kind—requires skill and a careful, considered approach. Lifting heavy objects improperly can cause neck, back, knee, and shoulder injuries. Moving furniture without the right kind of preparation can also damage your furniture and your home in various ways, from leaving scuffs, scratches, and marks on the furniture itself to dents in doorways and scratches on floors.
Fortunately, there are ways of protecting your furniture during a long-distance house relocation. It just means following a few tried and tested tips. Australia-wide, Ready Movers is a trusted name for in-house moves, with over 10,000 successful moves behind us. Here’s our guide to how to protect your furniture when moving interstate.
How to Protect Furniture When Moving Long Distance
Just like following the right safety tips helps keep you free from injuries when moving furniture, some tips and techniques help prevent damage to your furniture as well.
Make sure you have the right packing materials
When it comes to heavy, expensive or easily breakable pieces of furniture, regular boxes and packing tape may not provide a high enough level of protection. Items like bubble wrap, double-corrugated premium boxes, packing blankets, and professional packing paper can help you protect your furniture better during a long-distance house relocation.
Prep your furniture before packing
Leftover dust and debris can leave unsightly scratches and marks on your furniture during the moving process. Cleaning and prepping your furniture first avoids bringing unnecessary grime into your new home. Use a clean and dry microfiber cloth to wipe off loose bits of dirt before wrapping your furniture in bubble wrap.
Disassemble your furniture
Some of your larger items of furniture will give you the most trouble on a moving day: from beds to bookshelves, tables to desks. Some of them will be too large to fit through corridors and doorways, while others will be too heavy to carry up or down stairs. When possible, remove legs from tables, take bed frames apart, take drawers out of dressers and don’t forget to put nuts and bolts in a safe space where you can easily find them again.
Load items in a strategic fashion
If you’ve hired a truck to move, the way you pack items onto it makes a huge difference. Place the heaviest boxes on the floor of the truck and the lighter ones on top of them. Use additional moving blankets for extra padding, and make sure the furniture is properly secured.
Clear entry and exit paths of any potential dangers
Walk the intended entry and exit paths of your old house and your new one and identify any potential dangers that may cause a problem when it comes to moving your furniture. Watch out for clutter, blind spots, random obstacles and slippering conditions and make sure the path is as safe and clear as possible.
Don’t try to tackle the whole move on your own
Moving house, even a short distance, is too large an endeavour for just one person. Make sure you have a few friends or family members to help you or, better yet, hire professional removalists.
Things to Avoid When Moving Furniture Long Distance
When you’re moving house, mistakes and wrong decisions can drag the process out further and make it more expensive as well. Some issues to avoid when moving long-distance include:
Leaving everything to the last minute
When you’re moving house, it pays to start as early as possible. Whether it’s finding the right removalists, getting moving quotes, dissembling furniture or packing itself, leaving it to the last minute can mean a desperate scramble to catch up at moving time. Start the process as early as you’re able. The right moving house checklist can help you stay prepared weeks and months ahead of your moving date.
Compromising on packing materials to save costs
Using inferior boxes or packing materials (or none at all) may save you a bit of money, but it will also leave your precious furniture more exposed to chips, breakages and other damage.
Not assessing the space at your new location
Your furniture may not fit into your new home the same way you’re used to, and you may also have a smaller space to work with. Checking out your new space and giving some thought to where your furniture will go prior to the move will help prevent unexpected logistical difficulties. If you’re moving into a small home, you can also take the opportunity to downsize and get rid of any unwanted furniture beforehand.
Neglecting to measure hallways and doors
If possible, measure the doorways and hallways at your new place to make sure they’re wide enough for furniture to pass through without damaging the walls or the furniture.
How to Choose the Right Removalists
The easiest way to get through a long-distance move is to carry out professionals to help. Here’s what to consider when choosing the right removalists:
Furniture cover for moving house
It’s important that your removalists have insurance to cover any damage to the furniture that occurs while moving.
Professional accreditation
Removalists who are members of the Australian Furniture Removers Association (AFRA) are required to meet rigorous national standards and regulations.
Positive reviews and testimonials
Google and social media reviews give you an unbiased look into previous customers’ experiences with particular moving companies.
Measures in place to transport fragile items
Some furniture and household possessions are a little more delicate. A removalist with the right training, skills, and processes can move them with sufficient care and efficiency.
Smooth As Silk Interstate Removals with Ready Movers
Ready Movers can take the stress out of your move and offer you peace of mind with our interstate removalist services. We’ve built a reputation as one of the most trusted removalists in the country, and our friendly and customer-focused team will ensure you have the smoothest, most stress-free move possible. An AFRA-accredited moving company, we provide a full pack and move service tailored to your needs with your very own dedicated move manager.
Packing is one of the longest and most gruelling parts of any move and that’s why Ready Movers can lighten your load with our customised packing services. We tailor an entire packing and unpacking service to suit your needs and can pack and move anything from a single room to your entire home. We can also disassemble furniture and reassemble it at your new location, supply quality packing materials, and transport larger, heavier, and bulkier items.
To find out more, contact the Ready Movers team for a moving quote.
