Moving Large Appliances without Damaging Your Property
Posted on 13/09/2016
Moving heavy appliances from your current home to another location is without a doubt the most strenuous activity associated with relocation. It is no surprise that people hire professional movers especially for this task and less so for everything else.
You’d think that heavy furniture is also a problem, yet most of these items in particular can be dismantled and easily transported piece by piece, which makes the job much less painful. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about heavy appliances. Knowing how to tackle those without putting yourself and your home in harm’s way is one of the most important aspects of your home removal that you should address. Here are a few practical suggestions on how to approach this difficult task:
- Hire a man and van service - surely professionals know best what to do with the large appliances you want to move. After all, it is their job and they have had time to practice it a lot. They have the equipment and the knowledge of how to properly handle heavy appliances so that no damage occurs to your home. If hiring experts is not an option, then you will have to rely on the help of friends and relatives, because the chances for you to finish the task on your own are near zero.
- Acquire the needed gear - there are several pieces of moving equipment, which make relocating heavy appliances possible. A dolly of proper size is one such tool, as it enables moving heavy loads on wheels. Furniture blankets will help protect home appliances and the surface they come into contact with from damage. Securing the appliances on the dolly and the removal van is usually done by using furniture straps. Rope of the appropriate length works just as well. Slider and glider sheets add excellent protection to floors, as they enable sliding heavy appliances without damage over short distances.
- Protect your floors - one of the main considerations when moving heavy objects out of your home is damaging the floor. The last thing you want is to damage your home on your way out or, even worse, scratch your newly finished hardwood floor at your new home. A good way to prevent that is to lay protective sheets of cardboard or durable polyethylene. That ought to protect your floors during the transition of appliances and spare you the need to make costly repairs. Floors aren’t the only area of your home vulnerable to damage during appliance removal - walls can suffer too. Take proper measures to ensure that a piece can safely get through a door and handle the job with care and attention.
- Careful with cords - hanging power cords are potentially dangerous, as they could cause you to trip and drop the appliance while carrying it. In order to prevent that, you should securely tape the cord to the back of the appliance so that it doesn’t get in the way. The same is valid for a washing machine’s main hose.
- Always remove detachable parts - it was already mentioned that appliances are not like furniture in that they cannot be disassembled, but there are still some parts that can be removed to lessen the load. In the case of your fridge, this means all of the interior glass sheets, racks and drawers. Separate them in removal boxes, which are much more easily handled by a man with van team or yourself, if you are doing this job on your own.
There are a lot of details surrounding the move of heavy appliances and you need to address them all to guarantee the safety of your home. Don’t rush, follow all of the outlined tips and you will get through this without any trouble.
