The 7 Best Tips for Preventing Damage During a Move

There is always the risk of damage anytime things are moved from one place to another. This is why great care is involved when removing belongings and placing them into their new home. So, if you will be moving out of your home to live in a new one, it is crucial to take damage preventive measures for your belongings, and even for the places you are leaving and moving into.

To help you with this important task, here are the seven best tips for you.

1. Invest in the right packing supplies

Make sure that you will be placing your belongings, especially the fragile ones, in sturdy boxes. Not only that, do buy different wrapping supplies such as packaging paper, bubble wrap, foam peanuts, and tape.

The main advantages of boxes are that they do not change their shape and they can be stacked more securely on top of each other compared to regular bags or luggage.

Meanwhile, wrapping supplies such as packaging paper and bubble wrap provide additional cushioning to prevent the scratches and scrapes that occur among items placed in the same container.

As for foam peanuts and tape, these can prevent excessive shifting of the items inside a box, especially if it’s still a tad loose or spacious inside.

2. Learn packing tips and techniques

The right packing supplies will not work if you do not use them correctly. So, learn the proper way to wrap your valuables because the movement during transit, and even just pushing and pulling items from one place to another, can cause packaging to come undone.

Another advantage of learning packing tips and techniques is that they allow you to maximize the space inside your luggage and boxes. You may be able to fit in more items in a single container, which can create ample room in the moving truck for large pieces such as your sofa, mattresses, and others.

Pinterest and YouTube offer an abundance of these packing tricks that you can use.

3. Disassemble bulky furniture and appliances

Doing this will make moving big items less physically strenuous. Also, you will be able to protect their quality better, especially if you pack the small parts securely in boxes.

If you do not really know how to properly take apart your furniture and appliances, you can take advantage of the expert furniture disassembling service that moving companies offer. This service will get the job done right away, and the team will even help you put everything back together once you get to your new place.

Extra tip: When disassembling appliances and furniture, take a video of the process. This will eliminate the time-consuming trial and error with reassembly.

4. Clean and clear pathways.

Get rid of carpets and rugs, and push aside the boxes to be moved to create a clear path for the movers. At the same time, clean the floors as well. Sweep away clutter, and wipe away sticky and slippery residue to reduce the likelihood of an unfortunate accident from happening.

If you have little children and pets, keep them out of the way as well. Consider hiring babysitting services to help or ask a friend to bring the little ones to the park or mall while a lot of work is getting done at home.

So, establish a clear path that you and the removalists can use to make moving all belongings a safe and organized process.

5. Establish the best entry and exit points

This is particularly important when you have a lot of large and bulky items to load in the truck. Make the necessary measurements to identify the biggest doors and windows that such items can fit through. You may even want to remove room dividers to create more spacious entry and exit points for the items.

Basically, the idea here is to determine and create the most spacious openings where large and heavy items can safely pass through. If these openings are big enough, you will not have to worry much about bumps that could lead to scratches and breakage.

6. Attach cushioning to banisters, walls, corner edges, and door frames

This is another fantastic damage-proofing technique to implement because moving bulky furniture and appliances can be quite tricky. Even expert movers and packers can struggle with tight corners and hallways, and the contact between items and the structural components of the building is inevitable.

To prevent damage to the items being moved, as well as the building you are moving out of or into, cover likely contact points such as bannisters, walls, corner edges, door frames and even door handles with a blanket, painter’s tape, or even bubble wrap.

7. Use moving tools and equipment

Make pushing, pulling, and carrying easier and safer to do by using helpful tools and equipment. Use moving blankets, slider discs, trollies, and lifting bands. These materials can prevent everything from tiny scrapes to irreparable damage to your belongings.

Likewise, print or write down instructions on how certain items should be handled. Indicate the right sides of the box and the contents of the box.

Moving, as a process, is sure to cost you a considerable amount of money and stress. So it’s best to do everything you can to prevent additional expenses you could potentially incur from repairing or replacing items damaged during the move.

Originally posted 2021-09-10 13:08:20.