How to prepare furniture for relocation in Chicago
Furniture is usually the source of many headaches during a move. From packing it, carrying it down flights of stairs and narrow hallways, all the way to finding room for it in the truck. Sure enough, you won’t stress as much if you hire furniture movers Chicago, but even then, you have to prepare furniture for relocation. If you’re doing a solo, DIY move, you’ll have to not only transport but also secure everything. Ultimately, your main goal is to get all of your items to the new house with no damages. Not only that, but you also want to do your best to avoid injuries when carrying the furniture around. However, you’re in luck, because we’re here to help! With the help of this guide, you will be able to pack and transport your furniture with ease. Let’s begin!
Before you can do anything, you need to know exactly what you’re working with. Make a complete inventory list of each piece of furniture beforehand. Think about how long it would take you to disassemble each piece and what you can do to further secure them. It is also wise to give certain items priority over others. For example, you can dismantle your office desk a couple of days before the move, but not your bed. Once you have a solid plan of events, you’re ready to start gathering supplies and setting things into motion.
Before you prepare furniture for relocation, measure your home
Creating a comprehensive moving plan won’t serve much of a purpose if your furniture can’t even leave the house, to begin with. However, you did get everything into the home at some point, right? This means that it’s also possible to take everything out. It will just take a bit of careful planning, and the help of moving companies Chicago. Before you move that bulky sofa even an inch, you need to make sure that it will fit through all of the doorways, hallways, stairwells, and corridors in the house. As far as disassembling your furniture goes, sometimes it is necessary, while sometimes, it isn’t. If an object isn’t too heavy and can fit through doors without suffering damages, it doesn’t need to be disassembled. In any other case, grab your tools and start deconstructing. Once you know what needs to be disassembled, it’s time to think about tools.
Everything is easier when you’re equipped for the job
Some people will tell you that all you need to successfully move your furniture are a few boxes, some packing tape, and a couple of blankets. Simply put, those people are wrong. These items do serve a purpose, however, that is far from the complete list of tools you’ll need. If you want quality packing containers, you should consider moving boxes Chicago. Aside from those, here is a list of the needed items and supplies:
- Plastic sofa and mattress covers
- Plastic ziplock bags
- Bubble wrap or stretch wrap
- Sheets of corrugated cardboard
- Packing tape
- Markers
- Basic household tools
You will need tools such as screwdrivers, spanners, and wrenches to disassemble your furniture, as well as remove doors if needed. The ziplock bags are good for storing small nuts and bolts so you don’t lose them. Table legs and tabletops should be isolated with stretch wrap and blankets to avoid dings and scratches as soon as possible. In addition, while you prepare furniture for relocation, it is a good idea to get a movers dolly with wheels and straps. These tools will allow you to move and carry the furniture around with ease, without risking injury.
Start disassembling your furniture and try not to lose the small parts
Set aside the furniture that will require disassembly and prepare for some manual labor. It might take a bit of time, so make sure you are well-rested and, if possible, start work early in the morning. Remove every part that can be removed, such as table legs, bed frames, shelves, and tabletops. If you have the instruction manual for a specific piece of furniture, you can look through it to see how everything fits together. It will come in handy with disassembly. You can save the screws, nuts, bolts, and washers by putting them in a ziplock bag when you remove them. Label the bags with the name of the furniture the pieces belong to, so you don’t mix them up. Tape the individual bags onto the larger pieces of furniture, but avoid surfaces that can be damaged by the adhesive. This way you won’t lose them during transport.
Prepare your furniture for relocation by packing it the right way
Start the packing process by removing all of the pillows and cushions from your sofas and couches, and set them aside in plastic bags. Wrap the individual pieces of furniture with blankets and packing tape. To avoid damaging the leather and upholstering, do not apply tape directly to the surface of the furniture. To save yourself a bit of money, do not clean the furniture before packing. You will need to clean the entire household after the move, so why not do everything at that point? Be extra careful when disassembling antique furniture, and use generous amounts of bubble wrap and blankets. This is the only way to keep everything safe and sound.
Lastly, it is time to load everything onto the moving truck. This may seem like the last, trivial step of the process but make no mistake, it is equally important. The largest and heaviest items should be loaded first and placed in the back of the truck. Follow up with the rest of your household appliances and boxes. As far as the boxes go, apply the same principle, heaviest first, then everything else. To make sure everything is snug and safe and doesn’t shift in transit, fill any gaps with towels and blankets. With these nifty tricks and a bit of luck, your relocation will be easier than ever. With the help of this guide, you will be able to prepare furniture for relocation like a professional.