Pack Furniture For Moving

Whether you have professional movers or you are loading and driving a truck yourself, getting your furniture ready for moving day can be stressful. Large pieces of furniture such as sofas, bunk beds, antique dressers and dining sets that seat 12 are far more complicated to pack than your books and picture frames. However, packing up your furniture and ensuring it arrives in good condition does not have to be impossible. You simply need to be prepared and organized. Pack furniture for moving by gathering helpful packing materials, disassembling everything you can and securely wrapping and boxing up all of the pieces and hardware that go with every item.

Steps

  1. Create a list of what you will be packing and moving. This will give you a written inventory and help you determine how much packing material you need.
  2. Create a packing material list. Things you will need for furniture will include sofa and mattress covers, packing tape, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, sheets of cardboard, furniture blankets and old towels and rags.
    • Speak with salespeople at moving supply stores. Explain the type of furniture you will be packing up, and ask for recommendations on what you will need. On moving day, you will find you are much better off to have too much than not enough.
  3. Clean your furniture. Dust and polish everything you plan to move. It makes no sense to pack up dirty furniture and bringing it into your new home, and you will not want to spend time cleaning it once you move.
  4. Clear out anything inside the furniture you are moving. This will make it lighter and easier to transport.
    • Empty all dresser drawers. Remove anything in china cabinets, bookshelves, entertainment centers and other furniture pieces. Those items inside your furniture should be packed separately.
  5. Disassemble anything that can be taken apart. For example, remove legs from sofas and tables, take out dining table leafs and remove the headboards and footboards from beds.
    • Check any manuals or materials you may have for your furniture. These booklets or pamphlets should contain instructions on how to properly take the furniture apart.
  6. Place any hardware in clear plastic bags that seal. Label the bags so you know what they are and what the pieces belong to. For example, your bags might read "nuts and bolts from kitchen table" or "bed screws."
    • Tape the bags to the corresponding furniture if that will help you keep everything together. Some people prefer to pack them away together, and others use masking or packing tape to attach the bags of hardware.
  7. Wrap the disassembled furniture pieces and pack them in boxes. Use bubble wrap, stretchable plastic wrap, towels and blankets to protect table legs, bed rails and other detached pieces to your furniture.
    • Securely tape or tie the bubble wrap, plastic or other materials. You want to make sure no part of your furniture pieces becomes exposed during transit.
    • Label the boxes clearly. For example, a box might say "dining room table legs," "drawers from kids' bedroom" or "desk shelving."
  8. Cover glass table tops with heavy packing paper. You can also use thick furniture blankets or towels.
    • Place your glass pieces in telescoping boxes. These are boxes that fit inside one another, offering extra support to heavy things such as glass. Add newspapers, rags or other packing materials to the boxes to ensure the glass does not have room to move.
  9. Wrap mattresses, sofas and chairs in special plastic covers. These covers will protect your furniture against rips, damage and moisture.
    • Purchase these covers at moving supply stores such as U-Haul, or online through discount retailers like Amazon and Ecobox.
  10. Line the floor of the moving truck with furniture blankets to protect the bottoms of your sofas, mattresses and any other pieces that will not be in boxes.
  11. Pack the moving truck so that all of your furniture is secure and not in danger of getting damaged or damaging other pieces. Similarly weighted objects should go on each side of the truck to keep everything balanced.
    • Take advantage of any hooks or paneling inside the moving truck to keep everything steady.

Tips

  • Ask for help. Even if you cannot afford professional movers, everyone should have a couple of strong and generous friends who will be willing to help you move. Call in favors and bribe people with free pizza and drinks in exchange for their help.

Warnings

  • Avoid injuries while packing your furniture by getting help with heavy items. Do not attempt to lift anything heavy alone, wear a back brace and gloves for extra support and bend at the knees when you lift so you are not straining your back.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic covers
  • Packing tape
  • Bubble wrap
  • Plastic wrap
  • Towels
  • Furniture blankets
  • Boxes
  • Clear sealed bags

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Pack_Furniture_For_Moving&oldid=275467"