Damage-Free Moves: How to Pack Furniture for Moving

Regardless of whether you’ve hired a team of movers or schlepping boxes and stuffing trucks on your own, learning how to pack furniture for moving is a critical skill. If you’re like most homeowners, the furniture in your home represents some of the most valuable pieces you own.

Because of this, it’s essential to take good care of it and ensure that you’re avoiding scratches, dings, and cracks that can result from improper packing techniques. If you aren’t quite sure how to pack furniture for moving, read on:

How to Pack Furniture for Moving 101

Few things are more stressful than arriving at your new home and having to clean as soon as you get there. Because of this, it’s essential to clean all of your furniture before you move.

1. Clean all furniture before packing it

Dust and polish wood pieces and give everything a good once-over with a microfiber cloth. This helps your furniture arrive at your new home safe, sound, and in great condition.

2. Remove all of the furniture’s contents

If you’re moving something like a bookshelf, a dresser, or a decorative chest of drawers, you’ll have to empty the piece of its contents before you move it. In addition to making the furniture lighter and safer to move, this also keeps the items within the larger piece safer and more organized.

3. Break furniture down when possible

If the furniture in question can be broken down, now is the time to take it apart. Things like bed frames and large bookshelves should be taken apart to save room. Keep in mind that, once you take furniture apart, it’s easy to lose small pieces like bolts and screws, so you’ll want to keep these taped inside a plastic bag and attached to the piece of furniture itself.

4. Wrap all furniture securely

One of the greatest dangers furniture faces during the moving process is dings, scratches, and scuffs. To prevent this from happening, be sure to wrap all furniture securely in things like moving blankets, bubble wrap, or newspaper. This is especially important for large, expensive pieces with lots of vulnerable surface area, like dining tables and hutches.

5. Protect fabric furniture during a move

If left unprotected, fabric furniture can easily get torn, stained, or marked during a move. With this in mind, be sure to wrap all upholstered furniture and items like mattresses in plastic to protect them during the journey. It’s possible to buy plastic furniture bags and covers from your local moving store, and many of these items can be re-used for subsequent moves.

While learning how to pack furniture for moving can feel like a big task, failing to do it properly can result in expensive mishaps or devastating disappointments. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. These simple steps help make it easier than ever before. With the help of these tips, your furniture can arrive safely, easily, and without a trace of damage at your new home.