Best Tips for Moving Furniture Across the Country

March 22, 2022 / Posted in Moving Tips
Maya Brown

Born in Atlanta, Maya has called many places home in her lifetime. She's a content writer and moving expert who loves to help people relocate smoothly.

Packing and preparing for a relocation can be pretty tricky, especially when you’re planning on relocating your entire house inventory across the country. Moving furniture is probably the most challenging task and requires physical strength and working smart. If you’re planning a cross-country move soon, be sure to read through our best tips for relocating furnishing since you’re probably going to need it.

A living room full of furniture.
Transportation of furnishing requires a lot of attention since you don't want to damage anything or possibly hurt yourself in the process

Why Is It Important to Prepare Well for Moving Furniture?

When you’re relocating to a different state, you want to give yourself enough time to prepare a move-out list and write down all of the tasks you need to finish. Each lesson is important and requires preparation before you start working on it. Furniture moving is not an easy job, so if this is your first time relocating, you should read through some of these relocation hacks to help you with this task.

When relocating your belongings, you want to pack efficiently and safely. Create an inventory list of all the heavier things in your house that need to be transported. Usually, people finish the more significant tasks, such as heavy lifting at the beginning of the packing process. Creating a plan for packing furnishing is going to help you tackle this task easier and will save you time and energy for later.

Part of preparation is cleaning all your furnishing before you secure it and pack it. Vacuum and wash everything gently with a sponge or cloth and some washing solution, like soap and warm water. Do this a few days before packing since it needs to be completely dry before you box it up.

Gathering Equipment for Carrying Heavy Stuff Will Certainly Make Things a Lot Easier

Relocating furnishing requires proper equipment, and you shouldn’t ignore this step since it’s going to ensure everything goes easy and safe. When you want to move furniture in the house, be sure you first gather these significant innovative objects that are going to relocate your belongings smoothly:

  • Moving straps or ”lifting straps” are devices that are supposed to transfer some weight off of your back while you are carrying massive things. It’s going to prevent you from potential back injuries that are super common with lifting hefty things. Since the straps are adjustable, you shouldn’t be worrying about tailoring them to the size of the belongings you’re lifting.
  • Dollies are extremely useful for relocating massive stuff. There are two types on the market that you can opt for. Both have the same function of securing things and pushing them around. The first one is a four-wheeled square platform (with or without a handle for pushing). The second one is a two-wheel hand truck with a smaller base than the first one.
  • Sliders are a must-have item for gliding your inventory across the floor quickly. It’s beneficial with surfaces that are not smooth, like carpets. It works by reducing the friction that makes it hard to move massive stuff around, minimizing the risk of damage to your floors.

You will also need supplies and different packing materials for securing your furnishing. You’ll require sturdy boxes for the smaller items. If you’re planning on disassembling certain pieces, you’ll need containers for them – inform yourself how to choose the best-sized packages. Packing tape and bubble wrap are a must for packing fragile items and securing the boxes and things inside them. You will also need some tools like a tape dispenser, scissors, and of course, markers for labeling boxes.

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Create a List of Items You Will Need in Your New Home

Before you start packing, be sure you’re not overpacked. It’s always important to decide what to keep when relocating and keep in mind what you will actually need in your new house. Especially if you’re relocating out of state on a budget, you should try and pack fewer things since more inventory means higher costs.

Donating or selling unnecessary stuff is a great option when you’re trying to get rid of extra stuff from your house. You can donate old stuff and appliances through websites like GoodWill. You’ll save up money for transport, and you’ll have less work with loading and unloading.

If you have some stuff you wish to keep but don’t need immediately in your apartment, you should consider storage service as they can come in handy for all the bigger and bulkier pieces you’re not sure where to put them. Search which companies offer free storage if you get their other services, and that is a pretty good way of saving on relocation costs. Look for storage that has climate control and is safe for any furnishing you want to keep there.

A man taking a photo of the furnishing he's going to sell
The stuff you think you won't need in the other house you can sell online and earn some cash or use storage

Tips for Packing Heavy Furnishing – With or Without the Movers

The number one thing you should keep in mind when packing is staying safe and protecting the things from getting damaged. If you’ve already decided to transport all your large items across the country, you at least want to be sure you’ve protected them in the proper way, so they arrive safely at your home in another state. This is why you should consider getting help when moving furniture within homes.

One thing most companies do when boxing up and transporting home inventory is disassembling it. Most of the bigger and the smaller stuff can be disassembled and later assembled again once it arrives at your other home. Once it’s disassembled into smaller parts, it is easier to pack, protect and transport.

How to Protect Furniture When Moving?

When it comes to protecting staff, most of the items can be wrapped in bubble wrap, and that way, you can avoid scratching and other kinds of damage. You can also use plastic scratch foil if you’re relocating at the last minute and don’t have time to order proper materials.

Dressers and other pieces with drawers can be left with their contents inside. Just take out the drawers, wrap them with plastic, and put them back into place. This way, the drawers, and their contents will stay in place during the transport.

Wooden furnishings will probably acquire more attention when transported. It’s usually large and massive, and taking care of wood requires following specific rules. You should avoid wrapping wood in bubbles or plastic since it can easily get damaged like that. Consider covering it with blankets and using wrapping to secure it in place before loading it into a relocating truck.

Small hardware is one of the most commonly forgotten things to pack, and you’ll probably notice you forgot them once you start settling in. To avoid losing small hardware such as screws, hooks, and other items, place them in a ziplock bag and label them to which piece they belong.

Should You Hire Help for Packing and Relocating?

Can you hire someone to rearrange the furniture? Relocation is a complex process, and people often hire long-distance movers to help them with the whole situation and tons of tasks that need to be done in a certain amount of time. Many people require help with this task, so don’t hesitate to contact some movers.

On that note, if you’re planning to hire movers to move furniture for you, you’re going to have to search well and choose a reputable long-distance moving company. You want a mover who’s going to finish the work for the customer properly, safely, and with a guaranteed price for their cross-country moving services. You can contact them and ask them any question about relocating, for example ”How much does it cost to move some furniture?” or ”What is the cheapest way to move furniture?”.

Search for companies with long-distance moving services that can finish everything much faster and more efficiently, and you’ll have no relocation stress. You’ll just have to know how to prepare for the movers so they can do their job the best they can.

However, it is not impossible to finish everything on your own without the help of cross-country movers and their packing service. Still, you need to remember these tips to make things easier and avoid inevitable relocation mistakes.

Is moving furniture expensive? The answer to this question depends on everyone’s budget and the number of belongings you’re planning to transport. Once you have an inventory list ready, the company will let you know the estimated price in advance.

Follow Right Techniques to Stay Safe

If you’re going to be doing most of the work yourself, remember to gather the equipment mentioned above and apply the proper techniques for lifting and dragging massive stuff. Safely relocating always comes first, and before you start lifting, be sure you’ve adequately prepared for it so you avoid any horrible back injuries.

When lifting bulky stuff, remember to carry weight in your legs and not your back. You should be bending your knees and not your waist. This will place most weight onto your arms and legs and not your back. Also, keep in mind that you should carry stuff close to your body and not away from it. This will maintain balance and get your upper arms and shoulders involved in the task.

When getting up and down the stairs, you should be extra careful. You’ll need a partner for this one since it is not wise to attempt doing this independently. The person lower on the stairs should carry the item from its bottom surface, and the person higher should move it from its top surface. You should take it slowly, and the person at the bottom should be giving the instructions.

There are plenty of ”how to” videos that can explain any doubt you may have with relocating appliances and bulky objects, so definitely search them. Here’s an example of one video that may be helpful in these situations.

Remember to Prepare a Plan for Unloading

Suppose you prepared a plan for loading and relocating the things. You should also prepare a plan for unloading the items and unpacking everything after the move. By the time everything is packed and transported, you’ll be too tired to handle unpacking as well. This is why it’s great to hire an auto transport company that will bring everything door to door.

After the move, everything needs to be assembled again and back into its original shape. Before you randomly start unpacking all of the packages, you should have the inventory list you created before the move by your side. You should also consider starting with unpacking the bulkier stuff first. It’s always a good idea to start with unpacking the essential elements and appliances like the kitchen things and bathroom since you’re probably going to want to use them first.

Cross-country movers loading a truck for long-distance moving
Professionals can provide you with a stressless and easier relocation

The Key Is to Stay Organized

The essential thing to keep in mind when relocating your appliances and everything else from your home across the country is to stay organized and punctual. You should have a plan and be prepared for each task in advance, from contacting the relocation or car shipping company to asking them about each service they offer.

The trick is not to postpone anything. Create a good system that will provide easier relocation for you and your family. The better organized you are, the faster you’ll finish, after which you’ll be able to adjust to the new environment and start making friends.

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