How to Move Household Appliances: The Ultimate Guide
Are you moving soon and wondering how on earth you’re going to get your appliances from point A to point B? You can relax a little, because you’ve come to the right place. Our movers from Déménagement Total will walk you through the entire process, from packing to transport. We’ll cover everything, including tips for safely moving your washer, dryer, refrigerator, and more. So read on for all the information you’ll ever need about moving household appliances.
Clean from Top to Bottom
When it comes to moving household appliances, the first thing you need to do is remove all the items from inside. Especially when it comes to your refrigerator. Our Montreal appliance moving company always advises using up all your food in the days prior to moving, especially perishable items. So this should be an easy task, as there shouldn’t be too many things remaining.
Make sure you clean everything out too, because leaving even small food debris in your refrigerator and freezer can cause it to rot and smell badly when it is unplugged. That rotten food smell can linger for weeks, and you don’t want to bring that into your new home. We advise customers who are moving household appliances to take the time to thoroughly clean everything.
Fill your sink with hot, sudsy water, and take out all the shelves from your fridge and give everything a really great scrub. Vacuum up any left-over food debris that has gathered on the bottom of your fridge. Wipe down all the sides of your fridge with a warm cloth. Our appliance movers in Montreal have seen 15 year old fridges look brand new after a good cleaning. For dishwashers and washing machines, most brands have a self-clean cycle.
Other than that, you should also wipe down the exterior of all your appliances. Including the sides and back. Often there is dust collected over the years. Not only is this unsanitary but it will also make the item more difficult to move if it’s covered in slippery dust and grime. So give all appliances a good cleaning. Not only is this step necessary, it will feel absolutely amazing having clean, like-new appliances in your new place. Nothing beats that feeling of a fresh start!
The next thing you’ll need to do is unplug your appliances and defrost your freezer for at least 24 hours before the move. This will help prevent any water damage that could occur during transport. You should also clean your oven, as grease and grime can get jostled around and make a mess during the move. For items like washers and dryers, you’ll need to disconnect the water hoses and power cords. You may also need to remove the door from your refrigerator so it doesn’t swing open during transport.
With everything unplugged and disconnected, there is one last, often overlooked step. Vacuum and wash your floors. When moving household appliances, the weight of these objects can damage your floors, especially soft hardwood if there is any debris on your floors.
Even sand or small pebbles can become embedded in your floor as the dolly or hand truck passes over it. So be proactive and get rid of anything that can cause damage to your home while moving household appliances. Now you’ve got your place clean from top to bottom, you’re ready to move on to the next step!
Protect Your Floors
Depending on the type of flooring you have, our appliance moving company recommends putting down mats or runners when moving household appliances. This runner acts as a buffer between the floor and the weight of the appliance. It adds an extra layer of protection when moving household appliances.
Runners will also protect your floors from any foreign objects that can be brought in from outside during the moving process. A reputable appliance moving company will come prepared with these runners as a standard practice while moving household appliances.
Get the Right Moving Equipment
Moving household appliances is a big job as these items can weigh hundreds of pounds. We never advise anyone to try to move an appliance by themselves. There are way too many potential issues that can arise.
You can’t see over the appliance and may end up bumping into a wall, or worse, lose your balance and the appliance ends up getting irreversibly damaged. These are not cheap items so never attempt to move them alone. A good rule of thumb is always ensure there’s a minimum of two movers when moving household appliances.
Two movers will allow you to easily move a heavy appliance. Using tools to help get the job done right is paramount to safely moving household appliances. Some equipment you will be needing is the following:
- Shoulder straps. These useful straps shift the weight of the appliance closer to your body distributing the bulk of the weight, allowing you to manage the weight of the appliance more effectively.
- Hand-trucks. Hand-trucks, also called hand trolleys, are L-shaped carts with two wheels. They are very useful for lifting heavy and tall items, or stacking several small items. They can be slid under heavy items so there is no lifting involved when moving household appliances.
- Dollies. A dolly is a 4 wheel platform that comes in many styles and varieties. Unlike a hand truck, you will have to lift the item onto the dolly, but they provide a strong level of balance and maneuverability.
- Truck cranes. A truck crane is normally used while dealing with extremely heavy, extremely bulky objects or objects that are not passing through the doors or the corridors of a building. You can watch this video testimonial of such a move carried out by our moving company in Montreal.
Communication is Key
Moving household appliances is not a one person job. Appliance movers always come in pairs. In order to move efficiently, the appliance movers need to communicate well. Appliances are large and when moving household appliances, it’s impossible to see from all angles. So the appliance movers will be constantly talking about what they are seeing, how to move, which way to turn, when to stop, slow down, move left, move right, etc. This communication is so important in order to get the appliance out of the house without bumping into anything or damaging the appliance.
Our appliance moving company takes pride in the degree of training it puts all employees through. This training includes communication skills. So not only do the appliance movers at Déménagement Total communicate well while moving household appliances, they also communicate effectively with our customers. This is key in providing the very best moving service.
Hire Professional Appliance Movers
If you’ve followed our advice up to this point, you will be ready and prepared to move your appliances. However, we have seen, time and time again, people wanting to save money and attempting to move their appliances themselves. One wrong move can cause irreversible damage to an appliance, rendering it useless. Replacing such expensive items like a fridge or stove will cost you more in the long run. Do it the right way and hire an appliance moving company from the very start.
The appliance movers at Déménagement Total know what they are doing and will guarantee your appliances make it to their new home in one piece and in perfect condition. The cost of hiring an appliance moving company will be less than having to replace an appliance. Plus, it’s hard to put a cost on peace of mind. Give us a call or click on this link to get a free quote for your move!
