Preparing for a cross-country move? Packing and transporting your smaller belongings is easy, but it’s a different story when it comes to appliances–your washer, dryer, oven, fridge, and other essentials. Though vital for everyday use and a comfortable lifestyle, they are large and cumbersome.
Moving Appliances Across Country
You need to ask a few questions before executing your move and transporting your appliances to your new home:
- Are my current appliances brand new?
- Does my new home already have appliances that fit better?
- Does the purchase agreement of my current home allow me to take these appliances with me?
If you can answer yes to each of these questions, then you’re in the clear and ready to tackle the question of how to move heavy appliances.
How to Move Heavy Appliances
Let’s take a closer look at tips and suggestions for transporting your heavy appliances.
Prepare Beforehand
Make sure you have the proper equipment on-hand. If you plan on moving your appliances yourself, you’ll need it. What you’ll need:
- Sliders: Sliders are a safe and effective way to move heavy appliances. Simply place them on the edges or underneath your appliance and push.
- Dollies: These will help you wheel heavy objects out without having to slide them around.
- Furniture Blankets: It is always a good idea to wrap up your appliances, so they don’t bump into one another and cause damage.
- Furniture Straps: Furniture straps can make it easy to lift something and take a lot of weight off you as the lifter.
Each of these can make transporting heavy items easier and more manageable. And if you don’t have them yourself, professional movers will have equipment ready to go!
Prevent Property Damage
Be sure to protect your current home as you move these appliances. You don’t want to cause serious damage to anything as you transport them. Try padding areas with blankets or use cardboard to cover the exit pathways you’ll need to take as you move the appliances.
Disconnect Appliances
If you’re having a moving company, such as Colonial Van Lines, handle the particulars of moving your appliances, or if you’re doing it yourself, it’s a good idea to disconnect them before you plan to move. Doing so will save you time.
Defrost Fridge
You’ll want to disconnect your refrigerator for longer than your other appliances. In fact, plan on disconnecting it about 24 hours before it’s moved. This will give it time to adjust and prevent leaks on moving day.
Make sure you also disconnect the waterline and clean off and dry off all the shelves to prevent mold and mildew from building up. You might also want to clean the drip tray at the bottom of the fridge as well.
Remove Free Pieces
Appliances like your stove might have a lot of pieces that aren’t connected directly to the stove. Be sure to remove these items and store them somewhere else before moving the whole stove. We also advise having an electrician come take a look and potentially unplug your stove or oven for you. They are experienced professionals who know how to handle such appliances properly.
Secure Cords
Once you’ve unplugged everything, you’ll likely notice the number of cords. These can get easily tangled or catch on things, potentially causing a lot of damage to your appliances as they’re being moved. We suggest securing each cord to the back of each appliance with strong tape. You can coil it up if it’s long. This will help prevent the cords from tangling and prevent them from potentially catching on to things.
Moving Appliances with the Help of Colonial Van Lines
Our team at Colonial Van Lines has more than fifty years of cross-country moving experience. You can trust us to handle your move and move your heavy appliances with professional care. Contact us today to learn more about our services or get a free quote.