However positive and upbeat we might feel about a looming house move, it’s impossible to deny that some aspects of it are daunting. For some people, it might be the complications of moving while looking after a young family that they find most stressful. And for others, it could be to do with an aversion to all the paperwork and legalese that can come with selling up and buying, not to mention dealing with mortgages. But for almost all of us, the sheer effort, not to mention thinking power, required to pack up years and years of our old lives and transport them somewhere to begin our new one, is overwhelming. And if our lighter belongings, such as our clothing, can seem like a lot to deal with, no wonder we can feel alarmed at the thought of heavy appliances and chunky furniture. As is so often the case, though, taking it step by step makes it much more manageable. And if even then it seems too Herculean an undertaking, read on to find out how you can use Aussie to get it all done by professionals.
- How do I Move my Washing Machine?
- How do I Move my Fridge/Freezer?
- How do I Move my Oven?
- How do I Move Heavy Furniture?
- What Else do I Need to do?
- Moving Appliances and Heavy Items with Aussie
How do I Move my Washing Machine?
Washing machines are large, heavy and prone to damage from improper handling. To get started, you need to unplug it and disconnect it from the water supply. Ideally, do this with your machine’s manual close at hand (you can usually retrieve this in pdf form online, if you’ve lost your original). Keep some towels and a bucket nearby so that you’re able to deal with any water left over from your last wash that might emerge from the hoses. For the disconnecting process, you may also find you need a wrench to help you loosen the hoses. To make sure the machine is completely free of water, shake the hoses and tilt the machine slightly forward. Your washing machine’s drum is potentially delicate and prone to shaking in transit. Your make/model may have a lock setting that secures the drum for its journey. If not, use packing materials such as padding or foam to secure it so that it remains motionless once loaded into your moving vehicle. This is also the perfect time to clean the machine. Then, perhaps the day before moving day, wrap your machine in moving blankets and/or bubble wrap. If you’re self-moving and don’t have an extra pair of hands, then you’ll almost certainly need something on wheels to help you get the machine out of your home and into the van; a moving cart of some kind will do the trick.
How do I Move my Fridge/Freezer?
Begin the process by emptying and defrosting the device. Because of the time involved in defrosting, this can’t be done any later than 24 hours before your move, but ideally you want 48. Towels will come in useful as the defrosting gathers pace. Then it’s time for a thorough clean of door, shelves, drawers and interior. This diminishes the likelihood of the machine acquiring unpleasant, hard-to-shift smells during its down-time. Next, unplug the machine (including connections to water it might have if it has an ice-making and water-dispensing facility) and keep its door open to air it for a couple of hours. Now all that’s left to do is to secure its doors with moving tape (you can also secure internal compartments) and then wrap it in moving blankets. You’ll want to be particularly sure that the all-important coils, at the external back of the machine, are protected and that it’s loaded onto its transport in an upright position and kept that way throughout. With an extra pair of hands, there should be no great difficulty loading it by hand.
How do I Move my Oven?
Ovens can come with additional challenges; some are in-built, for example. So don’t attempt this process without your oven’s manual within reach. The first step is to unplug and disconnect from the gas or electric supply. Unless you’re confident about disconnecting a gas oven, stop here and use your removal company’s service, or a similar form of professional help. If you’re ploughing ahead, then you may also need to disconnect your oven’s exhaust/vent system, assuming it has one. Then it’s time to clean it thoroughly for its onward journey. After this, use packing tape to secure its door (and, if applicable, any internal elements you think might shake or loosen in travel). Finally, out with the moving blankets and bubble wrap again and then, depending on strength and available personnel, onto the moving vehicle either by hand or using a wheeled device. Keep the oven upright and stable at all times.
How do I Move my Heavy Furniture?
Dining tables, wardrobes, sofas, chests of drawers; all these need to get to your new home in good condition and doing it the wrong way could result in serious injury. The first thing to do, wherever applicable, is disassembly. Whatever detachable parts there are (e.g. beds and tables may have detachable legs and other detachable elements) – detach them! Next, protect your furniture with moving blankets. You may find that specialist furniture padding does the job best. The last thing you want is for precious, irreplaceable pieces to end up with dents and scratches. You can use packing tape to secure the padding before using a wheeled device to load items into the van.
What Else do I Need to do?
Once all these heavy items are in your moving vehicle, use moving straps to keep them in place during the journey. All that effort could go to waste if you’re driving a vehicle in which items can fall over and crash into each other.
Moving Appliances and Heavy Items with Aussie
Sometimes, the right call is to take advantage of your moving company’s additional services rather than put yourself through the slog of packing up a house. Aussie comes with over two decades of experience and the famous “can do” attitude that means we’re quick to react dynamically during a move, anticipating problems before they occur and mitigating them in advance. The Aussie moving team includes exceptional, efficient packers who can look after that most daunting of challenges, including disconnecting, prepping, loading and unloading your most complicated and heavy appliances and bulky furniture (including pianos). When you use Aussie for your move, you can opt in and out of our suite of complementary services, to end up with the exact move you want. Aussie’s array of services includes: removals, man & van (ideal for smaller moves), business moves, international moves and storage services. In addition, we have a suite of property services, which includes handymen, cleaners, compliance specialists, inventory services and painters/decorators.