Long-Distance Moving 101: How To Move Your Kitchen Appliances Safely
The kitchen is the heart of one’s home, as well as the social hub of the household where you prepare food, dine, and catch up with your family. But a kitchen wouldn’t be as functional as you want it to be if it didn’t have appliances. Based on statistics, 57% of homeowners consider quality or performance when buying kitchen appliances. Ultimately, kitchen appliances are among the important investments homeowners make in their homes.
Moving your kitchen appliances for a long-distance move: At a glance
Considering that you’ve invested in expensive, good-quality appliances, you’ll want to take them with you when relocating into your new home. Moving kitchen appliances for a house move can be one of the hardest and least convenient tasks you’ll need to do since they’re often heavy, bulky, and unwieldy. Although you can leave them behind and include them in your home’s resale value, it would be hard to let them go, especially if they’re still brand new or are high-end.
But don’t worry. You won’t have to if you know how to move them safely for a long-distance or even a cross-country move. Keep reading to find out.
1. Hire professional movers
While a DIY move is a possible approach, doing everything by yourself, especially when it comes to handling heavy kitchen appliances, can be dangerous and complicated. You could damage your own appliances during transit if you don’t have the right lifting equipment or even the skills to handle heavy appliances properly.
Unless you’ve decided to leave your kitchen appliances behind, it’s recommended that you hire a reputable moving company at the earliest time possible. Knowing that professional movers will help you with your appliances may relieve some of the stress you’ve been experiencing. After all, your equipment will be in good hands before, during, and after the move.
2. Measure each appliance
Measure all your appliances prior to packing to determine if the doorway is wide enough to get them through. You don’t want to go through all the hassle of packing, lifting, and moving them long-distance only to find out that some of your appliances are impossible to fit through the door. If you measure them beforehand, you’ll know which ones need to be disassembled before packing.
You may also refer to the measurements when choosing suitable packing materials for your kitchen appliances. However, it’s better to use the original boxes or packaging of your kitchen appliances. In case they’re unavailable, you can buy thick and high-quality boxes and base their sizes on the measurements you took. Your moving company can also provide the right packing supplies that meet the measurements you give them.
Though measuring your kitchen appliances may take some time, it’ll save you from bigger problems later on.
3. Unplug and turn off all your appliances
Moving or touching other parts or sides of your kitchen appliances can be dangerous if they’re still plugged in. So, before touching, moving, or cleaning any of them, turn them off and unplug them. For kitchen appliances that produce heat, like the stove, water heater, or oven, leave them untouched for a few hours to let the heat dissipate.
4. Empty and clean all your appliances
Each kitchen appliance may require different methods of cleaning or handling. Here are a few basic steps to help you clean your kitchen appliances before a long-distance move.
Refrigerator and freezer:
- Consume all frozen goods within a week or discard the perishables.
- Unplug your fridge and freezer one to two days before your moving day.
- Let them defrost.
- Disconnect the water line before emptying the water reservoir.
- All surfaces and detachable parts or containers must be cleaned thoroughly.
- Leave them to air-dry for a few hours.
Stove:
- Get the help of a skilled stove technician to detach and cap off the gas line.
- Deep clean the exterior and inner surfaces of the oven.
- Remove the detachable parts.
- Leave them to air-dry.
Dishwasher:
- Turn off the water and electric supply.
- Detach and drain the hoses.
- Clean the exterior and interior of the dishwasher.
- Leave the dishwasher door open to air-dry.
- Once thoroughly dry, wrap the hoses with towels or packing paper and keep them inside the dishwasher, so they won’t be misplaced.
For more complicated kitchen appliances, check the manufacturer’s guide and go over instructions regarding proper cleaning and handling. If you’re unsure how to disassemble or handle these appliances, don’t hesitate to call an expert. Attempting to do things yourself might cause damage or accidents.
5. Do the same for your small kitchen appliances
After thoroughly cleaning and preparing the heavy and bulky ones, don’t forget to do the same for your small kitchen appliances. Although smaller in size, some of these appliances can also be heavy and will require proper and delicate handling to protect them from damage or breakage during transit.
So, do an inventory of all your countertop and small appliances, such as:
- Blender
- Toaster oven
- Microwave
- Rice cooker
- Air fryer and deep fryer
You’ll need to unplug, turn off, and let the heat dissipate or cool off before deep cleaning, disassembling, and packing the small parts.
6. Wrap and pack your appliances
At this point, all your kitchen appliances are now ready to be packed and wrapped since they’re unplugged, disconnected, emptied, and thoroughly cleaned. When packing your kitchen appliances, the goal is to restrict any movement during long transit to keep them in good condition.
Besides moving boxes, other materials you’ll need to wrap and pack your kitchen appliances may include:
- Thick rolls of bubble wraps
- Packing tape
- Cardboard
- Styrofoam
- Stretch plastic wrap
- Padded moving blankets
First, use a packing tape or a few rolls of bubble wrap to secure the doors of the appliances. You don’t want the doors of your oven, fridge, or microwave opening during transit, as this could cause damage to the other items or even injure the movers. Once the doors or lids are securely closed, continue to wrap and pack the appliances in their boxes and add Styrofoam or padded blankets inside to prevent them from moving or shaking around the box.
7. Protect your floors
You could risk scratching or damaging the floors when pulling heavy kitchen appliances out of their positions. Worse, you could also damage the edges or surfaces of your appliances. To prevent this from happening, take measures to protect your floors with the following methods:
- Using appliance sliders or pads on the bottom of the appliances, so you can easily and smoothly slide them onto the floor
- Placing the appliance on an old blanket or rug and pulling the rug to move them
- Covering your delicate floors with cardboard
Better yet, you can rent and use a dolly to safely move and drag your appliances without damaging the floors and the appliances. Plus, a dolly will help you avoid back injuries caused by dragging and lifting heavy appliances.
Wrapping up
Kitchen appliances are expensive, heavy, and bulky items that require extra care and attention when preparing for a long-distance move. As long as you follow these steps, your appliances will remain safe until they’re delivered to your new home.