How to Store Items When They are Being Transported

Posted on: 29 December 2020

Are you moving to a new home? Here are two furniture removal tips to remember when you next move house.

Don't assume that a piece of furniture will fit through the door of the room that it's in

Many people assume that if a piece of furniture is already inside a room, then it must fit through the door of that room. Based on this assumption, they may then not bother to measure that furniture before their furniture removalists try to take it out of the room.

It's important not to make this assumption if you're planning to move your own furniture, as it could create problems on the day that you move. The reason for this is as follows; it is not necessarily true that, just because you managed to squeeze a sofa or wardrobe through a particular door, you will be able to move it out of the room through that door when you leave the property.

For example, if the furniture in question was purchased years ago before your property underwent major renovations that involved replacing both the internal doors and their doorframes, then the doorway might now be narrower than it was when the furniture was moved into it. Likewise, if the house is very old and has subsidence-related issues, then the doorway in question might have sagged quite a lot since the furniture was last carried through it. By checking the doorway's dimensions prior to having the furniture removed, you'll be giving yourself time to come up with a different way to get it out of that room if you discover that the doorway is not large enough. You could, for instance, temporarily remove the doorframe, pass the furniture through one of the room's windows or taking the furniture apart.

Find out what tools you need to dismantle certain items

If when you move, you decide to use a furniture removal company, their employees may agree to dismantle your furniture items for an extra fee. However, if you don't want to use this additional service and would rather do the dismantling work yourself, you should find out exactly which tools you'll need for this task, in advance.

The reason for this is as follows; whilst you might think that all you'll need is a screwdriver, this might not be the case. If for example, the screws used to attach the legs to a table were screwed in very tightly many years ago, you might need a drill to unscrew them. Furthermore, if any of the dowels are broken, you might need a pair of pliers to pull them out. If you only realise that you need these tools the night before you're supposed to move your furniture, you might have to spend the following morning dashing around the shops looking for these items, which could be stressful.