Moving day is stressful – there is probably no getting around that fact. There is just so much to account for, so many things that can go wrong, and the entire process can wind up pretty expensive. Peace of mind is a familiar phrase for anybody who has ever moved home, and nearly every moving company will boast that they offer such a thing when handling the precious cargo which is the totality of your belongings. This is normally what people focus on when trying to iron out the many snags in the moving process. Oft-neglected, however, is the damage that can be done, not to your possessions, but your home.
Secure cargo transport experts Rollercam – specialists in the tie-down straps that are essential for a safe move – advise that you should make sure any given moving company will also respect the integrity of the home when they conduct a move. After all, heavy items like furniture need to be removed from the old home and moved into the new one before and after they reach the transport vehicle. It is at this point that damage can occur. Think of a sharp table edge streaking along a hallway wall, or a piano cracking a hardwood floor, and you get the idea. There are perils here too!
It’s Down to You
Unfortunately, while you may be able to ensure professionalism from removal staff when they are moving furniture and other heavy items from your home, they will not be the ones actually protecting your home from any possible damage – and human error is always a factor. Accordingly, you need to plan this aspect of the move yourself and ensure that your house is adequately protected before the move. After this, there are other things that you will need to account for as well. But one thing at a time.
Consider the Vulnerable Areas
This is the first thing you should do. Before calling the moving company, think about those parts of your home that will be the most vulnerable to damage as heavy and sharp-cornered objects are hauled out of it. Luckily, these don’t tend to vary much. The parts of the home that you will want to watch out for are:
- floors (especially hardwood floors, tiles, and carpets)
- bannisters and stairs
- doors and doorways
- walls (especially those with wallpaper and other vulnerable surfaces).
Now you can start taking steps to protect these areas. Sheer impact is something against which you probably can’t protect. No amount of covering is going to prevent a massive table putting a hole in the wall when it is pivoted too quickly. Nevertheless, with adequate protection, such as wall and floor coverings and a wrap for bannisters, you can prevent things like scratches.
More than just this though, identifying the vulnerable areas will also allow you to inform the moving company about what to watch out for and where to take special care.
Prepare the Objects
To put this very simply, you really should have some sort of protective wrap over heavy and sharp-edged objects. Any sharp corners should certainly be covered as scratches to walls are probably the most common accidents when moving. The covering will nearly always be bubble wrap.
You should also consider disassembling things like furniture and other large objects. Removing a heavy wardrobe in individual parts or taking the legs off a table will be very effective at preventing damage.
Ultimately, a combination of planning, forethought, and the use of quality professional removal company is about the extent of what you can do to prevent damage. This can go a long way, though.
