So you’ve gone ahead and bought a new home. After years of saving and hunting for the perfect place to live, its finally time to move your stuff in. As you move your sofa into place in your living room, you hear a scrape from under the couch on your shiny new hardwood floors. UGH! This scenario is a perfect example of why you must take the time to protect your new home during, and after, the move in process.
There are a number of very simple precautions that you can take prior to and during moving day that will significantly reduce the liklihood of damage occurring. When you’re getting ready to move, its very easy for this small details to get lost in the process and you might feel like you don’t have time to add one more item to your checklist. You do! Whether your moving your belongings on your own or hiring a professional mover, you want to be prepared. Below are some tips to protect your new home when moving in.
Protect Your Floors
Taking care of your floors is probably the most important step in trying to protect your new home. Its very likely that you have new hardwood floors or new/clean carpet in your new home. If that’s the case, you don’t want them to get scratched up or dirty. There are a number of materials you can use to protect your flooring on moving day. You can find a number of carpet protectors at your local hardware store. You can also use moving blankets/felt on both carpet and hardwood, just be sure to put a runner underneath to hold them in place so you don’t slip and fall.
We prefer to use sheets of masonite(can be found at your local hardware store) for all surfaces when a customer requests extra floor protection in their home. Masonite provides a solid, slip-resistant surface and is sure to protect your new home.
Identify Tight Corners
You want to do a thorough walkthrough of your new home one last time before moving in. Take measurements of all of your doorways and tight corners. Compare those measurements with the furniture you plan on moving into each room. You may find that certain pieces won’t fit, will be an extremely close fit, or need to be disassembled in order to fit. These are very important things for you or your movers to know before moving day. It’ll also help prevent damage from occurring from trying to fit a piece of furniture into a room that is just not possible.
Use Sliders Under Furniture
This one goes along with the first point of protecting your floors. Felt sliders are an absolute must. You can buy them at any hardware store such as Home Depot and most local Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, etc. They only cost a few dollars and will protect your wood floors incredibly well. They stick right to the bottom of furniture legs and come in different sizes. They also make it very easy to shift furniture around without the assistance of professionals. Take the time to put these on the feet of your furniture right when you move in. These will help protect your new home for years to come.
Protect Railings
If you have railings in your home that you’re concerned about, there are some simple precautions to take before moving day. You can either drape some old blankets over your railings and tape them in place for a DIY method. Your movers should also be willing to tape some of their moving blankets along your railings. This only takes a few minutes and can save a big headache later.
Ask Your Mover
Every professional mover will have different suggestions and methods for protecting your home. Don’t be afraid to ask your mover what they can do to protect your flooring or doorways on moving day. You should always be comfortable speaking up and asking questions when you’re paying for a service.
We hope this information is useful as you prepare to protect your new home on moving day! If you’re interested in receiving a FREE Estimate from our team for your upcoming move, just fill out our Moving Request Form and we’ll be happy to assist!
