How to Move Appliances Safely and Efficiently

Relocating your household appliances demands meticulous planning, the right supplies, and a bit of assistance. It's often why appliances are included in many real estate transactions. However, if you want to take your favorite dryer with you to your new place, it’s entirely doable. Even if you’re not opting for a professional moving company, there are still plenty of ways to manage the move yourself. Follow these tips on how to move heavy appliances with ease, ensuring your floors, walls, and the appliances themselves stay damage-free.

Prepping for Your Move: Tools & Supplies

Prepping for your move before the big day arrives will help the process run more smoothly. When it comes to moving large appliances, keep in mind that disconnecting and reconnecting gas lines can be complicated and pose safety risks. Consider hiring a professional appliance technician to help, since professional movers may not be willing to take on the liability. When in doubt, always refer to your appliance’s user manual for preparation and moving instructions.

Refer to the moving checklists below to help you gather the right supplies, recruit the best help, and make sure your space is optimized for the task at hand.

Tools

• Appliance Dolly or Hand Truck: Dollies are lifted off the ground, have four wheels, and come in various shapes and sizes. Hand trucks have two wheels, can slide under appliances, and then be tilted backward to balance the appliance. Hand trucks are best for moves involving stairs, but dollies are easier to maneuver and less likely to result in a tipped or damaged appliance.
• Forearm Forklift: These straps can be secured underneath an appliance and around the forearms of at least two movers, allowing you to stabilize and move items up to a certain weight.

Supplies

• Moving Blankets: Protect your appliance and walls from scratches and dings by wrapping it in a moving blanket before loading.
• Gliders/Sliding Pads: Once an appliance is tilted back, slider pads can adhere to the feet of the unit, allowing it to glide smoothly without damaging the floor.
• Stretch Tape: Keep washer, dryer, and refrigerator doors securely closed during transport with stretch tape.
• Protective Sheets or Cardboard Boxes: Protect your floors with disassembled cardboard boxes or protective sheets that line the path to your moving truck or appliance’s new location.

By preparing in advance and having the right tools and supplies on hand, you can ensure a smoother, safer move for your large appliances.

Essential Tips for Moving Large Appliances

1. Plan Ahead by Taking Measurements

Start by measuring your appliances to ensure they'll fit through the doorways. Sometimes, you may need to remove a door to create enough clearance or use a larger entry point, like a sliding glass door. With the dimensions in hand and a clear plan, you can prepare both the space and the appliances for the move.

2. Clean the Floors

Before you start moving any of those heavy appliances, let's get those floors nice and clean. You don't want any dirt or rocks scratching up your floors, right? Grab that vacuum, broom, or mop and give the area around and under your appliance a good once-over. Gotta make sure everything's spick and span before the big move!

3. Flooring Protection is a Must

After cleaning, lay down a protective covering where you'll be moving the appliances.

• Cardboard: While cardboard can be used to protect the floor, it's not the most effective option. Cardboard tends to move and create friction, which can lead to tiny scratches, especially on hardwood floors.
• Carpet Pieces or Runners: Leftover carpet pieces or runners offer better protection than cardboard.
• Temporary Flooring: For the best protection, invest in temporary flooring. When used properly on a clean floor, these methods can significantly reduce the risk of damage.

By planning ahead, cleaning thoroughly, and using proper floor protection, you can ensure a smoother and safer move for your large appliances.

4. Use a Dolly

Dragging your appliances across the floor? Big no-no. Seriously, it can cause major damage to both your appliances and your floors, whether they're tile, hardwood, linoleum, or any other material.

So, how do you move a stove without scratching the floor? Or get your heavy appliances into the moving truck? The magic tool you need is a dolly. Let’s clarify how to use an appliance dolly!

By lifting your appliances onto a dolly, you save your floors and possibly your back from injury! Rolling your appliances is far more efficient than trying to move them by hand.

Trust us — using a dolly when moving appliances makes the whole process easier and safer.

5. Prep the Appliances

With your floors clean and protected, it’s time to prep the appliances for moving:

Fridge:

• Remove all food and place it in a portable cooler.
• Unplug the fridge and clean it inside and out.
• Leave the door open for 24 hours to eliminate moisture.
• Tape or wrap the door shut to prevent it from swinging open during the move.
• You may also need to remove the handle to fit through tight spaces; place it inside the fridge or tape it to the exterior to keep it secure.

Stove:

• Turn off the power.
• Remove the racks and surface grates, and clean the exterior.
• Secure the knobs and tape or wrap the door shut.

Dryer:

• Turn off the power.
• Clean the lint screen and the exterior.
• Tape or wrap the door shut.

Washing Machine:

• Disconnect the power and the input/output hoses.
• Leave the door open for 24 hours to air out and remove moisture.
• Secure the hoses to the unit and tape or wrap the door shut.

Dishwasher:

• Turn off the power and disconnect the input/output hoses.
• Leave the door open for 24 hours to air out and remove moisture.
• Secure the hoses to the unit and ensure the internal racks are secure.
• Tape or wrap the door shut.

6. Don't Move Appliances Alone

It's simply not safe to move appliances by yourself. Always get help from friends or family, or hire a moving labor company to handle it for you. Moving heavy appliances requires extra hands and the right tools to ensure everyone's safety. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Get Help: Whether it's friends, family, or professional movers, don't attempt to move heavy appliances alone.
• Invest in Quality Equipment: Use dollies, hand trucks, gloves, proper footwear, and comfortable (but not loose-fitting) clothing to make the move safer and more efficient.
• Hire Professionals: Consider hiring a moving labor company for an easier, stress-free experience.

Read more: How To Move Heavy Furniture

How to Move a Refrigerator

How to move kitchen appliances? Moving a large appliance like a refrigerator involves several stages: cleaning, disconnecting, packaging, and transportation. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure a smooth and safe move.

Step 1: Remove Food and Clean

Start by emptying the refrigerator of all food items. Store any items you plan to keep in a cooler to maintain their temperature. Give your fridge a thorough cleaning to prevent any lingering odors that can develop while it’s unplugged.

Step 2: Remove Shelving

Next, take out any removable shelves and bins. Wrap and pack them separately to prevent damage during the move.

Step 3: Disconnect and Defrost

Carefully slide the refrigerator forward to unplug it and disconnect any water lines. Follow the disconnection instructions in your refrigerator’s manual. Use a towel to absorb any remaining water to prevent leaks during the move. Secure the power cord to the back of the fridge with tape.

Step 4: Slide Out and Cover

Tilt the fridge backward slightly and place furniture sliders under the feet, or gently rock the fridge side-to-side to “walk” it forward. Secure the refrigerator and freezer doors with stretch tape. Cover the fridge with a moving blanket and wrap it with tape or rope to protect it and prevent damage to the walls.

Step 5: Load

With the help of at least one other person, tilt the fridge slightly to one side and slide a hand truck underneath it. Avoid tilting the fridge forward onto the dolly or hand truck to prevent damage.

Step 6: Secure and Transport

Use straps to tightly secure the refrigerator to the hand truck. Tip the hand truck back to no more than a 45-degree angle. Navigate carefully around corners, through doorways, and up stairs or down stairs, enlisting help as needed.

Step 7: Lay Down the Unit and Wait

If you must lay the refrigerator down for transportation, ensure it’s for as short a time as possible. Once it’s moved, wait 24 hours before plugging it back in to allow the system to reset.

By following these steps, you can move your refrigerator safely and effectively, ensuring it arrives at your new location in good condition.

How to Move a Washer and Dryer

With the right tools and a little bit of know-how, moving your washer and dryer can be a relatively simple task. If you have a gas dryer, be sure to contact a professional appliance technician to disconnect and reconnect gas lines. Follow these steps to prepare your washer and dryer for your move:

Step 1: Clean

• Washer: Remove items from the drum and run a standard wash cycle using washing machine cleaner or chlorine bleach. Leave the washer door open for 24 hours after the wash cycle to allow it to dry completely.
• Dryer: Clear the dryer of all lint using a vacuum.

Step 2: Disconnect

• Power Off: Shut off the power to your washer and dryer using your home’s breaker.
• Unplug: Unplug both units and tape the plugs to the back of the units.
• Water Supply: Disconnect the water supply to your washer using the valves located behind the unit. Remove the cold and hot water hoses, draining them thoroughly into a bucket.
• Dryer Venting: Disconnect the dryer’s venting. For gas dryers, contact a professional to disconnect the gas lines.

Step 3: Secure Washer Drum

• Stabilize the Drum: Use shipping or transit bolts to secure the drum, or insert foam from the original packaging around the drum for extra support. You can also use additional pieces of foam board or cardboard to minimize vibrations.

Step 4: Secure Doors and Cover

• Tape Doors: Wrap stretch tape around the washer and dryer doors to keep them shut.
• Cover Units: Cover each unit with moving blankets to protect them during the move.

Step 5: Load and Secure

• Use a Dolly or Hand Truck: Tilt your washer or dryer back slightly to place a dolly or hand truck beneath it. Slide the unit onto the platform and secure it tightly with a strap.
• Enlist Help: Move one unit at a time with the help of two or more people, especially when navigating corners, doorways, and stairs.

By following these steps, you can move your washer and dryer safely and efficiently. Remember, if you're unsure about handling any part of the move, especially disconnecting gas lines, it's best to hire a professional to ensure everything is done safely and correctly.

Conclusion

Moving appliances can be challenging due to their size and weight. Proper precautions are essential to protect both the appliances and your floors during the move. The last thing you want is to damage anything in either your old home or your new one while moving a refrigerator or stove.

While tips in this article can help make your move smoother, we highly recommend opt for local moving services to ensure safety, efficiency, and the protection of your belongings. Contact our certified movers at Move4U to discuss your moving needs.