How to Protect Delicate Furniture While Moving Abroad
Moving to a different country can be a bittersweet experience. And if you plan on taking furniture with you, it could be a Herculean task that requires precise planning and execution. Taking proper precautionary steps before the move will ensure that you save tons in potential repair costs later.
Here’s a comprehensive rundown of how you can ship delicate furniture overseas without incurring unnecessary damage.
Give Them a Good Dusting
We recommend thoroughly cleaning and dusting your furniture before packing them up for good. Since unwanted dust and debris can scratch the surface of fragile furniture during a long distance move, cleaning is an essential step that should not be overlooked.
Use a damp cloth or a feather duster on smooth surfaces like tabletops or wardrobes. Refrain from intensely scrubbing upholstered furniture as it could damage the upholstery. Carefully wipe out any grime without being too harsh on the material.
Use Packing Material
Packing supplies are a must when you have to ensure the safety of fragile and breakable furniture like glass cabinets or ornate picture frames. Bubble wrap is the gold standard for packing materials, providing added safety and protection from cracks that could occur during a bumpy ride.
Furthermore, you can deploy specialized moving blankets to protect vulnerable parts of furniture, such as chairs or table legs. They can be highly prone to damage, and moving blankets are the best solution to ensure their safe delivery.
Packing tape ensures that your furniture packed into boxes does not rattle around when moving. It can secure bubble wrap, moving blankets, and boxes without disfiguring the paint or polish off the furniture.
So investing in some packing supplies can be a worthwhile investment if you’re considering moving your furniture.
Precautionary Tips for Delicates
Mirrors
One of the more advisable tricks when transporting delicate furniture like mirrors is to tape an “X” across the surface. So even if your mirror cracks, it won’t shatter into tiny shards of glass that scatters all over. Another good moving practice is to bubble wrap the mirror, lay cardboard on either side of it, and tape the whole thing.
Crockery & China
For everyday crockery and china, use robust cardboard boxes. Make sure to separate each piece of crockery with newspaper and blankets so that they do not collide against each other in transit. You can also use towels to soften the blows without adding extra weight to the package.
Lamps
For lamps, remove the bulbs and pack them separately with soft material. Wrap the wire around the length of the lampshade and fasten it all with sufficient wrapping tape.
Peace of Mind
Make sure to pack all your stuff properly so that they arrive in one piece at the destination. Many of these protective measures might seem redundant at first glance, but the returns on safety and sheer peace of mind aren’t something you can put a price tag on.
If you’d rather have a professional handle all the packing along with the moving, give us a call. You’ll find everything you need, including international, commercial, and residential moving solutions, along with storage services too.
