Moving House? Here’s How to Move Your Appliances Stress-Free!

Let’s play a little word association game. When we say “moving house”, what are the first words that come to mind? If you thought of something along the lines of “excitement” or “new home”, that’s great! But if words like “stress” and “disruption” sprung to mind, then we feel your pain.

like 100 small ones, whichever way you choose to look at it. So, to make your life just that little bit easier, we’ve put together some of our best advice to help you avoid any appliance mishaps in transit.

To kick things off, here are some general moving tips that apply to all large appliances.

• Heavy appliances can scratch tiles, damage carpets, and leave grooves in linoleum if they’re dragged along the floor. To keep your floors safe, pop appliance rollers with wheels under your machines. Failing that, a thick piece of cardboard or a carpet cut off placed beneath your oven, fridge, or washing machine will help you slide it out smoothly.
• Tie appliance doors firmly closed with strong parcel string or rope so they don’t swing open and get damaged. (You can tie bubble wrap to your glass oven door for extra protection.)
• Time to come clean… are your appliances sparkling right now? Give your machines a good clean before transportation. Otherwise, dust and dirt will stick to your greasy cooker hob or that sticky fabric conditioner spill on your washing machine you keep meaning to wipe off.
• Measure the doorways and openings of your new place so you can work out the best way to get your appliances inside!

Now let’s look at moving specific appliances! First, we’ll start with getting your fridge freezer from A to B as conveniently as possible…

• Make sure to use up as much of your food as possible before you move. Some condiments may have to be sacrificed for the greater good.
• Defrost your freezer and the back of your fridge in advance. The alternative? Puddles in the back of the removals van and decidedly soggy furniture.
• Keep your fridge upright wherever possible and take care with the coils at the back of the appliance. If they get damaged or the coolant leaks into a part of your fridge that it shouldn’t, it could mean the chilling end for your appliance.

Next up, let’s take a look at some handy washing machine moving tips!

• When moving a washing machine, the bumpy journey can cause damage to the drum. To stop this from happening, use transit bolts to keep it in place. They usually come with your washing machine when you buy a new one… or you can get replacement transit bolts to suit your machine if you don’t still have them.
• Be sure to remove these transit bolts before you start using your machine though, or else they could cause your washer to bounce around violently during the spin cycle, damaging your worktops and terrifying your pets. (Or yourself, just a little bit!)
• Plumbing in a washing machine is usually reasonably straightforward, so look into connecting your machine up yourself before unnecessarily paying someone else to do it. With our handy how-to install a washing machine guide, you’ll be tackling the laundry pile before you know it!

Now we’re cooking! Ovens can also be a tad hazardous to move, so here’s a little advice on shifting yours…

• If you have a gas stove, make sure the gas is turned off before disconnecting! When in doubt, call your gas company to ask for help with this process.
• Remove shelves, trays, and other detachable sections and wrap them separately. Your appliance will be lighter and your trays will be protected. Win-win!

Last up for moving specific large appliances, let’s quickly cover your dishwasher too!

• When you have disconnected your appliance, remember to turn off the water supply and disconnect the water lines before removing.
• When you’ve successfully got to your new home, save yourself some cash by installing your dishwasher yourself using our helpful guide!

Finally, here are some general tips for safely and efficiently moving your smaller bits and bobs.

• If you’re the organised type, now’s your time to shine. All those original boxes and pieces of packaging you kept religiously will come in handy now.
• No original boxes? No problem. Wrap up your toaster and microwave in clean tea towels, bubble wrap, or kitchen towels instead to stop them from getting scratched.
• If a cable is yanked or crushed in the hubbub of a house move, it could affect the power supply to your appliance and stop it from working. Tie up cables with rubber bands and tape them to your appliance to prevent cable mishaps. You’ve got the power!