When you’re moving, it can feel like beyond the actual transportation of your goods from one place to another, the actual packing and unpacking is the real job that takes the most time and is the most stressful. That is understandable because many of the things you’ll need to transport were designed to be stationary, and nothing typifies that more than your refrigerator. Big, heavy, and not shaped for easy carrying, you’ll also need to treat your refrigerator delicately because it’s expensive and can break if not handled right.
Thankfully, there are a few strategies you can use to prepare your refrigerator for moving, to make the process safe and efficient as possible. Here’s a checklist for you to follow to achieve just that:
Gather Your Materials
It’s best to gather all the materials and tools you’ll need to make sure that you don’t waste time stuck at any stage, having to pause your work to go look for something. The things you’ll need are cleaning supplies to clear out the fridge, trash bags to take out any rubbish, moving blankets and straps as well as a moving dolly to make moving the refrigerator easier when you finish cleaning it:
Empty the Fridge
You’ll need to clear out everything in the fridge. If there is anything you won’t be able to eat before the move, dispose of it. If possible, give what you can away to people who need them. The important thing is to ensure that at the time when you’ll start carrying the fridge around, there’s nothing in it. First, you can’t be exactly sure how long the move will take so whatever is in it will likely spoil. Secondly, anything that’s in the fridge while it’s being moved will likely dislodge and maybe even spill. You don’t want a messy fridge to be one of the first things you have to deal with in your new home.
Emptying the fridge also includes removing all the shelves, drawers, and trays. You can store them with your kitchenware, to be sure they don’t get jostled and possibly break while being carried. It might be difficult to find replacement parts, depending on which exact fridge model you have, and it’s much more convenient to put the items back in when you get to your new home than to risk damaging them.
Defrost the Fridge
Once the fridge is empty, you’ll need to allow it to defrost so all the accumulated ice can melt away. The best way to do this is to arrange towels on the flow to catch the water that’ll be flowing out o the fridge. Once the defrosting is complete, clean out the fridge thoroughly and dry it, after which you’ll need to leave it open for at least a day to make sure any remaining moisture dries up. If there’s still moisture, it can result in mold and mildew growing in the fridge if the fridge isn’t used for a while.
Measure and Plan the Movement Outside
To get your fridge into the moving truck, you’ll first need to get it outside your house. While the obvious solution might be to take it out the same way you brought it in, a lot of things might have changed in your house, such as the layout or new obstructions, especially if it’s a large fridge and you’ve had it for a long time. First, you’ll need to measure the fridge to get its exact dimensions and then measure the doorways and spaces that you’ll need to carry it through. Be sure to give allowance for the people who will be carrying it and the equipment (such as a moving dolly) which you’ll be using.
Remove Obstacles
If your measurements and movement plan show that there’s enough space for you to conveniently carry the fridge outside, then you have nothing to worry about. If, however, there are some spaces which the fridge simply won’t fit through or which are too tight to be safe, you’ll need to remove any obstructions necessary to create more space. It might be as simple as rearranging furniture or other fittings, or you might have to remove doors from hinges or even remove stair railings. This is one stage where it’s best to have professional movers help you, to ensure that you’re removing only what is absolutely necessary. Sometimes, experts can move large objects like fridges in ways that might not occur to a non-professional. Working with experts will make sure you do not spend more time and money (paying people to remove fixtures) than necessary.
Get Fridge onto Dolly and Strap it Down
Some fridges have wheels, and if that’s true in your case, then getting the fridge onto the moving dolly should be straightforward. If not, you’ll have to get the necessary help to lift the fridge onto the dolly. To be safe, place furniture sliders beneath the refrigerator and use them to get the fridge onto the dolly. Strap it tightly with the dolly strap and make sure it’s very sure. Be sure you have all the help you need because a mistake here could mean the fridge falling onto the floor and getting damaged or even worse, falling on you.
Move the Fridge Outside
Using the dolly, slowly guide the fridge through your home to the moving truck outside. This should be done as carefully as possible because just as with getting it onto the dolly, a mistake could result in it getting damaged or causing injury to you. You must take particular care when going downstairs because a large, heavy object like a fridge will certainly become unwieldy and difficult to maneuver, especially in the hands of someone without enough expertise and experience. Ideally, there should be multiple people guiding the dolly, to be sure it does not fall over anyway.
Secure the Fridge in The Truck
Once you get the fridge into the truck, you’ll need to make sure it is placed securely. It is generally a good idea to get very large items like fridges into the truck first so you don’t have to deal with the difficulty of trying to get them in over a ton of other items, trying to find space and potentially damaging other things while you place them somewhere. Make sure you strap the fridge tightly to make sure it’ll stay secure during the trip.
