April 30, 2019
Moving Day–Keep Your New Home Damage Free!
Nothing is more thrilling than settling in to your brand new home – we know you’re getting really excited! The long homebuying process is almost done, and you can’t wait to show off your new place to everyone you know. Now you’re facing the last hurdle before the housewarming…keeping your new home damage-free on moving day! Up to this point, you may have focused most of your planning and preparation for your move on the items you’ll be transporting, but now it’s time to give some TLC to your new surroundings. The experts at Ernest Homes have some sure-fire tips for preventing damage to your new home on your big day.
Set Up Your Strategy
Before you begin, make sure you have a detailed plan of attack. You’ve probably packed your belongings based on what room they’re in, and this a great start. You’ll minimize trips into and out of the house if you’re focusing on one area at a time. It’s usually best to start at the rear of the house and move forward. You’ll be more efficient and use fewer steps if you avoid backtracking. Fewer trips through the house reduces the passes through hallways, doorways and up and down stairs, leaving fewer opportunities for nicks and scrapes to walls and decorative entryways.
Make sure to measure!
Check all doorways, flights of stairs and other constricted places before you begin to make sure items will fit through them successfully without damaging the entryways.
Cover Your Floors
To prevent gouges, scuffs, cracks and rips, protect your hardwood, laminate, tile or rugs with sheets of thin plywood, drop cloths, carpet protectors, floor mats, or collapsed cardboard boxes. Make sure special attention is paid to high-traffic areas such as entryways and walk-through multi-purpose rooms. Before moving furniture into your new home, place felt pads on the legs of your pieces, and use moving blankets or flattened cardboard boxes to “scoot” the furniture from place to place safely. If it’s raining on moving day, make sure you have a welcome mat handy. This essential item means that less water, dirt and mud makes its way into your house with each trip. And don’t forget to cover the stairs – just make sure your covering material is securely anchored to your surface to avoid slipping.
Watch Your Railings!
Wrap your banisters and railings with bubble wrap, or drape and secure mover’s blankets over them. You can even use your essential collapsed cardboard boxes – just use your painter’s tape to secure the edges at the bottom of the railing after placing the box crease on the banister and flattening the cardboard downward. For thin railings, invest in a supply of swimming pool noodles. Cut them in half lengthwise and tape them to the railings to protect the finish.
Don’t Use Your Furniture as a Weapon
Unwrapped furniture is the single largest cause of gouged, nicked and scraped walls and flooring. Make sure to wrap pieces securely in mover’s blankets, large towels, layers of old sheets (for smaller items) or even bubble wrap to protect your new home. Use a dolly or hand cart to help you move heavy, bulky or unwieldy pieces of furniture. If a piece of furniture can be taken apart, or if the legs can be removed, disassemble before moving, making sure to keep all the pieces together during transport. The smaller a piece of furniture can become, the easier it is to move. You can even stack wrapped pieces of furniture on top of each other to allow for more open space during your move, as shown here.
Don’t Cut Corners!
Corner areas are particularly prone to nicks, scrapes and gouges. Use the creased section of a flattened cardboard packing box to cover large areas or corner space, tacking it in place with a few strips of painter’s tape, which won’t damage your walls. You can also purchase less bulky options such as these and tack them with painter’s tape as well. And don’t forget your pool noodles – the sliced foam can also be tacked to the corner, one on each side.
Wall Savvy
Lightweight blankets, towels, or our old friends the collapsed cardboard boxes can provide extra cushioning for at risk walls when mounted with painter’s tape.
And a final word of caution…
As much as we love small children and pets, it’s better to keep everyone safe on moving day by boarding your pet or getting a sitter, or assigning one “mover” to keep kids entertained outside, away from all the activity. Trip and fall accidents, dropped furniture or “squish or squash” injuries can have lasting consequences. At Ernest Homes, safety is always our primary goal!
Watch Your Railings!
Wrap your banisters and railings with bubble wrap, or drape and secure mover’s blankets over them. You can even use your essential collapsed cardboard boxes – just use your painter’s tape to secure the edges at the bottom of the railing after placing the box crease on the banister and flattening the cardboard downward. For thin railings, invest in a supply of swimming pool noodles. Cut them in half lengthwise and tape them to the railings to protect the finish.
Don’t Use Your Furniture as a Weapon
Unwrapped furniture is the single largest cause of gouged, nicked and scraped walls and flooring. Make sure to wrap pieces securely in mover’s blankets, large towels, layers of old sheets (for smaller items) or even bubble wrap to protect your new home. Use a dolly or hand cart to help you move heavy, bulky or unwieldy pieces of furniture. If a piece of furniture can be taken apart, or if the legs can be removed, disassemble before moving, making sure to keep all the pieces together during transport. The smaller a piece of furniture can become, the easier it is to move. You can even stack wrapped pieces of furniture on top of each other to allow for more open space during your move, as shown here.
Don’t Cut Corners!
Corner areas are particularly prone to nicks, scrapes and gouges. Use the creased section of a flattened cardboard packing box to cover large areas or corner space, tacking it in place with a few strips of painter’s tape, which won’t damage your walls. You can also purchase less bulky options such as these and tack them with painter’s tape as well. And don’t forget your pool noodles – the sliced foam can also be tacked to the corner, one on each side.
Wall Savvy
Lightweight blankets, towels, or our old friends the collapsed cardboard boxes can provide extra cushioning for at risk walls when mounted with painter’s tape.
And a final word of caution…
As much as we love small children and pets, it’s better to keep everyone safe on moving day by boarding your pet or getting a sitter, or assigning one “mover” to keep kids entertained outside, away from all the activity. Trip and fall accidents, dropped furniture or “squish or squash” injuries can have lasting consequences. At Ernest Homes, safety is always our primary goal!
