How to Properly Pad and Wrap Your Furniture by Gainesville Moving
Gainesville Moving, LLC is the premier moving company in Gainesville Florida. We not only provide full service packing and moving in Gainesville Florida, but we regularly offer tips and how to’s for the do it your selfer. While moving is not something high up on the want to list, it should be done with extreme care and attention to mitigate any risk of damage to the furniture, yourself or helpers. In this article we will go over the proper way to pad and protect items for transport and moving in and out of the moving truck, car, or trailer. Just like the infomercial guy who says “set it and forget it”, Gainesville movers often say “pad it and wrap it”. This is the golden rule and should be done for any item that cannot be boxed up.
The proper way to pad and protect your furniture is with moving blankets and plastic stretch wrap. Moving blankets are often expensive and most people will not use them that often so renting is a great way to still get the benefits of protection without having to rent a storage unit just to store all the blankets while not being used. The thing most people overlook is the number of moving pads needed to properly protect all of the furniture.
When renting or buying moving blankets one must be sure to account for all of the items. Gainesville Movingrecommends getting between thirty to one hundred blankets depending on the size of the move. Thirty will be sufficient for studio apartments and small one bedrooms. For each additional room about ten to twenty should be added to the blanket pile. Two to five blankets should be used per item depending on the size of it.
To properly pad and wrap a piece of furniture you must be sure that item has any loose pieces secured. Typical loose pieces are drawers, doors, reclining leg supports on chairs and couches. Gainesville Moving recommends start from the top of the piece of furniture and covering it with moving pads to where there is absolutely no part of the furniture showing. Some pieces of furniture will be able to get full coverage by the moving blankets from the top. By full coverage of the blankets we mean that no surface of the furniture is exposed both top and bottom and all sides. By covering any exposed areas the chance of damage occuring is dramatically reduced. Having proper coverage also makes it easier to move because setting the item on the concrete will not scratch the item. After draping the item with the blankets one person should hold the pieces snug to the furniture while another person begins the process of stretch wrapping the furniture.
Stretch wrap is a key component in how to properly pad and wrap your furniture. When using the stretch wrap properly the plastic will be nice and tight with very little wiggle room. This is the most overlooked, yet important step. If the plastic stretch wrap is not nice and tight it could slide off and take the blankets with it. After wrapping the stretch wrap plastic to secure the blankets the furniture should be examined to ensure all surface areas are protected. All areas must be covered, even if this means the piece has to be turned upside down or on its side. Remember that speed is your enemy when moving furniture. After all sides are covered with moving blankets and stretch wrap it is ready to be loaded into the truck for transport. Use this guide from Gainesville Moving to ensure your next move is pulled off without any damage.
