Since we’ve written about how to move a mattress, we thought we’d write about the next step: how to move a bed frame. Our Tri Cities moving company location has some handy tips when it comes to preparing your bed for transportation. Even if a moving company helps you with your bed frame move, you may want to have some things ready to prepare for their arrival.
Have tools ready for disassembling your bed frame
Depending on the type of bed you have, you’re probably going to need to have some tools ready to take it apart before moving it. For IKEA furniture, you can visit their store to get some assembly supplies, if you didn’t keep them with your purchase (like the allen key, or more dowels).
A list of things you’ll need could include any of the following, if not more (depending on your case):
Screw drivers (find the heads that match the screws you have on your bed)
Allen key (if your bed was put together with one – such as with many IKEA products)
Wrench that is the diameter of your bed frame nuts and bolts, if necessary
WD-40 in case you need to loosen really tight screws
Gloves with grip
Moving blankets and plastic wrap
Baggie (like a ziplock) for the screws and small parts, with a way to label it (or like some suggest, tape them to the boards)
Dolly or moving straps (especially if you have a heavy bed)
Rubber mallet (be careful with this, but if you need to separate surfaces of the bed frame joined by dowels – not glue or nails – this may be helpful)
A stopper for wheels, if any, and if they don’t come with them already
Note paper and pen (to write down where all the screw fittings go during re-assembly! Especially if you lost the instructions)
Take apart your bed frame before moving it, if you can
Of course, you’ll need to follow our instructions at the link above on how to move a mattress before you can get to dismantling the bed (or take the mattress off the bed and set aside temporarily).
It’s not recommended to move a bed in one piece. You may put pressure on the joints, not to mention dent or break it as you move it through narrow passageways. The weight of the bed in one piece will also make the task much harder, and slower.
In most cases, you’ll have to unscrew the four sides of the bed, and any supports. Usually this starts at the foot and head of the bed. This is for a complete bed frame with headboard and footboard attached.
There are foldable, metal bed bases, and those ones are an exception. You’ll simply need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to unlatch them, or bend them to fold for easy transport.
IKEA bed frames are usually put together with both dowels and screws (depending on their materials). Your best bet is to google the model name of your bed, followed by “how do I disassemble a ____ bed.” Or, look up the assembly instructions on the IKEA website, and work backwards from there. Here is an article that discusses the pros and cons of disassembling IKEA furniture for moving.
Other beds can be disassembled for moving similarly, but still according to instructions, if you have them.
If you had a box spring on a metal bed frame, that frame may be attached to a headboard with screws of some sort. There might also be headboard and footboard attachment pieces you’ll want to hang on to, especially if they’re not welded onto the metal frame.
If you can, detach any wheels. They’ll stay safe from damage this way.
Of course, detach the drawers or shelves and any removable parts, if your bed has them.
If your bed was welded together, or uses some fancy wood joinery that you don’t want to take apart, you may be in for a bit of a harder job. This is not likely to be your case, though. But if it is, you’ll definitely want help moving. You’ll also need to consider your path before moving the bed frame through one home to the next.
Some box springs have removable fabric covers. We recommend taking those off your box spring, just for some extra cleanliness during the move.
Protect your bed frame from moving damage
We know some are risk-takers out there. But like all furniture, we strongly recommend the use of moving blankets, tightly wrapped up and secured with plastic wrap, tape or rope. Dented wooden beds are an eyesore. If your bed is made of particleboard (like some IKEA products), you could even end up with a tear, or a hole. Headboards made of fabric could also get dirty or wet (especially when moving in the Tri Cities region!).
For the large headboard and footboard, you may want to rest these against an A-frame to prevent them from tipping over in a moving truck. Otherwise, find a way to get them in the truck where they won’t wobble around.
Transport the bed frame, then put it back together again, safely
When you put together your bed after moving, please remember safety. This goes especially for children’s beds or bunk beds. You don’t want to add weight to a piece of furniture that doesn’t have all its screws and bolts in place. If they went missing at all during the move, be sure to replace them before using your bed frame. This includes headboard and footboard attachments, even if they’re not structurally needed, as they can fall over and hurt someone. So, you may be sleeping on a mattress on the floor for a while!
The good news is that if you got your bed from IKEA or a major retailer, they will probably have replacement parts you can buy, or even get for free.
Also remember that wood, even metal and plastic, expands and contracts depending on climate, moisture and temperature. Just like when you install new flooring, you may want to acclimatize your bed frame (and all furniture) in your home for a day or two, before assembling it back together. This may help with the tightness of the screw joints over time.
Here are instructions on how to tighten wood screws. And here are common furniture fixes you can try.
Decide if it’s time to call professional movers to move a bed frame
While moving a bed frame may seem simple, depending on the price and history of your bed (such as if it was passed down to you), you may want to hire a professional to take care of it. Some professional movers will also have insurance to cover you if anything does go wrong with the bed during transport.
When you get your moving estimate, be sure to ask about beds that need to be taken apart, or that may not be able to be taken apart!
If you’ve spent a lot of time on the home you live in, it’s likely you’ve spent money it. Whether it was for repairs, or simply to upgrade the home, we know there are costs to maintaining your dwelling. With big-ticket items, the home improvement investments are usually hard to take with you when you leave. You can only hope they will increase the value of your home when you sell. This goes for flooring, millwork or built-in kitchen cabinetry, and things of the like.
But did you know there are home improvement investments you can take with you when you move? You may have to clear it with the realtor and new homeowners first. Sure, you might sound like a cheap-o, but to be honest, if you’ve done a lot of interior design upgrades to get your home to match your taste, you could save a lot of money, and trouble, by bringing them with you. Calculating their costs could bring your receipts into the thousands. So it may be worth asking!
Here is a related article you’ll also want to check out:
Move door knobs, plus cabinet knobs and pulls with you
If you have fancy door knobs in the kitchen or bathroom, or on bedroom and closet doors, these can be easily unscrewed to take with you. Sometimes, getting the ‘look’ you want for your home means going ‘all out’ to get the hardware that matches your decor. However, these are by far a ‘cheap’ purchase. They can be costly, and they’re the type of item that ‘adds up.’ To save your investment in these upgrades, you can easily replace your current knobs with cheaper, but still fantastic-looking ones from IKEA or otherwise,. Then, take your fancy knobs and pulls with you when you move.
Carved or moulded doors can be part of your move
Doors are another purchase that can come cheap or expensive. On the high end, you have doors with carvings in them, and doors with millwork or moulding on them. Outside doors with glass windows are also worth a lot more than plain flat ones. Whether indoor or outdoor, you can unhinge your doors and – provided they are standard sizes that will fit in your new home – take them with you.
With kitchen cupboard doors, solid wood and ‘fancy’ ones can also be something you technically could take with you. However, these are often custom measured for your space. So before you start unscrewing those hinges in a hurry, check if they will fit in your new home.
Let the movers know that you want to take the doors, to save you less hassle. If they plan in advance, they can prepare the right tools, oils or WD-40 to unhinge them.
Ceiling fans you’ll want to move with you
For most cases, we’d leave it up to you to decide if you want to uninstall your ceiling fan and take it with you on moving day. It is a slight upgrade from some light fixtures alone. However, the type of fans you’ll want to move with you for sure are the bigger investments, such as smart fans. These are quite costly (compared to ‘regular’ fans), and something you’ll probably be asking yourself about the moment you find you’re moving!
Thermostats can be investments to keep
Some of you reading this may not know, but others will; thermostats can get fancy too. Well, maybe you all knew, since newer homes probably don’t come with the mercury thermostats anymore anyway. But we’re talking about the even fancier thermostats – smart thermostats. Here is a video that explains the types of thermostats, and how to install a smart thermostat.
Expensive light fixtures you can move to your new home, carefully
We wrote an article on how to move a chandelier. We recommend taking a look, especially if it was a larger home improvement investment you want to move with you:
The same principles apply to other specialty light fixtures you want to hang on to.
Granite, quartz, concrete, marble or other stone countertops to move, technically
If you can manage it – though it twill be very hard to detach, and may need professional work to re-fit in a new space – you can bring your stone countertop with you. We wrote an article on how to move heavy countertops here:
We know that moving a countertop will be a big deal. And since they can crack easily, you may not want to risk it, despite how much you feel you paid for them. Don’t forget, unless your new home owners are gutting your current place anyway, you’ll also have to put in a new countertop for them when they arrive on moving day.
Bathroom shower heads are easily detached for moving day
Most of the time, you can remove a shower head on moving day to take with you. Of course, put back the one that was there before you invested in the turbo jet or aerating shower head! Here is an article that explains the types of shower heads out there, so you can tell if your is worth keeping.
Now, if your shower head looks like some of the luxury ones shown in this article, you’ll definitely want to find out how to uninstall and take it with you! Or make sure the realtor puts it in the value of the home!
LED lights – should you take them with you on moving day?
Nowadays, LED lights are fairly standard and are coming down in price. However, sometimes, when you first replace all your old bulbs with LED ones, the investment can be large. A few years ago, they were definitely the kind of thing you would unscrew and take with you whenever you moved from one place to another. Nowadays, we’ll let you make that judgement call – you’ll know how much they’re worth. Just don’t forget them, they can be so inconspicuous!
Appliances are easy to move from one home to another, if you follow the pro tips
If you feel you’ve invested a lot into high-grade appliances you hoped you’d have a lifetime, don’t worry, you can move them. The only hard part will be making sure the new home buyers know that they don’t come with the house. They should know this as early as possible, especially if they thought they were getting the ‘ultra 3000’ version of appliances with the home price.
See these articles on our site about how to move common appliances, as they have to be moved with professional tips in mind:
To conclude: save money by packing your home improvement investments in the moving truck
As we’ve seen above, there are several items you can consider packing into the moving truck, which many might forget about. It may seem like tradition is to leave these home improvement investments for the new dwellers; but that doesn’t have to be the case (especially if you do the work of replacing your fixtures before moving). You bought them for high quality, so there isn’t a reason to give them up, if you don’t want to. Now, if your new place has even nicer fixtures…well…! Let that be your decision!
If you are thinking of moving in Vancouver, you probably have a checklist of what you want in your new home, and perhaps even your new neighbourhood. If you have children, one major item you should add to this checklist is proximity to schools. However, you don’t want to move close to just any school. Follow this quick guide to find a good school for your kids before your Vancouver move. (more…)
But have you ever considered what would happen if your home, business, community centre or church ever caught on fire? How bad would the damage be? How would you recover from a fire? See the story of this historical hotel recently damaged by a fire in B.C.
Chances are, after everyone’s safety is addressed, you’ll go through a lengthy, tedious and specialized process to salvage your belongings (if they can be recovered at all). You’ll also likely need to re-locate after a fire. In between, your things will need to be moved – sometimes to a special facility – and then back to their original spot in your home.
And so, salvaging belongings from a fire, and moving after a fire in B.C. often go together.
In this article, we’ll give some tips on what to expect, and what to do, if you are recovering from fire damage.
Know that fire damage is not just from flames: water and smoke will ruin most belongings not turned to ashes
Fire smoke, soot and the water used to put out the fire can be the biggest determinant of whether or not your belongings can be salvaged at all. This is where fire restoration companies come into play. This restoration specialist explains what the process may be like (though we don’t claim to sponsor or promote any one company). As you’ll see, everything will need to be moved out before it can be salvaged.
If you watch the second video on this news story, you’ll see floods of water coming out of a church building that had been powerfully hosed for hours to put out a fire. Now imagine what would be left after the fire is gone. You can expect that carpeting, flooring, walls and much more will be damaged by water – and resulting mould – alone.
And, as this article explains, smoke damage can be the most detrimental, and hard-to-get-rid-of effect of a fire. The site goes on, in this page, to explain that chemicals from smoke and soot damage can be harmful to humans. This is why you may want to consider a temporary relocation, or moving permanently, after a fire.
Know your first recourse after a fire, to help you resettle or move, while bringing your home back to shape
Your first recourse after a fire is your insurance policy. Insurance should cover the services of a fire restoration company to help you determine what can be salvaged of your belonging after a fire. They will also be able to professionally handle the material that may now be hazardous to your health.
The City of Vancouver publishes a guide on what to do immediately after suffering from a home fire (or other building fire, such as a commercial or community space). If you don’t have insurance, there may be government resources or charities that can help you. This can be as little as shelter for the first few days after a fire, or as extensive as social services and financial help (from the B.C. government), if you have to move out of your home completely.
Of course, it goes without saying that if you live in another city, you should check with your local city hall to find out your similar available options.
You can also see our guide on how to find temporary accommodations in Canada, here.
Learn what work you’ll need to do on your home before you can move in after a fire
There are several guides on how to clean, repair and restore your home and belongings after a fire. Here are some we found that may be useful in your search:
https://prrd.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/fire.pdf – this explains the importance of professional de-odourizing. It also explains that you’ll need to make sure your home’s value is adjusted, and that your property is kept safe while restoration is going on (you won’t want trespassers causing even more damage during this process). Also, it brings up the important point that a building structure damaged by fire may not be safe for the untrained to walk into. You don’t want blocks of charred wood falling on your head, so please be careful. Again, we’ll emphasize that a professional may need to do this job for you.
Don’t forget you’ll also need to temporarily cancel your utility services after a fire. As you can see, there is administration to do after a fire, and before you can move in or out of a building damaged by fire. It’s not just cleaning.
To conclude: precaution is the best remedy to fire restoration, and having to move
You knew this piece of advice was coming. As you can see from what we’ve covered above, recovering from a fire is a dreadful process. Not only will you be in shock and recovering personally from the event. And that’s not even assuming there were any fatal life losses (which is more devastating). But the amount of work involved in salvaging your belongings will be a headache. It can take a long time – so don’t expect to be able to move back in within a week or two.
And so, we recommend having a fire safety plan to begin with. Make sure sure your smoke detectors are working, you have the right fire ceiling paint, self-closing doors, and other building fixtures that can help prevent fire damage – not to mention save lives. Also, if you have tenants in a basement suite, make sure it is a legal one, to avoid unnecessary blame if the fire affects their safety.
If you need help moving in from your temporary location, back to your permanent home after a fire, give us a call. We’d be happy to help. The fire restoration specialists may need to handle the careful moving of other damaged items, however.
Ready for moving day? Did you forget about how to move the lawn mower? Our coquitlam movers will help you deal with this beast, by giving tips below!
It may be common to focus on the ‘inside’ stuff while packing for your move. But don’t forget, all the tools and forgotten junk in your shed also needs to go, to make way for the new inhabitants of the home you’re leaving.
If you have a yard to maintain on your current home, and will have one in your next home, you’ll probably want to bring the lawn mower with you. No need to waste that investment!
But hang on: you don’t want a stinky, dirty, gas-filled, spark-ready lawn mower packed up next to your clean couch, and rolling around in the moving truck. Yikes! So, follow these tips below to move your lawn mower like a pro mover (or to prep for the pro movers when they arrive!).
Before you move a lawn mower, empty its gas and unplug its flame-inducing parts
Professional movers will not take gasoline in their moving truck. No matter how much you beg, and no matter how small it may seem. It’s a safety hazard, and so, it’s a no-go. If you want your lawn mower to go in that moving truck, you’ll need to empty the gas. And, unplug the spark plug, so no fires happen in the moving truck, please.
So what do you with all that gas you paid top dollar for? You can either use it up by mowing your lawn before moving day. Or you can put it in a fancy made-for-gas container (you know the ones with the spout, and the twist seal, with the handle). You can put it in your own car to take on a short-distance move. Or, you can dispose of it according to your local city bylaw regulations.
But please…don’t just leave gas in a bucket in your hard…especially not in dry, hot summer.
Of course, if your lawn mower does not use gas, you can skip this step.
If your lawn mower is electric, be sure to read your product manual (or google it online), to find out if there are safety precautions to take before transporting it.
Clean your lawn mower before moving, and do some maintenance on it while you’re at it
Your lawn mower is probably full of dirt and grass in places you didn’t think dirt and grass could exist. Ok, maybe you did think it. Either way, you don’t want to end up with grass stains on your stuff, while it’s all crammed in a moving truck. So it’s time for clean up.
If your lawn mower has a bag attachment to collect grass clippings, give that a good ol’ shake-out. Then, hose it down. Or, if you have one of those pressure washers that can turbo-speed soapy water on things, maybe try that. We take no liability for the effects of this trick though.
For the rest of the lawn mower parts, the general consensus on the Internet is to give it a good brushing and a hose-down with a strong pressure hose attachment.
What to do with all the guck that comes out? Maybe compost? Check out our article on how to move a compost here.
While you’re making your lawn mower clean as new, you can also get on some maintenance, to keep it alive and well for your new life at your new home. Angie’s list has a blog post on how to do this:
Find a safe solution for lawn mower blades before you pack them for moving
If you’re lazy, and you want to duck tape your lawn mower blades before moving, or if you want to detach them and carefully bubble wrap them, either way, you need a solution for this.
If you’re not comfortable handling the blades of your lawn mower, be sure to ask your moving company if they can include this in their service when they give you a moving quote. As before moving day! If this ends up costing extra, don’t be surprised. And, if they say no, also don’t be surprised. Movers need to be protected by insurance for injuries, such as by WorkSafeBC. So generally, they shouldn’t be going outside the scope of ‘normal’ when it comes to moving hazards.
But no, open, exposed and dangerously sharp objects can’t just be piled into a moving truck. And you wouldn’t want them banging around loosely in a box either.
If your blades are dull and need replacing or sharpening, maybe now is a good time to do that. Again – safely! See if a metal pick-up company will come get them for you. Though, they’d probably want the trip to be more worth their while, so collect other scrap metal for them too. If you hire a junk removal company before moving day, ask in advance if they can handle the mower blades (some may even help you disassemble them).
If you take blades with you, label your box, so that people know there are sharp items in there. Cardboard is not recommended here, as it can rip easily. Try plastic.
Stop the wheels from rolling around in the moving truck
You don’t want the lawn mower rolling in the truck. Remember – it’s got wheels! Find a way to stop the wheels from rolling. You can do this by packing heavy items in front, and behind the mower. Or you can use a wheel stopper.
Remember: not all lawn mowers are created equal, even when it comes to moving them
Lawn mowers may or may not be worth the move, depending how big of a move you’re making, or the value of your lawn mower. And sometimes, the tips we’ve mentioned above may not apply, depending on the lawn mower you are moving. If you have a ride-on lawn mower, for example, then you’ll need a ramp, or some other method to tow it to your new destination (on a short-distance move).
The other ‘treatment’ you can give your lawn mower before moving is to sell it with classified listings. Then, buy another one when you arrive at your new destination.
How do you move toys and kids’ rooms? You may be surprised to hear this, but there are children in this world who will throw a fit if they lose their toys. And moving day is asking for toy losses.
Take this boy, on the popular blog-turned-book, Reasons My Son Is Crying: He is mad because he threw his toys out of his pen, and now he has no more toys to play with.
Imagine the tantrum and heartbreak that will ensue if, during a move, you lose your child’s favourite bunny or blanket! Disaster! And no, buying a replacement probably won’t work (them little munchkins are so smart!).
But I mean, realistically, toy-moving is going to mean purging at some level, right? You know the clean-up is coming. So there must be some decent and reasonable ways to do this with your kid.
Ok, so, how do parents safely, carefully and with caution move their child’s toys and play rooms?
As professional movers (some of whom are parents too), we will advise below!
Before moving day, ask your child to organize their toys and decide what they don’t want anymore
We hear your giggles. You think this won’t work. But you’d be surprised. There are kids who can understand that they don’t want old stuff anymore (like toys that are actually for ‘babies’). And, if you show them that their toys may help another kid be happy, they may want to donate them. There are also children who will help you pack!
If you’re having a hard time with this, you could go the desperate-parent route and incentivize them with newer (but fewer!), better toys after they move. Or a new bunk bed.
But first, you need to organize the toys.
First things first: we are guessing that while toys may be sprawled everywhere around the house, they probably do have a spot. Or so the theory goes.
Try to clean up, so that toys are in their bins and boxes and on their proper shelves.
Next, go through the picks of keeps and throw-aways.
You’re going to find broken pieces and mysterious pieces of toys that look like they belong to other toys. Ask what they are if you’re not sure (in case you render a Transformer or train set useless by accident). But if they’re truly garbage, start a recycling bin.
Bundle the small piece toys – like legos blocks, or beads – into zip lock bags or small plastic containers with lids.
Now, your toy room should be sort-of-good-enough organized for packing.
Ok, now imagine how dirty your child’s other toys. Maybe there is mould on the inside. Maybe there are just gross germs on the outside. Or maybe you’ll be bringing sick germs with you to your new home after you move – and no one wants that. HealthLink BC has an article on cleaning toys, because it’s that important. If you don’t like the idea of using bleach or chemicals, there are natural cleaning solutions available online. The DIY mom bloggers can help you with that.
Now, you could argue that toys will get dirty during the move. That’s fine. You can clean them after you arrive at your new home. But chances are, the kids will want to play with their toys right away, and you’ll have a lot of other things on your mind too.
Try picking up plastic bins with sealable lids that you can place all the clean toys in. Remember to keep the contents of these ‘toy moving bins’ completely dry, to avoid a mould situation like that mentioned above. This is especially so if you are doing a long-distance move.
Identify toys that can sell as antiques before packing them for a move, or throwing them away
We’re not talking about Beanie Babies. There are toys that are actually worth money.
Next, it’s time to read up on how to spot the toys that could be valuable for some extra change in your pocket.
Don’t forget: the kid has to be ok with this. Or you will have bigger problems to deal with. Like a heartbroken child. Recall when Woody accidentally ended up in the garage sale in Toy Story 2? So sad.
If you think you’ve got an old toy that has been passed down, that you don’t have an emotional attachment to, you may want to call some professionals in for an appraisal. Or, you can start of by doing some reading. For example, these articles:
And, as the article above notes, please don’t offend antique toy collectors by calling action figures, “dolls.” You might make less money that way. Just joking.
Now, if you’re feeling a bit amused that there are die-hard toy collectors out there. Don’t be. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. People sell antique jeans for thousands of dollars too.
Get the right packing material for toys
Toys can break in transit, especially if they are tossed around a lot. Do not crush Barbie heads due to bad packing. Somebody will get upset.
If you have it, you can use original packing of toys. But you likely won’t have thought to keep these around. It’s ok. You can use bubble wrap, or wrap them in clothes or cloths. Or, pack the plastics with the plush toys.
You also want to avoid toys getting wet – especially stuffed animals. That can be hard to clean. So again – consider plastic bins. The bins can be re-used as toy organizers when you arrive at your new home after your move.
To conclude: packing and moving toys is no small feat!
As you can see, toys need a lot of consideration. They may be meaningless to you, but they have a lot of meaning to your child. Or to an antique collector (let’s hope so, right?!).
When you pack toys to move, be sure to do so in a way that will ensure the longevity of the toys, which will help your wallet in the future. We know that must be motivating to do it right.
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