Moving is not only mentally stressful; the strain of lifting boxes, lugging cumbersome furniture pieces, and tossing totes full of clothes on the moving truck can lead to painful muscle sprains and homeowners rushing to find the ibuprofen.
You’ve already made the wise decision to hire long-distance movers to help you with all the heavy lifting.
However, if you are still looking for hacks to make your moving experience even easier, chances are you are wondering if you can save time by leaving clothing, office supplies, and other household items inside furniture drawers.
In most cases, the answer is “absolutely,” but only if you take the proper steps to prevent severe property damage and the aches, pains, and injuries that often come with improperly moving furniture.
Here is the definitive guide to moving heavy furniture without wasting your time and energy emptying drawers:
Moving Furniture is Extremely Difficult, Especially if It’s Solid Wood
No homeowner wakes up in the morning looking forward to lifting a sturdy dresser filled with clothing, toys, or office supplies.
In your imagination, you muster the mythical strength of Hercules to lift the dresser with one arm while your family and movers look on with amazement.
Unfortunately, the reality is that the experience will be far more comical – picture drawers flying and homeowners grumbling while you and your moving crew struggle to get the furniture piece on the moving truck.
If you don’t mind the heavy lifting, packing for a move is much more straightforward when you don’t need to completely empty dresser drawers!
Even Professional Movers are People Carrying Heavy Objects
Here is an insider secret most moving companies won’t share with unsuspecting clients: We hate lifting heavy objects, too!
However, unlike homeowners, movers have specialized moving equipment and a unique set of skills that allow us to expertly lift full drawers and fragile items with minimal damage to the item and bodily injury.
Let us share our industry knowledge and help you cut down on your packing time and use fewer packing supplies by keeping some pieces of clothing and craft supplies where they belong: Safely tucked inside dresser drawers!
What Happens on Moving Truck When Moving Long-Distance
The moving process might seem simple, but planning a successful relocation is more logistically challenging than you realize. One of the most critical steps is getting your belongings on the moving truck safely.
If you are moving to Colorado Springs or across the country, follow these steps to ensure your moving vehicle is filled quickly and efficiently on moving day:
- Clear a path: Remove obstructions and ensure heavy furniture and boxes are easily accessible.
- Keep your children and pets out of the way: Movers love interacting with kids and pets, but not while working. While boxes and full drawers are loaded on the truck, keep your little ones and fur babies in a separate room.
- Offer guidance and refreshments: We appreciate the help, including which items you want at the back or front of the truck. We really appreciate a cool beverage on a hot day!
Recommendations Strongly Advised by a Denver Moving Company
Denver movers are skilled, talented, and have vast real-world experience planning successful moves.
We understand that every relocation is different, but some fundamental realities are true in most situations.
One of the most significant is that accidents and injuries can happen when you move extremely heavy items without the proper training and moving equipment.
If you plan to lift furniture pieces and leave the drawers filled, you must know how to move heavy items without personal injuries. Here are some simple tips to help you lift dressers, furniture, and moving boxes like a pro:
- Plan a route: Determine the quickest and safest way to the front door before lifting a single box or couch.
- Use furniture sliders: Furniture sliders allow you to quickly push furniture across hardwood flooring and carpet without causing damage.
- Invest in a hand dolly: Choose a dolly rated to carry the approximate weight of your furniture.
- Get plenty of help: Never relocate heavy items on your own. Instead, enlist the help of friends and family. Just be aware you may need to bribe them with a hot meal afterward!
Dresser Drawers: Empty the Drawers
You can leave stuff like underwear and socks inside the drawers, but don’t leave clothes, especially heavy clothing, bulky sweaters, or jeans.
Empty drawers into totes or boxes and label them according to their original dresser.
This ensures that it will be easier to put away the clothes in their corresponding dresser after moving from state to state.
Another option is to leave the clothing in the drawers and remove the drawers themselves.
This reduces packing supplies and time and lessens the risk of personal injuries from lifting cumbersome, heavy pieces.
If you leave the drawers inside the dresser, wrap the entire piece with plastic. This keeps the drawers and dresser sturdy and prevents the drawers falling during transport.
Which Moving Boxes Are Best for Packing Clothes In?
Traditional moving boxes are only sometimes the best choice for packing clothes. Instead, follow these tips to cut down on packing time and costs, whether you are moving cross-country or planning a local move in Denver:
- Empty drawers into suitcases: Filling your suitcases with clothing and other soft items, such as plush toys, helps distribute weight and means lugging fewer boxes onto the moving truck.
- Invest in wardrobe boxes: Larger and specifically designed to transport clothing, wardrobe boxes allow you to maximize space on the moving van.
- Slip clothing into garbage bags: Don’t waste time taking clothes off the hanger. Instead, protect the clothing in bunches with a heavy garbage bag.
If you were wondering if movers pack clothes, the answer is “yes,” but you must sign up for comprehensive packing services.
Curio Cabinet With Fragile Items
Curio cabinets pose a unique challenge because they are heavy, ornate, and feature glass doors. They are also designed to house and display your most treasured pieces, including antique items.
How do you protect the cabinet and all those valuable items? Start by properly moving the cabinet:
- Remove all items and set them aside to be wrapped later.
- Secure the doors with strong packing tape.
- Wrap the cabinet in plastic and cover it with a moving blanket.
- Place the cabinet on a furniture dolly. The cabinet should be moved upright.
How to Pack Fragile Items
Now it’s time to protect your family heirlooms and collectibles during moving to ensure every piece arrives at your new home in one piece. It’s simple; you just need to follow these simple tips:
- Wrap each item separately in bubble wrap.
- Place the heaviest items in the bottom of a plastic container. Avoid using cardboard boxes.
- Avoid overfilling the container. Even sturdy plastic cannot support extra weight.
- Fill empty spaces with balled-up newspaper, paper towel, or packing peanuts.
Furniture Compartments: How to Save Space & Money the Right Way
Whether moving locally or across the country, you want to find clever ways to save time packing and money on moving expenses.
Spending less on packing supplies is a great option, but beware of moving large furniture overfilled with heavy objects. Instead, use these simple tricks to move specialized pieces:
Filing Cabinets with Full Drawers
You’ve enjoyed the protection and convenience of filing cabinets, but now it’s time to relocate this heavy wood or metal box. Start by decluttering and eliminating any unnecessary supplies and personal documents.
Here is a simple guide for storing sensitive documents:
- Less than one year: Utility and monthly subscription bills, receipts, and bank statements.
- More than one year: Keep paystubs for at least one year and tax documents for at least seven years.
- Keep these documents for life: Never throw away your house deed, social security cards, passports, and birth certificates.
Do not overfill the drawers like wooden dressers, and secure the filing cabinet with plastic wrap.
Storage Footboard Bench
You’re moving across the country, and your bedroom furniture is coming along with you. Store your blankets and sheets inside your bed bench.
All other bedding and linens should be placed inside moving containers, such as boxes or plastic containers. Label the boxes to ensure you can make the bed as soon as you arrive at your new house!
Ottoman With a Trunk
Your bulky storage ottoman is the perfect place to store throw pillows and blankets, and it should not be overloaded during your long-distance or local move.
Instead, leave lightweight items inside the trunk, including stuffed animals or dog toys.
Ensure the trunk’s top is secure and cover the piece with a furniture blanket, especially if you move the cumbersome piece around a sharp turn or through tight spaces.
Metal Storage Cabinet With Rolling Mechanism
A versatile metal storage container is the perfect place to store and relocate miscellaneous items that are too bulky or oddly shaped to fit inside boxes or traditional moving containers such as your favorite cooler, shop vac, and small garden tools.
The best part is you can simply roll the cabinet to the moving truck and let the movers do all the heavy lifting!
How Does a Moving Company Prepare Heavy Furniture?
You hire a moving and packing service to avoid the extra stress of filling boxes and lifting heavy, bulky stuff.
As a bonus, professionals arrive at your door with the supplies and equipment necessary to move heavy furniture, including:
- Moving blankets
- Stretch wrap
- Packing tape
- Moving straps
- Furniture slides
We know all the insider tricks for preventing damage and squeezing large pieces through tight spaces, including narrow hallways and doorways.
For example, doing something as simple as moving large furniture in an upright position can mean the difference between getting it through the door without causing damage and spending your last hours in your home fixing chipped drywall.
Packing Supplies Local Movers Use for Non-Fragile Items
Whether moving furniture or packing small appliances, professional movers take great pride in ensuring every household item is well-protected.
Packing paper is a great, more cost-effective, and environmentally conscious alternative to bubble wrap when protecting non-fragile items.
As with every other precious item, we will ensure your non-fragile belongings make it to your new home or apartment!
The Cons of Moving Particleboard Furniture
A type of engineered wood manufactured by combining wood shavings and binding agents, particle board furniture is the furniture of choice for college students or young married couples on a budget.
If you’re moving, we recommend donating or selling your fragile particle board furniture for several reasons, including:
- There is a high likelihood the furniture will break.
- Lack of quality insurance options.
- The frail furniture takes up valuable space on your moving truck.
When a drawer falls out of the particle board dresser, chances are, it will shatter.
Are you moving to Boulder and want to ensure all your furniture pieces are protected? The team at Rocky Movers can help!
Valuable Items Should be Packed Separately
Movers will treat your property like it’s their own most valued possession, but there are several pieces we recommend packing in separate boxes and keeping with you, including:
- Jewelry
- Sensitive documents
- Medications
- High-end smaller gadgets
You take a big risk by emptying drawers on your jewelry box and placing the belongings in moving trucks, especially if the pieces are fragile and expensive and do not carry the proper moving insurance.
Furniture Breaking is the Last Thing Moving Companies Want
Whether you are moving drawers filled with clothing or are creating extra weight by leaving the items safely tucked away inside the dresser or wood cabinet, when moving day arrives, you can rest assured the team at Rocky Movers will work tirelessly to protect your most treasured belongings.
With several years of experience helping families plan and execute successful moves, we can help you, too, whether you are moving to Fort Collins or leaving Colorado behind for new adventures.
We can expertly pack boxes and empty drawers and relocate the bulkiest, most cumbersome furniture without causing property damage.
