When moving to a new house, taking the furniture with you is one of the most challenging and time-consuming parts. So much so that many people opt out of it and prefer to leave their furniture at their old place and buy new furniture at their new home. That’s certainly an option, however, if you’re careful and smart about it, moving your furniture can be done quite safely, and you can save yourself a lot of money on new furniture. Plus, that way you can take a major part of your old home with you.
All that applies to patio furniture, too. In fact, many people choose to take their patio furniture with them even if they have decided to leave their indoor furniture behind, because there are fewer questions regarding interior design when it comes to patio furniture. Still, this brings up the question of how to prepare and protect your patio furniture when moving house. Here are a few tips.
Main practical differences between patio furniture and indoor furniture
The main difference between patio and indoor furniture is that patio furniture is usually designed to withstand the elements of the outdoor world much better than indoor pieces. This mostly means that patio furniture is water resistant, as well as that it tolerates direct sunlight much better.
This should mean that moving patio furniture is easier than moving indoor furniture, right? Not really.
The fact that patio furniture is resistant to sunlight and water doesn’t matter much when it comes to moving it to a new home, unless you’re planning on just strapping your patio furniture unprotected to the hood of your car. Instead, there are other factors many people fail to consider.
In particular, patio furniture is often less resistant to pressure and weight than indoor furniture. Because it’s made of water-resistant materials, patio furniture usually includes a lot more glass, plastic, aluminum, wicker, and various synthetic materials like resin. Some patio furniture also includes more durable materials, such as teak and wrought iron, but that varies on a case-by-case basis. In other words, patio furniture is designed to withstand rain, sun, and temperature changes, but it’s not always designed to be as durable as indoor furniture that’s meant to last for generations.
How to prepare patio furniture when moving house?
So, to make your move easier and more efficient, here are a few tips for for moving patio furniture:
1. Clean and dry it properly
Because patio furniture is used outdoors, it needs to be cleaned and sanitized much more thoroughly. After all, you don’t want to accidentally bring pests to your new property when you move, right? Additionally, cleaning mold and then drying everything properly before you wrap it is also a must, as you don’t want to moisture to cause further mold and damage to your furniture.
2. Disassemble when possible
Some patio items, such as tables, loungers, and chairs, can be disassembled into smaller and more convenient pieces. It’s always a good idea to do so when possible, as that makes moving them much easier and space-efficient.
3. Organize all the corresponding hardware
When disassembling patio furniture, always make sure that you organize and store all the hardware (bolts, screws, etc.) with each corresponding patio piece. Placing such hardware into separate plastic bags and then labeling them and/or sticking them to each piece is a great way to make the reassembling much easier later on.
4. Wrap it properly
Whether disassembled or not, all patio furniture ought to be properly wrapped, packaged, and protected next. This is especially true for the more breakable items, such as glass tables, but it’s also true for durable pieces, as they can damage other items even if they can’t easily get damaged themselves.
When packaging such items, it is recommended to use lots of bubble wrap, moving blankets, and furniture covers. It is also important to secure the packaging on top of the furniture properly with tape and/or straps, as it won’t be of much use if it can easily move around.
5. Label everything
If you wrap everything properly, chances are that it is going to be difficult to tell which is which after you move. So, labeling not only the screws and bolts, but also every separate furniture piece is a good idea.
6. Load carefully and be mindful of each piece’s weight
A basic tip for loading up your furniture and belongings into a truck for moving is to always place the heavier and sturdier stuff at the bottom. However, it’s still important to be mindful of how much each piece weighs and how much weight it can withstand. Placing other stuff on top of your furniture is usually an obvious and good idea, however, not all furniture pieces are created equal. To get back to the patio glass table example, piling boxes full of books on top of it is probably not wise.
7. Secure everything during transit
Every single piece should be properly secured to the sides and floor of the truck, or at least to other pieces, before you move. Tape, straps, and rope should be used to prevent any shifting while the truck is in motion.
8. Unpack and reassemble carefully
Once you are at your new place, it is time to carefully and meticulously reassemble your furniture. If you have labeled everything properly, this should be an easy process. It is still important to be careful, however, as many people get overly excited at this step and break things at the last moment because they are rushing to be done with the move. And breaking a furniture piece after you have moved it hundreds or thousands of miles is just a waste.
All in all, most of the tips regarding preparing and protecting patio furniture can be applied to indoor furniture too. There are some key differences, such as being more mindful of the cleaning of it, as well as being mindful of how much things weigh, as well as how much weight they can carry.
At the end of the day, however, if any piece of furniture is important to you, whether it is for outdoor or indoor use, you would do well to protect it as carefully as possible, following the 8 steps above.
