5 Tips for Protecting Your Home During a Move

Unintended damage to walls and floors is not that uncommon during moving. There is a lot of heavy lifting as you move furniture around, passing through doorways that are three feet or less in width. Even experienced movers can run into some trouble negotiating the best way through. Here is a bit of advice from our professional residential movers in Oregon.

Don’t Forget to Protect Your Lawn

Movers will use the same direct path from your front door to the moving truck all day long. If the ground is under any environmental stress like excess moisture from heavy rainfall or significant drought, this foot traffic can wreak havoc on the lawn. And while you may be moving, it’ll be an unpleasant surprise for the new residents. Sheets of plywood can be laid over the bare ground to prevent significant damage.

How to Protect Your Floors

Here’s the thing, on moving day your home will see exponentially more foot traffic than it may have seen the entire time you lived there. And all of this traffic will be wearing shoes—like it or not, tracking in dirt and debris that can do a number of softer flooring surfaces. Consider laying sheets of particle board down through the main pathways so that hand trucks and shoes can navigate the area with ease.

How to Protect Doorways & Banisters

In many homes, especially older ones, doorways, and stairwells are home to ornate woodwork that can be priceless. Unfortunately, these doorways aren’t the best match for most of the furniture that will be moved through them. Both furniture and woodwork can be wrapped in soft moving blankets to protect these surfaces from unintentional damage.

Protecting Windows and Walls

For starters, all wall décor should be removed prior to your mover’s arrival. Still, there is a risk of damage to your walls. This is where it becomes prudent that your movers make good use of moving blankets to protect and cushion the furniture and the walls. Don’t overlook curtains and decorative tiebacks. While you’ve probably taken down your artwork, you may be leaving the drapes behind. Check for potential snags in high traffic areas and consider temporarily removing these items.

How to Protect the Garage Floor

Another area of the home that many people overlook is the garage floor. Before any moving begins, take care to properly dispose of chemicals and motor oil to prevent any accidental spills. It’s important to note that your movers likely won’t touch these items anyways, so this is a must-do checklist item before moving day.

The Bottom Line on Protecting your Home During a Move

While moving, we always put so much emphasis on packing and our belongings. Many residents simply overlook the basic steps that they can take to protect more permanent finishes like carpets, walls, and woodwork. Prestige Moving and Storage has more than 60 years of industry-leading experience in residential moving. For decades, our long-distance movers have been helping homeowners plan and execute successful moves to and from the Portland area.