Moving to a new house is a stress enough without worrying about your electronic devices. It doesn’t matter whether you plan on transporting your belongings by yourself or you want to hire a moving company, there are some rules you should follow to make sure that your electronics will arrive to your new home undamaged.

Below we prepared a set of tips for moving household appliances. Some of them are universal for the most of household appliances and others concerns only specific types of machines. In this article we chose fridges, dishwashers and washing machines as examples, as they seem to be particularly tricky in transportation.

• Take care of all the removable elements

That’s always the first step. You should remove all the removable parts of the appliance (like shelves and containers in a fridge or baskets in a dishwasher) and ship them separately (preferably wrapped in bubble wrap). When transported inside the appliance, these elements are especially exposed to jolting, which can damage them or the appliance itself.

• Secure the doors

Make sure that the doors of the appliance are properly locked and won’t open during transportation (it’s best to secure it with some tape). This advice seems pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised, how often people leave washing machine doors unsecured. When the transportation is going according to plan, it shouldn’t be an issue, but in case of some dangerous occurrence on the road, unsecured doors can lead to the damaging of the appliance.

• Shield your appliance from mechanical damages

This means more than just securing it in the vehicle to avoid any movement during shipment. Wrap the whole appliance in bubble wrap and secure the corners with some Styrofoam. This will help you protect your appliance from any dents or scratch marks. Remember that while most appliances are made of metal, they were not made to endure strong impacts and even a small indentation (depending on its place) can lead to serious (and often permanent) damage.

Preparing a fridge for transportation

Unplug your fridge from electricity and defrost it if needed. As mentioned before, remove any removable parts (shelves and containers). Dry the inside of the fridge and secure the door with tape. Then wrap the whole appliance in bubble wrap.

Remember that the fridge should be transported upwards to avoid any fluids leaking into the appliance. Also, transporting the fridge upwards keeps its tubing safe from any strains which could also lead to damage. After transporting the fridge to your new home you should wait 12 hours before you re-plug it and start using it again.

Preparing a dishwasher for transportation

For most parts, moving a dishwasher is similar to moving a fridge. You should remember about removing the baskets and securing the doors. The dishwasher also needs to be transported upwards to avoid any leaking. With dishwasher transportation there is one more thing for you to remember, though – water lines.

After unplugging the machine from the power source and water lines, tie the cables together to keep them from tangling unnecessary. Also, make sure that the back of the dishwasher is extra safe during shipment (that nothing can fall on it in case of emergency braking or that the dishwasher itself won’t fall).

Preparing a washing machine for transportation

The first thing is of course unplugging the machine from water and electricity. Make sure that there isn’t any water left inside. It’s best to secure the drum so it won’t move during shipment, as it’s the most fragile and prone to damage part of the washing machine. Also, as mentioned before, make sure that both doors and detergent drawer are closed and secured with some tape.

Take care to properly wrap your washing machine with bubble wrap. With the washing machine, it’s especially important to avoid scratch marks during transportation. The layer of paint covering the washing machine serves as a protection against humidity (which is unavoidable in bathroom), which can cause your washing machine to rust and therefore damage permanently.

Please, note: if you are transporting your washing machines in sub-zero temperatures, you should keep your appliance in a room with temperature above 0°C  for at least 8 hours before using it again. Also – remember to level the washing machine again, after the transportation.

Even if from the first glance the list of things to remember while preparing for moving your household appliances may seem pretty long, most of them just make sense. Keep the appliance upward and make sure that any movable parts are transported separately. Secure all the cords and remove any excess water, if needed. Or – if you are afraid of damaging your appliances – you can always ask for a help from a moving company. A professional mover will not only help you with transportation but also advise you on the best way to prepare your appliances for shipping.

This is a guest article, written by Clicktrans.com – an online transport marketplace which helps to bring together transport providers and people in need of shipping things.