The Top Ten Most Frequently Damaged Items When Moving Home

Accidents will happen, it is inevitable, and we are only human. Right?

Sort of. Nearly every accident is preventable, if only with hindsight. If only we had done something differently, if only this or that hadn’t happened.

But we live in the real world and accidents WILL happen. So how do we minimize the risk of damage or accidents when moving home? What can you do to reduce the likelihood of your furniture or household goods being damaged, or more importantly, prevent any injury to yourself or those around you? What precautions can we take to ensure our home move is safe?

In this guide we will:

• Identify what items are most likely to be damaged during a home move.
• Explore how to prevent breakage and damage when moving home.
• Look at how to prevent accidents and injuries when moving home.
• Guide you on how to prepare your packaging to maximize its protection.
• Give advice on how to prevent property from damage when moving home.
• Explain what your home moving insurance options are.
• Show you how to hire a reputable moving company.
• Advise you on what to do if your removal company damages your items.

What are the most commonly damaged items during a home move?

These are the top ten items that get damaged on moving day and what you can do to minimize the risks of damage to those items.

Glass and China – Obvious, but these are easily breakable things and if improperly packaged, or handled incorrectly, are highly likely to be damaged. Here you will find a step by step guide on how to package fragile and delicate items to prevent any damage.

Framed Items – These are vulnerable items that need special attention paid to the packaging when moving home. This guide will show you how to pack framed items to help prevent any damage during the moving process.

Furniture – Some basic protection will help prevent furniture damage when moving home, and will help prevent any damage to your old or new property. Due to the often heavy and awkward nature of furniture, it is more likely that walls will get gouged or scraped by furniture that is not handled correctly. There are some great tips on how to package and protect your furniture in this guide.

Lampshades – Because of their delicate construction, lampshades are particularly liable to be crushed during your home move. Lampshades can be one of the most fragile things to move. The best way to pack lampshades is in the fashion of a Russian doll, one inside another. Having prepared a large box as per the instructions in the next section, place the largest shade in the box first and then stack the remaining shades inside one another, largest to smallest.

Electronic Items – Ideally you should pack anything electrical in the original packaging they came in. Failing that, here is a detailed guide on how to pack your electronics.

Bottles – There are specific boxes for moving bottles and these should be utilized to ensure your bottles arrive at your new home intact. These boxes will be of the correct strength and will have dividers that will ensure the bottles will not move about within the case during transit. Of course, to save money you may be able to locate some free bottle boxes from your local supermarket.

Sporting Goods – It is recommended to transport these in the protective covers you normally use like racquet head covers or golf club bags, then wrap in additional protection to further prevent damage to the covers.

Musical Instruments – With the exception of items such as pianos which require specialist packing and handling, the majority of musical instruments have cases which are used to transport them. Additional padding should be wrapped around the case to prevent any damage to the case itself whilst in transit.

Plants – To ensure that your plants arrive intact, and with a chance of survival, follow our guide to moving plants to a new home.

You – The most valuable item to be moved will be you, and if you are embarking upon a self-move, you are at the biggest risk of damage. Here we will give top advice on how to avoid common moving injuries during your home move.

How to Prepare Moving Boxes to Prevent Damage

The preparation of your moving boxes is key when preventing damage to your items when in transit, so we will go through this here in detail.

• Select the right box. Unsure of which box you should use for which items? Our guide to home moving packaging will help.
• Strengthen all the seams and closing flaps with additional packing tape. Tape the bottom of the box at least once along the seam where the two closing flaps meet and twice across the width of the box. Reinforce any seams that you think are vulnerable.
• Line the bottom of the box with padding. Using blankets or clothing to line the bottom of the box to form a cushion to protect the contents of the box. The buffer should be deep enough that when it compresses with the weight of the box contents it still provides adequate cushioning.
• Heaviest Items First. Within the box stack items from the bottom to the top, heaviest to lightest.
• Fill all the gaps. Towels and clothing make great gap fillers. The idea is to stop items moving around or knocking against each other whilst in transit to prevent damage.
• Pad the top of the box. Leave a gap between the contents and the lid of the box. This should be padded as you did with the bottom of the box to protect the contents when boxes are stacked on top of each other.
• Securely seal the lid. Seal the box with double layers of tape as you did the bottom.
• Clearly label the box. Label the box with a description of the contents, the room they will be stacked in at your new home and also clearly mark the box as FRAGILE – THIS WAY UP.

How to Protect Your Property from Damage When Moving Home

Any damage to your floors or walls caused when moving home is going to be expensive to repair, as well as inconvenient to put right. To avoid any unnecessary damage being caused to your old or new home follow these top tips.

Home Contents Insurance When Moving Home – Do I Need It?

Yes. Should the worst happen and damage is caused to your property or household goods it is best to be properly insured so at least you do not lose out financially. Not only that but you can insure yourself against unexpected costs on moving day such as delays in getting the keys for your new home (key waiver) or cancellation cover should you need to cancel your home move. We have compiled a guide to insurance when moving home which can be found here.

How to Hire a Reputable Home Removal Company

Of course, the best line of defence to avoid damaging your furniture, your property, or most importantly to avoid injury to yourself, is to consider hiring the services of a reputable removal company. They have the skills and equipment to ensure that your items are handled professionally and with the minimum of distress, to you or your goods.

It is particularly important to ensure that the removal company you hire is reputable and ideally a member of one of the industry associations. This will give you added peace of mind that the staff are well trained and that should the worst happen, there are set procedures that the removal company must follow in the event of an insurance claim.

Here we go step by step through the process, to show you how to hire a professional home removal company.

• Declutter. Before you do anything else, declutter your home by getting rid of anything you will not be moving to your new home. There is no point in being quoted to move things that will not be going. Here we show you how to get rid of unwanted items.
• Obtain a cost estimate for your home move. This can easily be done by clicking this link.
• Get an in-home removal survey. This is a free service offered by the removal company. Here we tell you all about the survey and what questions to ask the removal company.
• Compare home removal companies. In this guide, you will find a downloadable spreadsheet to assist you when comparing removal companies.
• Self-Move or hire a reputable home removal company. If you are still unsure if you want to attempt to move home yourself, read this guide to help you decide.
• Book your removal company. Having chosen your preferred home removal company, book them. The best get booked up quickly, so do this as soon as you have decided.
• Home moving planner and calendar. Now is the time to start planning your home move. To make it easier for you we have created a downloadable home moving planner.

What do I do if my Removal Company Damages my Goods?

Professional home removal companies move thousands of items out of and into homes every year. On the law of averages, it is inevitable that sometime during all those moves something may get damaged. Then what do you do?

We have put together a guide on how to claim for damage against your home removal company. It can be accessed here.

The whole claim process will be easier if the home removal company you have selected to use is a member of one of the removal industries trade associations. Here you can find out all about the different home removal associations and the safeguards they offer you as a home mover.

How to Stay Safe in your new home after Moving Day

Of course, there is still the potential for damage and injury even after moving day, and we have not forgotten to give you some top tips to employ after you have moved into your new home.

• Childproof your home. There will be a whole set of new dangers in your new home for your children so it would be wise to childproof your new home as soon as possible. There are some great tips and advice in this article to help you.
• Secure your new home. You will want to safeguard your new home against intruders and the possibility of burglary, in this guide we will offer top tips on how to protect your family and home.
• Prepare a fire safety plan. Fire can be devastating, your life and everything you own can be wiped out in minutes. It makes sense to take every precaution you can to prevent fires occurring and planning for the worst before it happens. Here we take you through how to be fire aware and how to prepare a fire evacuation plan.

Lastly, don’t forget to leave a review for your removal company which you can do via this link.

We wish you a safe and stress-free home move, and if you have found this guide useful, please share it with others who you know are moving home.

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