There are some items that are easy to ship from A to B, while plenty more are highly challenging. It is the larger and more unwieldy items that tend to present the highest number of difficulties – and this certainly includes larger appliances in this group. There is a high potential that they can break along the way if you are not careful and do not put in enough time and effort in the prep stages. So, let’s look closer at the steps involved in shipping larger appliances.
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Empty and Clean Everything Thoroughly
Before you get into the logistics of actually moving the appliances and potentially taking them apart, you should start by ensuring that they are empty and ready for cleaning. This way, when they arrive in the new place, they are brand new all over again. For example, with a fridge, you can take out each one of the individual drawers and shelves to give them a thorough and proper wipe down. Sometimes, this is going to be a surface-level job, but if you want your appliances to arrive in the best possible state, it is worth giving them a deep clean at this stage.
Disable the Power
Once the cleaning is all taken care of, you are then going to need to disable the appliance, ensuring that it is no longer connected to any and all water and power sources. Obviously, this has the potential to be dangerous and damaging at home, so you need to be fully confident in what you are doing. Consult with the manuals, watch videos, or consider handing this job over to whoever is handling the shipping work, such as the carriers you can find on Shiply.
Take Off or Secure the Loose Parts
The main body of appliances tends to be quite sturdy, but there may well be some loose parts that need to be taken off or secured. For example, you have the cord of the appliance that need to be taped up properly. Otherwise, it has the potential to start swinging around and causing some damage – either to the appliance itself or getting banged up to the point that you are going to need to have it replaced. This is a potentially costly and frustrating process to have to deal with. Any loose parts are going to need to be properly packed in a labeled box as you do not want to lose them. It could easily be a challenge to have them replaced all over again.
Measure Up the Appliance
Your appliance should now be in a position where it is nearly ready to be shipped, which is why it is a good idea to get out the measuring tape now. This way, you can ensure that the truck you will pack it up in is the right size. Not only this, but you will be able to fit it around the other items if you are going to be moving it yourself. Even if you have some pro shippers involved, it could be useful info that you can pass on to them that will help them to do their jobs more easily and efficiently.
Close Doors with Stretch Tape
Using some stretch tape will help to keep the door of the appliance closed during the shipping process. Otherwise, there is always the potential that it could end up flying open during the time when you are either carrying the appliance or it is banging around in the back of a moving truck. As you would expect, neither one of these situations is at all ideal to have to handle.
Wrap It Up in Packing Materials
The packing materials that you choose before you actually put the appliance inside the box can end up being all important in ensuring that you protect it. These will help to provide the padding that will stop the appliance from becoming damaged, which is always a potential outcome whenever you are moving anything large – particularly over a longer distance.
Use a Fitted Box for Packing the Appliance
Once you have everything else in order, slipping the appliance inside a fitted box is your next step that will help it to fit as closely as possible. If you choose a standard box that is either too large or too small, this has the potential to cause an issue as it makes it a great deal more likely that it will get smashed up along the way. You need to make sure that you are filling in as much space on the inside of the box as possible, as this will prevent anything from rattling around too much.
Label Everything
Once your appliance is properly inside the box, this is where you can set about labeling it to ensure that the shippers know exactly what is located inside, as well as informing of the weight and any other essential info that they may require too.
Transport the Appliance With Care
At this stage, you are then going to need to transport the appliance with care. Using pallets is a potential option that you will need to look into. If you are going to move the appliances yourself, making sure that you have enough people to carry them, as well as someone who can open up doors and clear away any debris is certainly important.
Larger kitchen items obviously have the potential to be difficult and dangerous to transport from one place to another, which is why it is more than worth taking on board the advice in this blog post to ensure that you get it right. Ultimately, the prep stages that you go through will make a big difference – as well as taking the due care and attention to minimize the risks along the way. Any mistakes that you make at this initial stage can end up being costly in the long run, which is why it is more than worth taking more time rather than less.