Moving into a new home can be an exhilarating experience. However, making the preparations for moving can become a hassle, especially if you have many furniture pieces.

Let's face it; most people dread moving day. It brings on a lot of anxiety to think about lifting hefty packages and furniture to and from moving trucks, then driving that oversized vehicle to a new destination. Then you have to move boxes from the vehicle to a new location, all within a deadline, so you don't overpay on the rental.

To me, the worst part is worrying about damaging your belongings and having to come to terms with knowing that you will lose at least a small percentage of items after the move. I completely understand this frustration.

While there are many ways to curb some of the stress by hiring movers, doing so still does not necessarily protect your furniture when moving. So, in this article, we'll discuss how to ensure, no matter who moves your furniture, that they get to your new destination safely.

The first thing to consider when doing your furniture moving prep is to gather the right packing supplies to protect your furniture correctly. Most people think that moving only requires some cardboard boxes, duct tape, and newspaper.

However, when you move furniture, especially with wooden pieces, it takes more than basic supplies to protect them from harsh moving environments. 

Yes, we're looking at you moving trucks.

After acquiring the needed packing supplies, clean and prep any furniture you have before loading it into the moving vehicle. Here are some steps to consider taking to ensure your furniture is clean enough for the move, so you won't have to clean it at your new home:

1.) Remove any existing mattress covers or furniture protectors.

2.) Vacuum or brush away any large debris with a soft brush.

3.) Disassemble removable parts to make stacking furniture easier

You don't have to disassemble every piece of furniture in your home, but make sure to take apart the ones you can, like tables, bed frames, and certain types of sofas.

Make sure to clean out drawers and other small pieces/parts of the furniture. For instance, with dining tables, flip the tables upside down and remove the table legs. Then to make finding the legs easier, tape them to the inside of the table. Reattach the legs once you settle into your new home.

4.) Place any small screws and fasteners in zip-lock baggies and attach them to the furniture they came from.

If the disassembly process is too complicated to remember, get a camera or phone to take photos so you'll remember each step.

5.) Dust any wooden furniture pieces and cover them with moving foam taped down.

For wood furniture with glass parts, such as glass tables, remove the glass parts first from the wood. Then, wrap bubble wrap around the sharp edges before you finish disassembling your wood furniture.

Now that you've disassembled your furniture, it's time to wrap the furniture properly to protect it during your move.

1.) We will start with foam roller wrap.

The best foam to use for this is super thin and tears easily, so be careful not to stretch it too much. Cut the foam to the shape of your furniture, similar to wrapping a gift. Why use foam when you have bubble wrap? When the bubbles pop, there is no protection left. By having a soft foam layer, you can better protect against scratches from the moving vehicle or other items as the items jostle during the trip.

2.) Apply a layer of bubble wrap around the foam layer.

3.) Using stretch wrap around bubble wrap applies a thicker layer to prevent damage.

You may want to use moving blankets and slipcovers for sofas to secure them. Moving blankets are great to use for dense wood furniture because they serve as a protectant(similar to plastic wrap) over heavy furniture and protect your walls too.

If you cannot find blankets, use thick sheets; comforters work best if you don't mind damaging them.

Placing your heavy furniture correctly within the moving vehicle is an essential step in preventing damage to your furniture when moving to your new place. When you set the furniture correctly, it makes unloading it easier when the furniture arrives.

Think of packing items like playing Tetris. The only additional caveat is to ensure you place your heavy items on the bottom-most layer. To prevent injury, do not stack dense things above your head.


1.) First, line the vehicle's floor with corrugated cardboard and the walls with boxes stacked evenly apart to create a robust support system. It helps to pack these with items that do not break easily. Keep all these boxes about the same size to prevent boxes from tumbling over as you move to your destination.

2.) Next, take any wooden furniture pieces with square-like shapes, and set them next to the boxes. If you use bubble wrap around the wood properly, you shouldn't need any additional layers in between the boxes. Secure tall wood dressers, cabinets, and shelves here as well.

3.) After that, stack mattresses on their side to serve as an additional cushion to prevent damage. You'll want to layer the bed with a blanket to prevent dirt and other debris from attaching to it when you move. If you have any other upholstered furniture, wrap each with a plastic liner or blankets. Then, take a piece of rope or bungee cords and attach them to hooks in the moving van for added security.

4.) Finally, as you arrive at your destination and begin to remove furniture from the truck, clear a walking path. This extra precaution prevents someone from accidentally tripping over something, leading to injury. So, take extra care when you move things in and out of your house, and keep the path from the moving van to the doorway clear.

Professional moving equipment makes packing for your move a breeze. A larger piece of furniture will need a ton of heavy lifting to successfully move the furniture onto a moving truck.

When moving furniture, it's relatively easy to damage the furniture or injure yourself when lifting heavy objects on your own.

Investing in professional movers with their own moving equipment is the best route to go with to ensure you move into your new house safely. While this generally costs more than a DIY move, hiring movers will simplify the moving process.

If you decide not to use a moving company, you can rent a moving truck and buy/rent lifting equipment from Lowe's or Home Depot. If you choose to use the heavy equipment yourself, make sure all straps are secure and safely fasten before moving heavy items.

For smaller dense items, use lift straps for extra hold as you lift them into place.

Moving can be a nerve-racking experience. And while it can also be an exciting time, you're going to need to make critical preparations to make your moving experience go smoothly. As you learned in this article, there's much more to moving than some plastic bags, bubble wrap, and cardboard boxes. You'll need to properly disassemble, wrap, and pack your most essential furniture items to ensure they arrive safely.

If you have a tight budget, the best thing to do is pay close attention to how you pack and stack your belongings, as doing so precariously may cause injury to yourself or your furniture.

With all of that said, here at MiracleSofa, we hope these tips help get you to move in safely. Congratulations on your new digs from all of us at MiracleSofa!