How to Disassemble Furniture For Moving

Moving is a tedious and quite expensive task.

So people prefer to seize every opportunity to go with the cheapest way to move furniture while moving.

This becomes more applicable when people are going for a long-distance move but are on a tight budget.

But moving bulky furniture means a nightmare comes true. However, there are ways to make the process simple and easier for yourself.

A good technique of dismantling your furniture can save you some extra dollars and actually come across as the cheapest way to move furniture long distances. Remember, it’s not just about saving yourself some bucks when dismantling and packing furniture but doing it the right way.

If not done safely and efficiently, it can cost you even more and may cause injury to the person helping you with the move.

So if you really want to save some bucks, read on to the tips on how to disassemble furniture for moving discussed here:

Tips to follow before disassembling the furniture

So before jumping right into the tips and tricks, we will help you understand some basics. These tips are handy when conducting the task of disassembling the furniture.

1. See if moving bulky furniture is right

Most people get confused when they have to move bulky furniture.

It’s not an easy task to move these large pieces of furniture. And to state the honest thing, there isn’t any tailor-made answer to this.

It completely depends upon your situation and what suits you in terms of efforts, time, and money.

After you have decided whether you want to move the heavy furniture by yourself, it’s time to check how much furniture you want to move with you.

You need to have a clear idea that this will save you money but will cost a lot of energy and time.

As per our experience and calculator, the cheapest option for you would be to purchase a new set of furniture at the new place rather than hauling the older one’s interstate.

The moving companies charge you based on the volume of the shipment and your furniture will make a huge part in the moving cost.

It’s not just easier but you can enjoy the new furniture and see if that goes with the aesthetics of your new home.

2. Have you taken measurements of your furniture and doorways?

Here is a thing that will provide you with the much-required relief: you don’t have to disassemble all the furniture, some of them will pass safely through the doorways, stairs, hallways, and lift.

This furniture can be passed through the exit route, but just remember to pack the furniture adequately with the right type of padding and packing materials.

To check this, you need to check the furniture and doorway measurements for heights, length, and width to see if your furniture can pass through them.

Now compare the given measurement with your furniture to see if it can fit through completely, partially, or needs to get disassembled.

3. Get help from your Friend

It pays when we don’t become a superhero all by yourself and asks our friends for assistance.

One of the reasons you shouldn’t pull it off completely is that it involves the risk of you getting hurt and the item getting damaged.

Not just that some of your furniture may need four hands to disassemble the furniture completely.

You need to ask a person for help whom you can put your trust in, it can be your friend, family member, or co-worker. And don’t just stick to a single person, the more the better.

4. Look for the Instruction Manuals of Furniture

So before you set the process of dismantling gong, look for all the useful resources like manuals that have arrived with the furniture.

In case you have lost it, go to a YouTube channel to get instruction on how to set the parts in a specific order, so you can do it with care and also help you in assembling the furniture at your new place as well.

These are especially required for any larger furniture like armoire, china cabinet or shelving unit.

5. Get your hands on the Required Tools

Having the tools beforehand will save you time on dismantling the bulky furniture.

We are sure that you don’t want to go and look for furniture when you have all the parts dismantled.

Based on the furniture requirement, prepare a set of screws, nuts, and bolts of different sizes.

It’s better to pay a visit to the store to get all the required sets completed. Don’t forget to buy a small hammer if you already don’t have one. It will help you with the disassembling process of your furniture while moving.

However, no matter how many temptations you may get to use your newly bought hammer, don’t use it if it is not required otherwise you may end up damaging your valuable furniture.

6. Get your Ziploc bag Ready

While buying the tools, make sure to grab some Ziploc bags as well. These sealed plastic bags are useful to keep small parts of furniture as soon as you dismantle the furniture.

You can keep a separate bag for every complex piece of furniture to easily assemble them.

This way they will not get misplaced and lost as well. Please note, make a note on the Ziploc bag about the corresponding furniture.

The last thing you want to deal with is arriving at your new home and finding out the bolts nuts and screws are all missed and lost.

This will put your entire effort to waste and you may end up buying new furniture. So how minor this thing may look when compared to the entire movie, but it can impact you big time.

Now that we are done with our set of instructions, you are all set to disassemble the furniture. So let’s look at them one-by-one:

1. Bed
   Of course, the last thing people will keep in mind when making the bed will be whether it will pass through the narrow hallways, doors, and staircases or not.The big furniture items are secured to be moved in separate components then reassembled at the place where you are now settling.This will also save the risk of damaging the floor, door, and walls.The biggest advantage of disassembled furniture is that it’s lighter and easier to carry around so you don’t get hurt or injured in the process.

   a. Start by removing the bedding items and pack them
   b. Remove the mattress and get it inside a bag that is made for them for better protection
   c. Take out the drawers and pack them separately
   d. Start to unscrew the headboard and sideboards
   e. Disassemble the main body into as many parts as you can
   f. Wrap a furniture blanket in the bed
   g. Wrap the fragile item or decorative items in a bubble wrap
   h. Keep all the bolts, nuts, screws in Ziploc bags
   i. Label the bag as – Bed Hardware Pieces

2. Wardrobe/Dresser/ArmoireYou may think dismantling your wardrobe is easy but it is the trickiest one due to the shape.a. Empty the drawer and pack the clothes from your cabinets
   b. Remove the drawers to make it easier and lighter to transport
   c. Remove the shelves from your large piece of furniture
   d. Get your detached pieces packed in a moving blanket to move them
   e. Place your hardware in the sealable plastic bag like bolts, screws, and nuts
3. Sofa/ Couch
   a. Remove the couch, covers, and cushions from your sofa
   b. Dismantle the legs of the couch, start to unscrew the screws
   c. Remove the armrests to create space for the sofa to move
   d. Try to detach elements that can be safely removed by reading the details in the manual
   e. Keep the metal and non-metal part on a plastic bag
   f. Wrap the armrests, legs, and any other dismantle part in the blanket to keep them safe
4. China Cabineta. Empty the cabinet, especially the fragile items like heirlooms and glassware.
   b. Pack the items in bubble wrap and packing paper.
   c. Remove and separate the drawers
   d. If possible remove the glass door of the furniture by using a screwdriver
   e. Take the glass shelves careful without abrupting the move
   f. Take time to figure out the angles that you may have to take to move the glass shelves
   g. Separate the 2 sections of china cabinet as upper and lower to transport them safely
   h. Take your Ziploc bag and keep the screw products in them
5. Desk
   a. Take the desk out to make it lightweight when moving
   b. Take out the drawers and content inside to save time
   c. Dismantle the keyboard tray
   d. Remove the legs from the desk
   e. Remove the glass items from the desk and keep them safe and secure in a bubble wrap
   f. The L-shaped desk can be removed in two sections, so use a screwdriver to fasten the element to separate the two-section
   g. Place the pins, and screws in the Ziploc bag to avoid misplacing and losing them
6. Dining Table
   a. Remove the top of the dining table- Glass or Marble
   b. Take-out the table legs safely by turning it upside down
   c. Put the sides don and secure it with masking tape
   d. Remove the extension leaf and pack them separately
   e. Keep all the hardware in a plastic bag and tape it

These are certain tips that can help you move and dismantle your furniture for the move.

If you think these tasks are something that you can’t manage to do, we have good news for you.

Professional movers provide the additional service of disassembling and reassembling the furniture that will cost you some extra penny but will save you time and effort.

Please note to inform your removalist about the furniture you wish to move so they can arrange the tools and transportation facilities based on that.

Now, coming to the important part- the cost of dismantling the furniture.

Well, this depends on multiple factors like if you are moving locally or interest, if you have bulky furniture that requires experts or lightweight items.

Additional  Resources:

1. 17 Cheapest Ways to Move Furniture Interstate
2. 13 Best Removals Apps that Ease the Process of House Moving