Loading a moving van is almost as stressful as the relocation itself. Arranging furniture to maximize space and minimize risk isn't easy, but this article will help you do it efficiently.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Prepare What You Will Upload
Step 1. Collect what you will upload
To do this in the safest and most effective way possible, you will need some elements to move the heavier items and protect the more delicate ones. You can buy them from the hardware store:
- A trolley to move the heaviest furniture and boxes.
- Padding of paper, rolls of plastic packaging, including those with air bubbles, and packaging for furniture. This way, nothing will be damaged.
- Packing tape.
- Straps to tie around furniture to keep them in place.
- Tarpaulin or plastic to cover the van floor and prevent furniture from getting dirty.
Step 2. Prepare the van cab
You should put the items you really need in the cabin and the others in the back. Bring a toolbox with you to assemble the furniture, the elements to spend the first night and the more fragile ones.
- If someone is going to drive a car to your new home, give this person some delicate items.
- Among the fragile elements, valuable dishes, glass objects and light bulbs.
- Bring along the items you need to live a day without unpacking, so you won't leave the deodorant in a box in the back of the van.
- Bring your computer and small electronic gadgets with you. Also put on the television if you enter the cabin. Add these items to the van after loading it.
Step 3. Disassemble furniture for easy loading and lighter to carry
Obviously not everything can be taken apart.
- Remove the cushions from the sofas.
- Remove the mattress from the bed and remove the frame.
- Remove the bulbs from the lamps and put them in another box. You don't want them to break and find yourself picking up the pieces of glass.
- If the drawers are heavy, move one drawer at a time and put them back in the van. Secure them with tape.
- Filing cabinets can be the heaviest furniture. Remove the drawers and carry them separately to the van, then reassemble them.
- If you remove screws or metal parts from furniture, put them in an envelope and attach it to the furniture or attach a note clearly stating where they should be repositioned.
- Take the table legs apart and roll them up with large rugs.
Step 4. Move all the furniture in front of the van to figure out how many things you need to load and which are the heaviest
- Do this only if you will not disturb your neighbors or take up too much space on the street.
- You can also load directly from the house to the van, but you will need to be able to load the heavier items first and then the lighter ones.
- Make sure the path from the house to the van is clear of obstructions.
Method 2 of 2: Load the Van
Step 1. Put the heaviest items first
You will need to assign two chargers next to the van, while the other people will carry the furniture from the house to the van. Place these items in the front of the van to maximize space and prevent it from skidding if the rear is too heavy - avoid dangerous driving situations.
- Among the heavier items, the stove, washing machine, refrigerator and dishwasher.
- If you are going to load a refrigerator, don't forget to defrost it at least a day or two before the move.
- The elements must be placed straight; the heavy ones must be distributed along the rear wall of the van. The washing machine and dryer must be placed on the opposite side of the refrigerator.
- Afterward, load up larger furniture, such as sofas, living room chairs, and entertainment units.
- Remember to load the elements from the ground to the ceiling, with the heavier ones on the ground. Load 60-90cm layers and wrap them with straps to stabilize them.
Step 2. Protect the remaining furniture
While some people like to wrap up furniture right away, it's best done when they're already in the van. When you put an item in the van, you should lay it on a layer of paper, cover it and secure the cover with duct tape. Here are some other tips for protecting furniture:
- If you wrapped mirrors or pictures, place them between the mattress and the box spring or between the pillows.
- Wrap the pillows with paper.
- Protect the mattresses with plastic wrap.
- If you plan ahead, leave all blankets, sheets, towels, and other linens out of the boxes and use them to protect other items.
Step 3. Load longer items, such as sofas, table tops, headboards, tall mirrors, box spring and mattresses
Lay them against the longer walls of the van to save space and keep them straight. If possible, attach them to the sides of the van.
- The sofa, the mattress and the sommier will act as a cushion for the other elements.
- Arrange the dressers and desks against the mattresses so they don't open.
- All furniture with drawers should be placed against something so as not to open too much.
Step 4. Load the boxes into the van
Choose boxes of similar size and load them evenly so that you can stack them. Put the heavier and larger ones on the bottom, the medium-weight ones in the center, and the lighter ones on top. This will create three layers of weight.
- Make sure you put labels on the boxes that indicate which room they will go to.
- Repeat this process until you have almost filled the entire van.
- Try to create layers of similar height so you can create an even surface.
- Move from the front to the back of the van.
- As you go, stack hard objects in the crevices to save space.
Step 5. Load the remaining items
Your aim is to load the van as firmly as possible, but not too tight. Compress bulky items and put fragile ones on top to keep them from breaking.
- Try to fit the remaining elements in as if you were working on a puzzle. It will all fit in if you manage to organize the space in the right way.
- Place items that don't fit anywhere, such as grills, in the front of the van.
- If you rent a van larger than necessary and don't fill it completely, you can minimize displacement and bumps between furniture by leaving the space in the back of the van empty and keeping the load height low and uniform.
Advice
- Use the space in the furniture to insert small items. Put them on after loading the furniture into the van.
- Label each box to make sure you have everything and to know where to place it at its destination.
- Wear comfortable shoes on the day of the move.
- Talk about the space you need with the company that leases you the van. You can make an estimate based on the number of rooms and the square meters of your home. If the van is too small, everything won't fit in and you risk breaking something. If it is too large, even the empty space can cause damage to elements.
Warnings
- Distribute your weight evenly on both sides of the van. Don't put too many heavy objects on one side.
- Remember to lift packages and furniture using your legs, not your back.
- Don't move heavy furniture by yourself. Make sure you get help or else you risk getting hurt.
- Avoid wearing clothes that can get caught in furniture, or you could have an accident.
- If you feel dizzy while loading the van, take a break.
