* We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
Moving a refrigerator isn’t that hard, but it requires a lot of effort due to its size and weight. Although, knowing how to move a refrigerator the right and proper way will undoubtedly make the whole job a lot easier.
Usually, it is best to let the professionals handle this kind of task. Still, if this is impossible for you, you can do it yourself. However, to ensure that you don’t damage your refrigerator during the move, you have to plan ahead and prepare some tools. This will help make the job easier and safer regardless of how far you have to move your fridge.
These are the tools that you will need to move your refrigerator from point A to B safely:
● Appliance Dolly fitted with straps
● Furniture Sliders
● Rope
● Packing Tape
● Measuring Tape
Besides the tools above, you will also need to have two people to assist you with this job.
Moving the Refrigerator
Here are the necessary steps to take to ensure that the move of your fridge is safe and secured:
Clean and Defrost Your Fridge
To make the whole task easier, the first thing you have to do is to remove everything from your refrigerator. After that, you need to defrost it since the ice inside could melt at any point during the move and may cause unnecessary damages.
Once everything is removed from the refrigerator, and the ice has melted, you have to clean the interior. A little bit of water plus baking soda will do the trick.
As much as possible, try not to use the refrigerator on the day of the move. It is also recommended to deodorize inside the fridge such as baking soda, charcoal, lemons, or cat litter will remove any odor that is left.
Unplug Your Refrigerator
You will need to unplug your refrigerator in advance so that you can secure the power cord in advance. Depending on the type of fridge you have, you can either remove the power cord completely from the fridge or you can also roll it up and tape it to your fridge.
Wrap it Up
Once you have unplugged your refrigerator, you can start wrapping it up by then. Using a furniture blanket for the wrapping will help protect your fridge from any damages. Tie a rope around the fridge to make sure that the doors won’t open during the trip.
Prepare Your House
To avoid wasting any time during the moving schedule, make sure that your fridge can easily be moved out of the house. Here are some tips that will help:
-
Measure your refrigerator using a measuring tape.
-
Measure the doorways.
-
Compare the measurements of the fridge and doorways.
-
If necessary, remove some of the doors that might block the fridge. This is in case that your fridge won’t fit through the doorway.
-
Remove or set aside some furniture that might also block the way.
Load It Up Onto the Dolly
Before you place your fridge on the dolly, put some furniture sliders on the bottom of your fridge to make sure that you don’t damage the floor.
To make this task safer and easier, try to ask for help from someone. Once you have loaded up your refrigerator on the dolly, make sure to secure it using the built-in dolly straps.
Load it Up onto the Moving Truck
You have two options for this, you can either lift up the fridge onto the truck or use a plank to guide the fridge onto the truck.
Secure the Refrigerator in the Truck
Once the refrigerator is in the truck, make sure to secure it as much as possible to prevent it from moving during the trip. Try to avoid placing the refrigerator on its side since this may damage the internal coolant.
Don’t Plug it Immediately
Once it arrives, never plug it immediately. You will need to wait for a few hours to let the oil inside the refrigerator return to the unit compressor.
Final Words
Moving a refrigerator on your own may be a risky job. But if you have the proper knowledge of how you can finish this arduous task without facing difficulties or issues on the way then you should give it a try.
