Welcome back to another Floor Tip Thursday! Wow, it seems like we haven't done one of these in forever.
Today is all about moving. Spring is finally creeping toward us which means moving season will begin soon! Boxes will start to be filled with personal belongings, moving trucks will be rented, and everyone in a transitioning household will start to go a little crazy trying to prepare for their move. In an effort to get the word out to you before your brains are filled frantic to-do lists, we wanted to put these tips online a few months early.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FLOORS DURING A MOVE:
1) Start Outside
One of the biggest things you want to avoid is grit from outside being tracked into your house. Beyond that, you need to make sure that any water, salt, mud, or snow stays off of your floor or you could be looking at another five time-consuming cleaning projects to add to your to-do list. The easiest way to prevent this is to start fixing the problem before it makes it over the threshold. How? Place doormats at each entryway that your movers have access too. Kindly ask them to wipe their feet before coming in.
2) Walking Paths
As nice as welcome mats are for scraping off the majority of the dirt off shoes, they aren't perfect. You still run the risk of someone tracking in undesired muck from outside, especially if they aren't diligent about using your doormats. To be saved, lay down floor runners or temporary protective mats along the areas you know everyone will be walking.
3) Use Your Resources
People are typically pretty good about using the moving blankets that are provided with a moving truck, but only once things have already been loaded. While these blankets do keep your items padded in the truck, they can be used in your house too. Prevent dents and scratches on your floors and walls by using the blankets as protective coverings on all hard and/or sharp edges.
4) Don't Drag
As a flooring company, this is one of our biggest pet-peeves. YOU SHOULD NEVER DRAG YOUR FURNITURE WHILE MOVING! This is especially true for wood floors, but it is good practice to get out of the habit in general. People who drag furniture, even with protective furniture feet, are just asking for scratches, dents, and damage.
Instead, carry your furniture out. It is good practice to add padding (remember those blankets?) under and around your furniture in case someone accidentally drops it.
If you absolutely cannot carry a piece of furniture out, use sliders with felt or something soft underneath and gently slide it out to the truck.
5) Measure, Measure, Measure
Don't be the person who just "eyeballs it" when it comes to figuring out if furniture will fit through a doorway. That's how accidents happen. We know it's tedious, but you need to go through and measure all of your furniture and the doorways it'll be going through before it's time to move.
6) Ask A Professional
Many hands make light work, and effective work at that. If you can afford it, go ahead and hire a professional moving company. When you work alone or with inexperienced "movers" you run the risk of having someone drop something.
7) Clean Up
No, it's not your job and not your house anymore, but it would be good for you to clean the floors once everything is out of the house. This will not only be a wonderful surprise for the new owners to come home to but will ensure that no damage is caused by leftover debris on your floor.