6 Tips to Protect Your Floors During the Move

In this guest post from Verified Movers, you’ll learn important tips to protect your floors during the move.

We all know that relocations can be particularly cruel to our backs and knees. But what about our homes? Don’t forget that, they too, go through a great deal of suffering during the process. Both literally and metaphorically, the most walked-on area is the floor.

Coincidentally, this is also one of the most expensive and challenging parts to fix or replace if significant damage were to occur. So, it makes sense to want to do your best to spare your precious hardwood flooring or plush carpeting from taking a beating. If you’re not quite sure how to go about it, here are 6 tips to protect your floors during the move.

1. Measure Before You Move

What makes relocations so challenging is the fact that you have to carry big and heavy pieces of furniture, often through narrow spaces and small doors. If you think about it, most accidents happen when slippery hands, heavy loads, and tiny passages are involved. With that said, if you fail to use your tape measure during the process and try to wing everything, you are essentially setting yourself up to fail.

So, measure everything – from your furniture to the doors, windows, and distance from walls. This way, you will know whether a specific piece can fit way before you find yourself in a pickle, and you’ll avoid dropping your couch on the floor and thus damaging your beautiful, new engineered hardwood.

2. Cover High Traffic Areas

When it comes to cleaning, some types of floors are more manageable than others. Still, no matter the material, it’s a good idea to use covers in high-traffic areas to prevent unnecessary damage and dirt. The entrance, hallways, stairs, etc., will likely suffer the most, so make sure to invest in high-quality covers to protect them.

The most suitable protective covers will depend on the type of flooring material. Area rugs, cardboard, or floor runners should be enough for laminate, wood, and tiles. For carpets, if you cannot roll them up and remove them altogether, make sure to get some plastic carpet masking. 

Whatever you choose, remember to secure your covers so that they don’t move or slip while people are walking over them.

3. Invest in Protective Accessories

Most people skip this step, thinking it’s a needless expense that won’t do much to prevent damage. Big mistake! Protective accessories like furniture sliders and pads are essential if you want to protect your floors during the move.

You can use them on almost any piece of furniture with legs, but they are particularly handy with heavier things. If you have a very tight moving budget, you can even DIY your own furniture sliders. Simply place pieces of thick cardboard or fabric under your furniture and make sure to secure them. In addition, try not to drag anything on your floors whenever possible. This way, you will ensure maximum protection but think of your body, too!

4. Use the Right Moving Equipment

Every task becomes significantly more manageable when you have the right tools in your arsenal, and the same is true for relocations. Furniture dollies and hand trucks with rubber wheels are your best bet at preserving the pristine condition of your floors while moving your furniture.

Now, you might be thinking – why should I invest in these tools if I’m only going to use them a couple of times? The good news is – you don’t have to! If you don’t want to buy them, you can always rent them from a store or moving company. Or, better yet, ask your friends and family if they can lend you theirs.

5. Protect Your Floors During the Move with the Help of Professionals

The easiest way to protect both your floors and sanity during a relocation is to partner up with professional movers. Their expertise, equipment, supplies, and manpower allow them to execute any relocation, no matter how tricky it might be, without compromising the home and its flooring.

However, keep in mind that not all movers out there will do a good job of not damaging your property. You will need to do your research on trustworthy moving companies in Arizona if you want to find everything you need for your relocation in one place. While this kind of help isn’t the most affordable solution, it certainly is worth the investment if you are concerned about your floors.

6. Plan for the Weather

Whether you choose to invest in professional help or tackle the relocation on your own, one thing you need to account for if you want to protect your floors is the weather. After all, you and your helpers will not be able to take your shoes off whenever you enter the house. And moisture and dirt are your floors’ biggest enemies!

Of course, if you can, schedule your move when the weather is expected to be nice. If that doesn’t work out, switch to plan B! Heavy-duty doormats and shoe covers should help prevent dirt, mud, rain, or even snow from entering your home and ruining your floors.

Final Words

If you want to protect your floor during the move, all you really need is a bit of planning and a lot of nagging! All jokes aside, it’s essential to communicate to whoever is helping you, be it professionals or friends and family, that you want them to be extra careful in preventing any damage to your flooring.

Still, keep in mind that it is not always easy to focus on not scuffing the floor while holding a very heavy and awkwardly shaped piece of furniture. However, if you do your best to equip yourself and your helpers with suitable tools and supplies, you will be one step closer to executing the relocation without leaving any marks on your current and new home.

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