Five things most likely to get damaged during a move

Most damage on a home move comes from a short list of items. They are awkward, fragile, or easy to leave half-prepared. If you deal with these five, the rest of the house is usually straightforward.

1. Unprotected furniture corners

Tables, sideboards and wardrobes catch on door frames. A blanket on the corner, and a pause at the tight turn, prevents the chip. Empty wardrobes before they are carried. Clothes add weight and burst the doors open on a stair. Our furniture removals crew wrap pieces as standard. You still need to clear the path and mention a narrow landing.

Glass-front cabinets should be locked or taped shut, with nothing loose inside that can slam into the glass.

2. Glass, pictures and televisions

Mirrors and pictures need proper picture packs or strong boxes, standing on edge, not laid under a stack of books. Televisions are worse in a soft blanket alone if the screen can flex. Use the original box if you kept it. If not, say so when you book so we treat the screen as fragile, not as a flat panel to lean weight against.

Do not put drinking glasses in a box with a gap at the top. Fill the gap with paper. Mark the carton. A box that looks half empty gets another box stacked on it.

3. Drawers and small parts

Drawers slide out on stairs. Take them out or secure them properly. Put screws from a dismantled bed in a sealed bag and tape the bag to the frame. Loose screws in a “bits” box are how beds never go back together.

Remote controls, television feet and curtain finials go missing for the same reason. One labelled bag per room is enough.

4. Mattresses and soft furniture

Mattresses stain if they are stood on a wet path or dragged. Keep them in a cover, and do not let them fold sharply if they are a pocket-sprung type that the maker says must stay flat. Sofas with fixed feet catch banisters. Feet that unscrew should come off and travel in a bag.

White leather and pale fabric mark easily from belts and dirty blankets. Mention them so they are covered first, not last.

5. Appliances that are still connected or still wet

Washing machines and fridges that still hold water leak in the van and on your new floor. Drain them. Defrost fridges the day before. Leave gas disconnections to a qualified person. We will not pull a cooker off a live gas bayonet.

If the whole house is moving, book house removals and include these items on the list. Insurance is provided. Ask us what is covered when you book. Preparation is still what keeps the claim from being needed.