If you’ve invested in outdoor furniture pieces, then you should definitely want to take those pieces when moving to a new home. The good news is that outdoor furniture can last for many years as long as you take good care of it, and as long as you pack and move it properly.
Packing and moving outdoor furniture is not overly complicated – just follow a few simple packing and moving steps and you should be able to ensure that your lawn and patio furniture pieces arrive in your new home in perfect condition, readily available for use right after the move.
That’s right – there’s a high chance that your outdoor furniture is valuable for you so the next steps should definitely help you pack and move your outdoor furniture quickly and safely.
Step 1: Decide whether you’ll move all of your outdoor furniture pieces
The very first thing you’ll need to do is to think about the new home you’re moving into – will that new residence have enough outdoor space where you can use your outdoor furniture?
If you’re downsizing your home or moving into an apartment, then you may not need any of your current lawn and patio furniture. Think a few steps ahead and don’t waste precious time on outdoor furniture packing and don’t spend money on transporting any items you won’t really need again.
On the other hand, if you do intend to use your outdoor furniture after the move, then it’s a good idea to determine whether you’ll be moving all of the pieces or just some of them. Base your decision on the current condition, practicality, years of service, monetary value and sentimental value of your lawn furniture items.
Good to know: Is it better to move your furniture or buy new?
Step 2: Inspect your outdoor furniture
The second step is to inspect your patio furniture well to make sure there are no hidden surprises in your outdoor furniture pieces, including bugs, spiders, wasps or other types of critters.
Do this check before cleaning out your furniture before packing and moving it. To stay on the safe side – that is, to prevent possible insect bites while handling your lawn furniture, you should complete the preliminary furniture inspection with thick work gloves on your hands.
Step 3: Clean your outdoor furniture
Everybody knows that outdoor furniture can get rather dirty so don’t take the dirt with you to the new home. Remember that your lawn and patio furniture pieces are exposed to the elements – rain, wind, sunshine, etc.
Bear in mind that when you’re packing and moving your indoor furniture items, you may choose to clean them after the move simply because it’s possible that those items get at least a bit dirty during the move. However, outdoor furniture pieces have a different type of dirtiness. While common dust will probably be your worst enemy when packing and moving the furniture inside your home, your lawn furniture can be much more soiled – we’re talking about possible mud, dust, leaves, and other types of debris.
And you don’t want the collected filth to be transferred to the rest of your belongings during transit, or to be taken inside your new home.
How to clean your lawn furniture? In most cases, it’ll be enough to wipe down all furniture pieces with disinfectant wipes. If some of the items are particularly soiled, then you can choose to hose them down with a sufficient amount of water.
Ultimately, you should make sure all garden furniture pieces are completely dry before you start packing them up for the upcoming house move.
Step 4: Disassemble your outdoor furniture
Before you can pack your outdoor furniture for moving, you’re going to need to disassemble some of it to make things safer and easier too.
Not all yard furniture can be disassembled, of course – most lawn chairs are packed and moved as they are. However, some garden furniture pieces can be too tricky to pack and move, and therefore should be dismantled first to prevent damage and to make the entire furniture move much easier on yourself.
A classic example of patio furniture that should be disassembled prior to the move is an outdoor table with a glass top. So, when moving a glass top table, the glass element must be removed first and then packed in protective covers – best in packing paper first, then in bubble wrap and finally, in thick furniture blankets.
If any of your yard furniture pieces have fragile components that are removable, take off those easily breakable parts and wrap them up in protective packing materials.
Also, remove all cushions and padding from your patio chairs and table. Make sure those cushions are 100% dry before packing them up for the move. You should wrap them separately in clean plastic bags to keep moisture out – be careful not to leave any parts unprotected. Then, transfer those cushions and padding items into a large moving box. Label the box accordingly to avoid wasting extra time when looking for those outdoor furniture cushions after the move.
Keep small fastening elements that came loose during the disassembly stage in sealable plastic bags to keep them from getting misplaced or lost during the actual move. Label such storage bags appropriately and tape them securely to the furniture unit it belongs to or just pack them in a separate cardboard box that will contain other small lawn furniture elements.
Read also: Do movers disassemble furniture?
Step 5. Pack your outdoor furniture
Of course, not all outdoor furniture pieces can be taken apart safely. For those that can’t be dismantled and packed separately, you’re going to have to wrap their legs and arms in moving blankets to keep them from getting any type of damage. Keep in mind that the greatest risk to your patio and lawn furniture are ether breakage or various types of surface damage – scratches, dents, scrapes, etc.
Therefore, the use of proper packing techniques to pack your outdoor furniture is crucial.
- Get enough packing materials – packing paper, bubble wrap, and most importantly – thick moving blankets.
- Pad any sharp edges using sheets of bubble wrap to avoid personal injury or damage to the rest of your belongings.
- Wrap fragile elements with packing paper first, followed by bubble wrap and finally – moving blankets.
- Wrap your lawn patio furniture pieces with blankets to prevent any type of damage during the haul.
- Secure the furniture blankets with tape to keep them from unwrapping during the move.
- Protect all smaller outdoor furniture parts, already taken apart, and pack them in large moving boxes.
- Keep any small fastening elements, already disassembled, in sealed plastic bags.
- Label properly all plastic bags and cardboard boxes to save valuable time after the move.
See also: How to pack furniture for moving
Step 6. Move your outdoor furniture
Once you’ve packed your outdoor furniture pieces, it’s time to move them – that is, to carry them to the moving vehicle and load them up safely.
Wicker outdoor furniture is light and easy to carry but at the same time, it’s more susceptible to damage due to its more fragile nature. Whenever possible, avoid stacking wicker outdoor furniture pieces inside the moving truck to avoid damage – especially important when the move distance is far and the relocation itself will take days to complete.
Outdoor furniture made from solid wood or metal can be rather heavy to lift and carry around safely. Always have a helper to give you a hand with the heavy lifting, and always follow the proper lifting techniques to prevent personal injury.
If you happen to be unsure how to pack and move your outdoor furniture, do the sensible thing and hire furniture movers with years of experience and a high level of professionalism and expertise.
Must-read: Will your furniture need furniture movers?
You didn’t mention concrete tables and benches or cast pots, and those are quite common in the south. How should movers be moving these? I’ve heard that tabletops shouldn’t be shipped lying flat, that they should be up on their sides. But movers are notorious for not knowing this.