Moving tips: Major appliances

So, you’ve made the big decision—you’re moving! As anyone who has moved before can attest to, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to physically transporting your belongings, such as how to best pack up your kitchen, or move your TV and home theatre. Perhaps the most significant consideration when moving however, is what do with your large, very expensive major appliances. If you’re moving and have been thinking about this, read on as I have some helpful tips!

Three Questions to Ask Yourself

If you’re planning a major move, there’s a good chance you’re in one of two common situations: (i) you own your current home, and are moving to a new one, or (ii) you’re renting your current location, and are moving to your first home.

If you own your home, you’ll need to make important decisions on what to do with your major appliances. There are really three basic questions to ask yourself:

1. Will I leave my major appliances in my current home?
2. Will I take my appliances with me to my new home?
3. Will I purchase new appliances for my new home?

Conversely, if you’re renting your currently location, there’s a good chance the major appliances will be staying in your current place. In this case, you’ll need to focus on whether your new home will come with all the essential appliances (and if it does, whether you want to keep them), or if you’ll need to buy new ones. In this situation, you’ll really only be looking at question #3 above.

Let’s explore each of these scenarios!

1. Appliances you have and will leave

There are a few reasons why you may opt to leave your major appliances when you move, such as the increased value they bring to your home, or to avoid the substantial costs and heavy lifting needed to transport these large machines to your new home. Perhaps too, some of your appliances are near their end-of-life and you would be better off recycling them.

If you’re thinking going the recycling route, keep in mind that just like how you can recycle your old and unneeded electronics, there are programs in place to recycle your large, major appliances. Usually, major appliance recycling programs are run by local or regional municipalities at landfills and transfer stations, and there are many online resources available to help you find these programs.

For example, the Recycling Council of British Columbia has an online “Recyclepedia” that you can search to find locations to recycle specific appliances. The Recycling Council of Alberta also provides a searchable directory of provincial recycling locations through their RecyclingHotline.ca service. For the recycling programs in your area, I recommend checking your city’s website, or contact them to find out what recycling resources are available.

2. Appliances you will take with you

There are also many reasons why you may want to take your major appliances with you to your next home. For instance, perhaps you’ve recently invested in expensive, new appliances and are wanting to get more use out of them. Or, maybe some of your existing major appliances would fit in great with aesthetics of your new home. Once you’ve made the decision to move some of your major appliances, there are a few steps you can take to protect your valuable investments before the move.

Step One: Ensure your appliances fit your new home

If you’re thinking about taking your appliances with you to your new home, my first recommended step is to make sure they will fit in your new home. There are three main elements at play here:

• Does the appliance physically fit into your new home? For this, you’ll want to measure the dimensions of each of your major appliances, and compare this to the new house’s floorplan.
• Does the new house have the proper connections? For example, if you have a gas stove, does the kitchen in your new home have a gas line?
• Esthetically, will your old appliances look good in your new home? Have a good look around your new home and ask yourself: will my current major appliances be esthetically pleasing in my new place? If for example, you’re moving from an older style home to sleek, modern house, you may want to upgrade your appliances to match the look of your new house.

Step Two: Disconnecting major appliances

Next, for all appliances you’ve decided to move to your new home, it’s important to always ensure they are properly disconnected. Start by consulting the owner’s manual for each of the major appliances you intend on recycling, and if you don’t have the manual, check the company’s website or call their help number. Keep in mind, there are some major appliances that require special handling, such as gas stoves or gas clothes dryers, which should only be disconnected by qualified service technicians.

Step Three: Prep Work is essential

Once your major appliances have been properly disconnected, some prep work is needed to ensure your machines are protected during the move. It’s vital to clean, wipe down, and dry all of your major appliances prior to moving, as this will remove the build-up of harmful dirt, mildew, and mould—as well as eliminate odours. For this you’ll need to stock up on household cleaners, scrubbers/sponges, and cleaning gloves.

After you’ve thoroughly cleaned each appliance, let them air dry for at least 24 hours to allow the water to evaporate (leave appliance doors open as well so the insides dry as well!) Remember, moving is also an opportune time to clean those hard-to-reach areas of your major appliances, for example, the refrigerator condenser coils at the back. Lastly, I recommend also giving your floors a thorough wash, as dirt can cause friction when moving your major appliances and could potentially leave unnecessary scratches in your current home.

Step Four: Appliance-specific moving preparation

While most professional moving companies can prepare your major appliances for the move, if you’re the do-it-yourself type there are steps you can take to protect your appliances and expedite the process. To begin, it’s important to know that there specific ways to transport each of your appliances, from your fridge, to your dishwasher, to your washer and dryer, and to your oven/stove/range (whichever term you prefer!)

As in Step Two, your first resource to consult should be the owner’s manual for each of your major appliances—these usually describe the essentials for moving and installing the units. Pay close attention to all the important components of your major appliances, and make sure to remove all moveable parts that could shift during transportation. Examples would be to remove your refrigerator racks/bins, and the racks/broiler pans on your stove. These items should be securely stored in strong boxes prior to the move. A good resource to check for appliance-specific moving tips, is this article on moving.com; it covers the basics for each of major appliance.

Step Five: Final Touches

Before your move, there are some final touches that need to be done on your major appliances to ensure their safety during transportation. For starters, ensure you tape all your appliances’ doors and lids shut, as this will prevent them from swinging open and causing damage (to them, and potentially to other appliances!)

Also, make sure that all of the cords for your major appliances are neatly tied using twist ties, and securely tape the cords to the back of the appliances. Finally, it’s important for all loose components from your appliances, like racks, bins, etc., to be placed in boxes and then mark them with their contents using a permanent marker. If there’s any extra space in your boxes, these should be filled using packing paper or foam peanuts, as this will prevent items from shifting around during the move.

3. Appliances you will be buying in the new home

Before moving into a new home, you may also be thinking about purchasing some new appliances. Perhaps you’d like to take this opportunity to upgrade to the latest models available, and enjoy the many new features in today’s appliances. Or, maybe you’re thinking about renovating the new home, and for this, you’ll want appliances that match your design.

If you’re thinking along these lines, did you know that Best Buy Canada offers a huge selection of major appliances from major brands like GE, Frigidaire, LG, Samsung, Bosch, and more? Not only can you shop the full selection online on bestbuy.ca, but you can see which Best Buy Canada store locations have major appliances on display by visiting here.

To further assist you, your local Geek Squad can help you install major appliances, from ovens, cooktops and ranges, to refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners and laundry machines. No matter what major appliances you’re wanting to get installed into your new home, Geek Squad agents can lend you a hand! Keep in mind too, even if your new home has appliances already, Geek Squad agents can check that they are properly connected before using them to prevent surprises.

We’ve published lots of great articles here on Plug-In to assist you in choosing the right new appliance for you, such as this overview of how major appliances have changed over the last 10 years, this write-up on new technologies found in today’s major appliances, and this guide to choosing the perfect fridge. This is also the opportune time to familiarize yourself with the latest advancements in ENERGY STAR rated appliances, as these will not only look great in your home, but will also save you big bucks on energy consumption.

Summary 

I hope you found these moving tips to be useful for your upcoming move. For other helpful moving tips, be sure to check out guides on packing up your kitchen and moving your TV and home theatre.

If you have other great tips to share with everyone, be sure to let us know in the comments section below!