The three heaviest things in most Brisbane homes are also the three most likely to get damaged on moving day. A fridge, a washing machine and a dryer are awkward, expensive and full of parts that don't like being tipped, bounced or switched on too soon. Nearly all of the damage we see is avoidable with a bit of preparation the day before.
Here's how we handle whitegoods on moves from the townhouses in Chermside to the family homes around Sunnybank.
The fridge: start the night before
A fridge that's still cold and full at 7am is the number one cause of a slow start.
- Eat it down. Run the fridge and freezer empty over the last week. Whatever's left goes in an esky with ice.
- Switch it off and defrost it the night before. Prop the doors open, put towels on the floor and let the freezer thaw. Thick ice can take eight to twelve hours to go.
- Clean and dry it. Wipe the inside, empty the drip tray and leave the doors open until dry. A damp sealed fridge grows mould in the truck.
- Remove the loose parts. Glass shelves, crisper drawers and door bins rattle loose and crack. Wrap and box them, or tape them in place.
- Tape the doors shut and tape the cord to the back.
We move fridges upright on a trolley with a strap, and they travel upright in the truck. Laying a fridge on its side can push oil from the compressor into the cooling lines. Tilting it for a minute to clear a doorway or a Queenslander staircase is fine. Riding on its side down the motorway is not.
At the new place, let it stand upright for a few hours before you plug it in (check your manual for the wait time), and give it a full night before you load it with food.
The washing machine: find the transit bolts
Front loaders are the ones that get hurt. The drum sits on springs and shock absorbers, and if it bounces around unsecured in the truck, those mounts can break. Front loaders ship with transit bolts through the back panel to lock the drum, and you need them back in for the move.
- Check the back of the machine for three or four bolt holes. If you kept the bolts, they're often taped inside the lid or with the manual. If not, replacements can usually be ordered for your model, so do it a week out.
- Run an empty rinse and spin cycle to clear standing water, then leave the door and detergent drawer open overnight.
- Turn off the taps, disconnect the hoses and drain them into a bucket. There's always more water in them than you expect.
- Bag the hoses, filters and power cord and tape the bag to the top of the machine.
- Tape the door closed.
Top loaders are more forgiving. No transit bolts, but you still drain the hoses, tape the lid down and keep the machine upright.
A large front loader can weigh 70 to 90 kilograms, most of it in a concrete block in the base. We move them on a trolley with a strap and keep them upright. Don't try to walk one down the stairs with a mate. That's how backs and door frames get broken.
The dryer: light but awkward
Dryers are the easiest of the three, but a few things catch people out.
- Empty the lint filter.
- If it's wall mounted, take it off the brackets the day before and bag the brackets and screws.
- Heat pump and condenser dryers have a water tank. Empty it and leave the drawer open.
- Tape the door shut and tape the cord to the back.
- Heat pump dryers, like fridges, should stay upright and rest before being switched on.
Protect the house as well as the appliance
Most whitegoods damage isn't to the appliance. It's the scratch on the new vinyl plank floor or the dent in the hallway wall. A few habits make the difference:
- Moving blankets on the appliance and a floor runner on the path out.
- Doors off their hinges where the gap is tight. Two minutes of work saves a repaint.
- A measured route before anyone lifts. A 700 millimetre fridge and a 720 millimetre door is a plan, not a surprise.
- Set the appliance down on its feet, never dragged across tiles.
If a single whitegood is the whole job, say a Marketplace fridge in Carindale or a washing machine from a unit in Toowong, our single item removals service handles it with the same trolleys, straps and blankets we use on full moves. For a whole house, our house removals service covers the whitegoods with everything else.
The day before checklist
- Fridge off, defrosted, dry, shelves out, doors taped
- Washing machine drained, transit bolts in, hoses bagged, door taped
- Dryer emptied, off the wall, cord taped
- Route measured and doors checked
- Esky packed for the cold food
Do those five things and your appliances will be running at the new place by dinner time. If you'd rather not touch them, we're happy to do the lot. Call or text us on 0491 097 706 or send the quote form and we'll sort it.