Top tips for moving appliances to a new home

Moving appliances to a new home is a preparation game: the fridge needs 24 hours to defrost, the washer needs its transit bolts back in, and the gas stove needs a professional before anyone touches it. Each machine has one rule that prevents most of the damage, and this guide goes appliance by appliance. If you’d rather not wrestle a 300-pound refrigerator at all, dedicated heavy item movers do exactly this job.

How Do You Move Appliances to a New Home?

Move appliances to a new home in three stages: prepare each machine days ahead — defrost the fridge, secure the washer drum, disconnect utilities safely; wrap them in moving blankets and move them upright on an appliance dolly; and load them first in the truck, strapped tight, with nothing stacked on top.

The Equipment You Need to Move Appliances

Four tools do most of the work: an appliance dolly (taller and stronger than a regular hand truck, with straps built in), moving straps, furniture sliders for hard floors, and moving blankets with stretch wrap to hold them — wrap over the blanket, never tape on the appliance’s finish. Add zip-top bags for cords, hoses, and hardware, labeled per machine. Gathering and prepping is half the job, which is why professional packing covers the prep work most people dread along with the boxes.

How to Move a Refrigerator

Start 24 hours ahead: empty it, unplug it, and let the freezer defrost with the doors open and towels on the floor. Bag the shelves and drawers or tape them shut, coil the power cord, and strap the doors closed with rope or stretch wrap — not tape on the finish. Keep the fridge upright the entire way; tilting is fine for a doorway, but laying it down lets compressor oil drain into the cooling lines. At the new home, stand it upright for at least 24 hours before plugging it in, so the oil settles back where it belongs.

How to Move a Washer and Dryer

The washer has one make-or-break step: transit bolts. They lock the drum, so it can’t swing in transport — dig out the originals or buy a universal set, because a drum bouncing loose ruins the suspension. Shut off the water valves, disconnect and drain the hoses into a bucket, and bag them with the cord. Dryers are simpler: unplug, clean the lint trap, and if it’s a gas dryer, treat the gas line the same as a stove — professional disconnect only. And yes, movers move washers and dryers routinely; tell the crew in advance so they bring the dolly and bolts.

How to Move a Stove or Oven

Electric ranges are a clean-unplug-wrap job: degrease the whole unit first (food residue attracts pests in transit), remove and wrap the racks and grates separately, and tape the knobs in a labeled bag. Gas is different: a licensed technician should disconnect the line, cap it, and reconnect and leak-test it at the new home — this is not a DIY step. Transport stoves upright whenever possible.

How to Move a Dishwasher and Small Appliances

Run the dishwasher empty, then let it drain fully and leave the door cracked for a day so it dries inside — trapped water means mildew on arrival. Shut the valve, disconnect the supply and drain hoses, and bag them. Small appliances — microwave, air fryer, coffee maker — travel best in their original boxes if you kept them; otherwise wrap each in packing paper, box them with the cord coiled and taped to the unit, and fill gaps so nothing rattles.

How to Move Appliances Without Scratching the Floor

To move appliances without scratching the floor, never let metal feet touch the surface in motion: tip the machine onto sliders on hard floors, or walk it onto an appliance dolly over a laid-down path of cardboard or ram board. Appliance-weight loads concentrate damage into small wheel lines, so protect the route, not just the spot. Two people minimum for anything bigger than a microwave — one steering the dolly, one spotting doorways and stairs.

Loading, Unloading, and Setup at the New Home

In the truck, appliances load first, upright, against the cab wall — their weight up front keeps the truck stable, and strapping each one to the wall keeps them off each other. Nothing stacks on top of an appliance.

At the new home, level each machine before first use, give the fridge its 24 upright hours, run the washer empty once to check the connections, and book the gas technician before the stove or dryer goes back into service. Loading the rest of the truck follows the same logic — the same wrap-and-load rules apply to your furniture, from the dresser to the dining table.

Moving Appliances to a New Home Comes Down to the Prep

Every appliance survives the move on the strength of what you did the day before: the defrosted fridge, the bolted washer drum, the capped gas line, the protected floor. Do the prep, and moving day is just careful carrying. Or hand the whole thing over — Spyder Moving and Storage has moved thousands of kitchens and laundry rooms across Colorado, Mississippi, and Tennessee with a 97% satisfaction rate, and our crews bring the dollies, the straps, and the experience. Get a free quote and let the heavy part be our part.