Movers Brooklyn

You probably know that moving a washing machine is one of the least favorite tasks of all when moving.

Usually washing machines are heavy, and difficult to handle.

The heavy part I can understand.  A washing machine needs to be heavy, that is why they put the concrete inside, or in some cases the stainless steel.

But for some strange reason manufacturers never seem to take into account that these things actually will have to be transported not just out of the factory, but also once people own it  already and move to a new home.

They put sharp edges in exactly the place that is best to put your fingers when you carry a washing machine.

If you’re on the first floor that is not so bad, because you can just use a hand truck.

But if you live on the third or fourth floor carrying down the washing machine can be backbreaking.

The first thing to do is obviously to just disconnect the hoses. Most of the time there is some water in the hoses and pipes of a washing machine.  So try to make most of the water come out before you put them in plastic backs.  And then put the plastic backs with the hoses into the tub of the washing machine.  Then what you do is to stuff towels between the sides of the machine and the tub - this way the tub will not be able to rotate.  That is important, because otherwise it can be difficult to balance a washing machine.  Also if the ground swings around too much when being transported, it might actually cause an internal damage to the washing machine. (Most of the time it’s just a loose suspension spring, but sometimes it can be more serious damage). When fresh out of the factory washing machines usually have what are called transit bolts.

But let’s face reality - Most of the time people do not keep these transit bolts.

That is why I suggested a towel solution.

Another solution for this problem is to improvise by using some rope that you just put through the holes.  This will most likely hold the drum in place good enough.

Also keep in mind that most of the time somewhere on the inside of a washing machine there will still be some water.  When you carry around a washing machine often times some of this water gets out.  So just count on that.  And don’t be surprised if that happens.  It’s totally fine, but it’s just not so pleasant when it runs down the legs and shoes of the people carrying it, and if it gets on the washing machine and makes it slippery for the person who carries it might be really dangerous. So, be aware of that.

If you want to transport a washing machine in your own car you might be concerned about damage that it might cause to your car.

A simple solution is to rest a sheet of plywood or chipboard on the boot lip. Then you can lift/slide the washing machine in with less risk of damaging the lip or the rubber seal of your car.

If you don’t want water from the washing machine ruining your car, just put plenty of old towels down and some plastic tarpaulin or polythene sheets on top. You can get these at Wikos in the decorating secition.

If you have a good AEG washing machine, the whole water issue might not bother you at all - many models have a water drain tube at the bottom by the pump that actually works.

Usually the best way to carry a washing machine is to have it stand upright, but if this is for some reason not possible lay it on its back.

If you transport a washing machine on it’s back, you should be draining the washing machine in advance thought! Otherwise water might actually run from the inside of the washing machine into the electrical parts of the washing machine and cause an electrical short. Although this doesn’t happen often - when it happens, it is expensive to repair that and sometimes even more cheap to buy a new washing machine.

Also, one last tip: Once you transported the washing machine and have it set up in your new place, watch it while you let it run for the first time. I know of many people who have had some surprises because the machine wasn’t set up correctly and when they went back to take out the clothes they found that the whole laundry room was flooded.

So, now you probably know everything there is to know about how to transport a washing machine. I guess it still won’t turn into your new hobby just because you have this information, but it will surely make the whole process a lot smoother.