For many homeowners, the anxiety of moving house comes from the thought of sentimental items or family heirlooms becoming lost or damaged in the move. Moving antiques requires careful planning, delicate handling, and expert care to ensure the safety and preservation of your valuable pieces. Whether your antiques hold financial or sentimental value, getting them to their new home in pristine condition is crucial. Our comprehensive blog will guide you through how to prepare and package your antiques for domestic relocation.

• Preparing and Packaging Antiques for a Move
• Handling and Transporting Antiques to a New Home
• Unpacking and Displaying Your Antiques
• Moving Antiques FAQs

Preparing and Packaging Antiques for a Move

Once you have decided to move home, you should start planning how to prepare and pack your belongings ahead of the big moving day. Packaging is paramount in safeguarding your items, especially when moving precious antiques. The following steps are essential for preparing and packaging your antiques.

List Your Valuable Items

Start by organising your antiques and listing all your precious belongings and antiques you want to move. This list will be helpful for you to refer to when transporting the antiques and unloading them in your new home to determine whether any have gone missing or damaged. You should list the items you would instead take to your new home personally or via a removal company. We recommend you handle and transport certain belongings personally to guarantee their safe arrival; these include, but are not limited to, essential documents such as medical records, money, and jewellery.

Antique Appraisal

Having your antiques appraised before your move may prove beneficial. Once you have created a list of all items you consider valuable antiques, it may be worth getting them appraised so that you have documented verification regarding your items’ current condition. This will also give you an accurate valuation in case they go missing or become damaged, and you need to inform your insurance company.

Protect Your Antiques with Insurance

Although if you hire a removal company, they will offer a level of insurance in case your items suffer damage or go missing, it is good practice to protect your precious belongings with separate insurance. If your antiques hold much monetary value, you may invest in an antiques insurance policy to safeguard your belongings.

Gather Sturdy Packing Supplies

To safely transport your antiques, you must acquire high-quality packing materials. Invest in sturdy cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, peanuts, and furniture blankets. These supplies are vital in ensuring your precious belongings are secure during transit.

Disassemble Pieces

If your antique pieces have removable parts, such as glass panels or legs, it is essential to disassemble them before packing. This reduces the risk of damage and makes your antiques easier to package and transport to their new home.

Wrap Pieces Individually

Carefully wrap each antique in bubble wrap and secure it in a sturdy cardboard box with peanut packaging to minimise movement within the box and reduce the risk of damage. Secure each box with packing tape to stop the contents from spilling out if any sudden movements occur during transit. 

Label Your Boxes

Clearly label the boxes containing your antiques and use arrows to indicate which way up the box should be carried and if the contents are fragile. This will also assist with unpacking and ensure that all of your antiques are where they should be.

Handling and Transporting Antiques to Your New Home

Once your antiques are carefully prepared and packed, it is time to focus on transporting them from your current home to your new home, ensuring they arrive pristine.

Hire a Removal Company

Antique pieces are generally built from sturdy materials to last a lifetime, meaning they are usually heavy, fragile, or both. This means you will need a combination of skilled movers and proper equipment, such as furniture dollies, to safely and efficiently move your antiques. A removal company will have extensive knowledge and experience moving antiques. Many offer packing services, too, ensuring that your goods are packed carefully before being transported to your new home.

Lift with Care

Proper lifting technique is vital to prevent damage to your antiques and injury to yourself. Due to the often heavy and fragile nature of antique pieces, you should only try to move them with assistance from your family, friends, or removers. Lift your antiques by bending at the knees while keeping your back straight. This technique prevents unnecessary strain or injury while keeping your belongings safe.

Secure Antiques in the Vehicle

Once your antiques have been successfully lifted, it is vital to load them into the removal vehicle in a way that minimises the chance of damage. You should avoid loading heavy boxes on top of your antiques and keep the boxes tightly packed in the middle of the vehicle to reduce movement. Once the goods have been loaded, they must be secured to prevent further movement. Use straps or ropes to secure the boxes inside the vehicle to avoid damage caused by sudden movement during transit.

Unpacking and Displaying Your Antiques

Finally, your antique pieces have arrived at your new home! It is time to unload and unpack your things, enabling you to settle in.

Carefully Unload and Unpack

When you unload the van, use the same techniques, care, and attention you used during the loading stage. As you unload your antiques, check against your list to ensure all pieces have arrived. Remove the antiques from the boxes and carefully unwrap them to avoid scratching or denting.

Inspect for Damage

Once you have removed all the wrapping materials from each antique, you can assess whether any damage has been caused. If you notice any minor damages or significant breakages, document them immediately and take photographs. This evidence will be necessary if you need to make a claim on your insurance for the damage.

Display Your Pieces Proudly

Finally, it is time to proudly display your antiques and valuable belongings in your new home! Consider the best place for each antique and aim to keep them away from direct sunlight and radiators as the light and heat may negatively impact their condition. 

Moving Antiques FAQs

Can I move antique pieces on my own?

While it is possible to move your antiques by yourself, if the pieces are large, heavy, and fragile, it may be best to recruit a removal company with extensive experience in safely handling and transporting valuable antiques. However, it is advisable to move precious belongings such as jewellery yourself.

What if I need to store my antiques before my move?

At Guardian Removals, we offer a storage service that enables you to safely store your valuable belongings, such as antiques, in our secured storage facility. We can provide short-term and long-term storage for your antiques, enabling you to pack up the rest of your house without worrying about the safety of your fragile items.

How can I find a reliable antique removal company?

Start by asking family and friends for recommendations for a reliable removal company specialising in moving antiques. Look at online reviews and testimonials and choose a company that can tailor their services to your needs.

Guardian Removals – Your Antique Removal Specialist

At Guardian Removals, we pride ourselves on providing an unrivalled removal service. We go above and beyond to ensure your belongings reach their new home in pristine condition. 

From the moment you enquire with us, our dedicated team will create a tailored removal service that precisely suits your needs and prioritises the safe movement of your belongings from when we arrive at your current home to when you are settled into your new home. 

Contact our expert team today to discuss your antique removal requirements.

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