A refrigerator is heavy, awkward, and full of water you cannot see. If it goes on the van icy or wet, that water ends up on someone else’s sofa. Prepare it the day before.
Empty it
Eat, give away or throw away the food. Do not ask the crew to move a freezer full of meals. A cool box in your car is enough for anything that must come with you on a local journey and will be eaten the same day. On a longer UK move, assume the food is not coming.
Take out shelves and drawers if they are loose. Tape the doors shut so they do not swing on a stair. Do not tape onto a finish you care about if a strap will do. Put screws and shelves in a labelled bag inside the appliance or in a clear box.
Defrost and dry
Switch the appliance off in time for the ice to melt. Put towels at the bottom. Leave the door open until the cavity is dry, not just empty. A wet fridge in a van smells, and it drips. This is the step people skip because they start too late.
If the fridge is plumbed in, or an American-style model built into a kitchen unit, say so when you get a quote. A standard freestanding appliance is part of a normal house move or packing and move plan. A built-in one may need to stay, or need a fitter. We do not disconnect water or gas.
On the day
It should be empty, dry, and standing where we can get a strap around it. Tell us if there are steps, because a fridge and a tight cottage stair is a measurement job, not a hope. At the new house, leave it standing upright and settled before you switch it on. The manufacturer’s leaflet, if you still have it, will say how long to wait. We are not electricians.
Insurance is provided. Ask us what is covered when you book. A fridge you insisted on moving while it was still dripping is a conversation we would rather have the day before.
Planning a move in Macclesfield?
Get a free, no-obligation quote, or try the cost calculator for a rough idea first.
