How to Move a Freezer

Packing and moving the kitchen presents a few challenges. Packing and moving heavy and bulky household items such as fridges and freezers is difficult. They’re also a big investment so making sure they’re safely transported and avoiding any damage is the top priority. Transporting your freezer to your new home may mean that you need to hire a professional moving company. Particularly if your freezer is one of the biggest investments you made – to move a freezer DIY may be too much of a risk in some cases. As always, whether you decide to hire a moving specialist or do things personally depends on your specific situation and your preferences – in some cases things may turn out just fine while other times things can turn into a nerve-racking experience.

Before you decide on how you want to move your freezer, take some time to access the situation and read through our guide – it should help you figure out if you can move a freezer alone. Do-it-yourself moving is usually the least expensive one but you must take into account the possibility of damage – replacing an expensive appliance may cost you much more in the long run so think things through before making a decision.

Also, you should factor in the cost of renting a moving vehicle, as well as gas money, packing supplies, moving equipment, and perhaps even paying for someone’s help, so DIY costs can also add up, which is why it’s important to plan way in advance. So, hiring professionals may be a way to avoid additional moving costs. In case you’ve decided to roll up your sleeves and move your appliances yourself, read on to learn how to move a freezer.

Check the instructions

Before you go ahead and start preparing your freezer for moving, go back to the manual and read the instructions so you would make sure you’re following any steps specific to your model. You may find that there are some guidelines for cleaning, disconnecting, or anything related to the freezer you have that may make all the difference for its safety. In case you no longer have the manual, check the model number online or check with the store you got your freezer at.

Empty and disconnect ice dispenser

This goes without saying – you should empty the freezer completely before going any further. Take all the food out so you wouldn’t have to carry extra weight but also to avoid having spoiled food after you get to your new place. If you leave food inside the freezer, it will start defrosting and you’ll get anything but a pleasant experience. If you’re not sure what to do with the food you have left, you can create a meal plan to follow during your move. You can also get a cooling bag for food that you can use until you complete your relocation.

While you’re taking all the food out, you’ll also want to check if your freezer has an ice maker and if it does, it should be removed at this point. Depending on the model and your skills you can go back to the manual and remove the ice maker yourself or hire cheap movers NYC to do it for you.

Defrost and clean

Once your freezer is completely empty, you’ll want to unplug it and let it defrost. The time necessary for your freezer to defrost depends on whether you’ll unplug and leave it overnight so all the ice buildup would melt or use a defrosting function in case you have a newer freezer model. You should plan on leaving about 24 hours for this process, just in case. Depending on the amount of ice buildup, you’ll see more or less water gathering inside the freezer after it’s defrosted, so drain it in the sink and proceed to clean the inside thoroughly.

You can first use a soft sponge to remove any excess water and then clean with a mixture of water and baking soda so you’d prevent the buildup of mold and mildew. Leave the freezer door open to allow the inside to dry completely and consider placing a moisture absorbent inside to make sure there’s no moisture left.

Prepare for moving

Now when your freezer is empty and clean, it’s time to prepare it for moving. The easiest strategy is to wrap it entirely in moving blankets. The reason why you should use moving blankets is to protect your freezer. It’ll create soft padding and protect the outside of the freezer from damage. Use packing tape to prevent freezer doors from opening during transit and to secure blankets in place.

Secure onto the moving dolly

Since most appliances are heavy, you’ll want to use moving equipment for a safe and smooth move to make things easier and more efficient. Your most helpful piece of equipment is the moving dolly – it will help you transport the freezer from your kitchen to the moving truck with ease. You should have at least one helper when securing the freezer onto the dolly – one person should tilt the dolly slightly forward to slide its front piece under the freezer. You should have a helper on the opposite side to hold the freezer while you tilt the moving dolly back to its original position. This will easily load the freezer on it.

Load and secure

There are things to know when moving large items. For example, how to load them onto the transportation vehicle. To load the freezer into the moving truck, you can use plywood to create a ramp and push it inside. Always use moving straps to secure the freezer in place and avoid shifting during transit. You should keep your freezer entirely upright the entire time during the relocation so make sure the truck is big enough for your appliance to fit. If that’s not possible, place the freezer on the compressor side.

Post-move installation

Once your freezer arrives safely in your new home and you settle it in the kitchen or its designated space, you can go ahead and plug it in straight away if it was in the upright position the entire time. In case it wasn’t, the general rule is that it should remain unplugged for the same amount of time it was in the moving truck so the oils could get back to the compressor unit but if you’re not sure, let it sit for 24 hours before you plug it in again.