How Do You Move Fridge and Freezer Items During a Move?

When you’re gearing up for moving day, you can pack most of your possessions days or weeks in advance, but there are a few items you have to leave out until moving day. Besides toiletries, clothes, and other personal essentials, one category you can’t pack up until moving day is your refrigerator and freezer foods.

What is the best way to pack and relocate your cold foods? Here are some suggestions to avoid food spoilage.

Throw Out Expired Food

It’s easy to lose track of the food we already have. Go through your pantry, fridge, and freezer, and throw away any expired food. This step can drastically reduce how much food you have to relocate.

Make note of what foods you do have so that you don’t forget about them. This is an important primer step for our next suggestion:

Eat What You Have

It’s ideal to eat from your pantry, fridge, and freezer supplies instead of making a weekly grocery run or getting take out. Leading up to your move, try to use the food supplies you currently have. Meals might get eccentric by moving day, but the less food you have to move, the better! You won’t regret fewer coolers and heavy boxes of canned goods on moving day. Plus, when you’re spending extra money on moving expenses, you won’t mind the lower grocery budget!

Short-Distance Moves: Use Portable Coolers

Use portable coolers and lots of ice to keep your fridge and freezer items cold between destinations. If possible, unload your fridge and freezer last before leaving your current home. When you get to your new home, prioritize putting your food in the fridge and freezer first.

Long-Distance Moves: Get a Portable Freezer

If you’re traveling long-distance, it’s unlikely you’d make it to your destination before your food has spoiled. You might need to get a portable freezer that can be plugged in to the car’s power supply or a professional trailer that has it’s own generator. This allows you to keep all your food at a safe temperature despite your long route.

Transporting Your Fridge or Freezer

Unplug and clean out the appliance. Tape the doors shut so they don’t fly open unexpectedly. Use a dolly or straps to carefully move the appliance, trying to keep it upright at all times, and secure it carefully in the moving truck. Once the appliance is in your new home, let it rest for 12-24 hours before plugging in to allow the coolant and oil to settle.

Peavler Moving and Storage: Expert Professional Movers

Peavler Moving and Storage understands that there is a lot to juggle during a move. Let us help! Our professional team is skilled at handling all aspects of your move, from packing to transporting. We are experts at moving heavy items like refrigerators and freezers so you don’t have to rent extra equipment or risk injury. Ready to learn more? Contact us today!