Large appliances are the heaviest things in most homes, and the ones people worry about least until moving day arrives. A refrigerator can weigh more than 300 pounds. A washer is awkward in a way that has nothing to do with its weight. A range has gas or a heavy electrical connection behind it.
They are all movable. They just need a bit of preparation that has to happen before the truck arrives, not while everyone is standing around waiting.
Here is what to do with each one, what has to be handled by someone qualified, and what to decide before the day.
First, decide what is actually going
Appliances are worth a moment of thought before you assume they are coming with you.
If you are selling a home, the appliances are often part of the deal — check the contract rather than your memory. If an appliance is older, the practical question is whether it will still be worth having after the move. And if you are heading somewhere with a different setup, measure the space at the other end first. A wide French-door refrigerator that fit the old kitchen may not fit the new opening, and that is much better to discover now.
Measure the doorways too, at both ends. Refrigerators are frequently wider than an interior door, which is why refrigerator doors often come off for the trip through the house.
Disconnection: the part that is not a moving job
This is the piece people most often get wrong, so it is worth being direct about it.
Gas lines, water lines and hard-wired electrical connections should be handled by a qualified technician or the utility before moving day. A gas range needs the line shut off and disconnected properly. A dishwasher is plumbed and usually wired in. A built-in wall oven is a fixed installation.
Moving crews move appliances; they do not disconnect gas or plumbing. Book that work for the day before the move if you can, so nothing is waiting on a technician while a truck sits outside. The same goes for the other end — schedule the hookups for after delivery rather than the same hour.
A standard plug-in washer and dryer with a simple water shutoff is the one case most people handle themselves, and even then the hoses need to come off and drain.
Refrigerators and freezers
Refrigerators need the most lead time, and the reason is defrosting.
- Empty it 24 to 48 hours ahead. Eat it, give it away, or pack a cooler for the things worth keeping.
- Unplug it at least 24 hours before the move. A day is the usual guidance; two days is better for a freezer that has built up ice.
- Let it defrost with the doors open, with towels underneath. Melting ice finds the floor.
- Clean and dry the inside. A closed refrigerator that travels damp and sits over a weekend will smell, and that smell is stubborn.
- Disconnect the ice maker line and drain it. This is a small water line, and it will drip.
- Secure the shelves and drawers, or take them out and pack them. Glass shelves rattle loose and break.
- Tape the doors shut for the move, and leave them propped open once it is in place at the new house.
One thing worth knowing: a refrigerator should travel upright whenever possible. If it has to be laid down, it needs to stand upright again for several hours before being plugged in, so the compressor oil can settle. Plugging one in too soon is a common and expensive mistake.
Washers and dryers
Washers have a particular requirement that nothing else in the house shares.
A washing machine drum is suspended inside the cabinet so it can spin. That suspension is not made for a truck ride. Front-load washers ship from the factory with shipping bolts that lock the drum in place, and if you kept them, they go back in before the move. If you did not keep them, say so — the drum needs to be secured another way.
The rest of the routine:
- Run a short cycle with no clothes a day or two before, then leave the door open to dry.
- Shut off the hot and cold valves, then disconnect the hoses and drain them into a bucket. There is always more water in them than you expect.
- Coil the hoses and the power cord and tape them to the back of the machine, or bag them and label the bag.
- Clear the drain hose.
Dryers are simpler. Unplug, disconnect the vent hose, and clean the lint trap and the vent while you have access to it — it is the easiest time you will ever have to do it. A gas dryer is the exception and needs the gas line disconnected by someone qualified.
Ranges, ovens and dishwashers
A freestanding electric range unplugs from a heavy outlet behind it. Remove the racks and pack them, and tape or remove the burner grates on a gas cooktop so they do not slide.
A gas range is not a do-it-yourself disconnect. The line gets shut off and capped by a technician, and the same person or the utility handles it at the new house.
Dishwashers are plumbed and usually wired, so they come out the same way — a technician disconnects, the crew moves it, a technician reinstalls. Built-in wall ovens and cooktops are installed cabinetry as much as appliances, and pulling one out is a task in itself.
Getting them out of the house
Once an appliance is disconnected, empty and dry, the moving part is straightforward:
- Doors and lids get taped or strapped so they cannot swing open on a stair.
- The appliance is padded and secured to an appliance dolly, which is built for this and has a strap.
- Refrigerator doors come off if the opening is tight.
- Floors and doorways get protected along the route, because an appliance on a dolly is where most floor damage comes from.
- In the truck, appliances ride upright and strapped, not stacked under anything.
This is the part to leave to the crew. Appliances are heavy, the stairs and thresholds are where injuries happen, and an appliance dolly handled by two people who do it regularly is a different thing from a hand truck borrowed for the afternoon.
At the new house
Give the refrigerator its settling time before plugging it in, especially if it traveled on its side. Check that the washer is level once it is in place — an unlevel washer walks across the floor on a spin cycle — and remove the shipping bolts again before the first load.
Schedule the gas and plumbing reconnections for after the delivery. And run one empty cycle in the washer and the dishwasher before trusting them with anything, which is the simplest way to find a hose that was not tightened all the way.
Common questions
How long does a refrigerator need to be unplugged before a move?
At least 24 hours, so it defrosts and dries out. A freezer with heavy ice buildup benefits from longer.
Can a refrigerator be laid down?
Upright is always better. If it has to lie down, stand it upright for several hours before plugging it back in.
What if I lost the shipping bolts for my washer?
Let us know ahead of time. The drum still needs to be secured, and knowing in advance means it is handled rather than discovered on the day.
Do I need a plumber and an electrician?
For gas lines, water lines and hard-wired connections, yes — those should be disconnected and reconnected by someone qualified. A standard plug-in washer, dryer or electric range is usually straightforward.
Can appliances go into storage?
Yes, provided they are fully emptied, defrosted, cleaned and dried first. Anything still damp inside will not be pleasant when it comes back out.
Planning a move with appliances
Hilton Moving and Storage has been moving households around Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs and Estero since 2010, appliances included. If yours are coming with you, the main thing we need to know is what they are and where they sit, so the right equipment and the right number of people are on the job.
Tell us what you have when you book — the side-by-side refrigerator, the front-load washer, the gas range in the middle of the kitchen — and we will plan the day around it. Call (239) 231-7050 or request a free estimate.
