Packing for moving takes a lot of time and effort – and labeling your packed boxes and items adds even more time and effort to the laborious and time-consuming packing process.
As much as it may seem like a waste of time, though, labeling is extremely important – it allows you to keep track of your items, helps ensure their safety during the move, and makes unpacking faster and easier – and no one who has ever moved house would even think of skipping this essential step.
So, when packing for your move, you will definitely take the time to label your boxes and smaller household items.
What about larger items, though? You don’t really need a label in order to know which item is the fridge and which one is the desk – even if they’re wrapped in moving blankets, appliances and furniture pieces are usually easily recognizable.
Do you need to label furniture, then? Is it really necessary?
Yes, it is – you’re strongly advised to label your furniture when moving. Read on to find out why and learn how to label furniture for moving in an easy and effective way.
Benefits of proper furniture labeling
Similarly to labeling moving boxes, labeling furniture is all about safety, organization, and efficiency:
- Proper labeling will minimize the risk of accidents during the move – You and your moving helpers will know how to properly handle the furniture piece, in what direction to keep it and how to safely position it in the moving truck, etc. As a result, the risk of damages to the furniture, property damage, and personal injuries will be greatly reduced;
- Furniture labeling will ensure every piece is taken directly to its rightful place in your new home and properly unpacked and reassembled – You and your moving helpers will know which room to take the furniture to after unloading and how to set it up. This will greatly facilitate things on move-in day.
Now that you know why it is a good idea to label furniture for moving, it’s time to get down to work:
Create a furniture inventory list
Your first task is to make an inventory of the furniture you intend to relocate. (Make sure you take along only quality pieces in good condition that fit into your new home and have high practical or sentimental value. See also: Is it better to move furniture or buy new)
List each furniture item (type, material, manufacturer, etc.) and note down any special packing requirements and handling considerations – will the furniture need to be disassembled, are there any furniture parts that require extra protection (protruding parts, glass elements, etc.), does the furniture need to be moved in an upright position, etc.
Be sure to include the estimated value of the furniture and a statement of its pre-move condition in the inventory list as well (add evidence – photos, receipts, warranties, appraisal statements, etc.).
Last but not least, don’t forget to indicate which room the furniture piece belongs to. If the piece will be put in a different location after the move – you want the large desk from your home office to go into your kid’s room, for example – note down both the origin room and the destination room in your furniture inventory list.
Make a digital copy and several paper copies of the furniture inventory list. Make sure you have a paper copy with you on moving day for easy reference.
Related: How to make a moving inventory
Gather the necessary furniture labeling supplies
When labeling furniture for moving, you’re going to need:
- A permanent black marker and/or several permanent markers in different colors;
- Color labels – or just some white paper;
- Clear packing tape and painter’s tape;
- Clear, sealable plastic bags;
- Scissors.
Know where – and how – to attach the labels
Before you start labeling your furniture for moving, you need to consider proper label placement:
1) Place the labels over the protective wrapping – Furniture pieces should be wrapped in moving blankets and plastic wrap for better protection during the move. Naturally, any labels should be placed over the protective wrapping.
NB! Even if you’re moving short distance, do not even consider leaving your pieces unprotected and sticking the labels directly to the furniture – it may save you time when preparing your items for moving but the risk of damage to the furniture will increase immensely.
Must-read: Do’s and don’ts when packing furniture for moving
2) Make sure the labels are clearly visible – Label each furniture piece on at least three of its sides. When labeling larger and/or more complex furniture pieces, use multiple labels.
3) Ensure the labels are securely attached – Use quality adhesive labels or run clear packing tape over the labels to secure them in place. You want to make sure the labels won’t come off easily during the move.
4) Use painter’s tape when attaching a label directly to the furniture surface – If you need to attach a label to a furniture piece – or to a part of a disassembled furniture piece – that is not wrapped in protective materials, be sure to use painter’s tape. Duct tape and stickers with strong adhesive are not safe to use directly on wood furniture (they may leave a sticky residue and ruin the delicate wood finish) and on painted furniture (they may peel off the paint when being removed).
See also: How to remove tape residue when unpacking after a move
How to label small furniture items for moving
Smaller furniture pieces are easier to pack and move – and they’re easier to label too.
First, remove any loose and/or detachable parts from the furniture piece – shelves, drawers, glass cases, etc. Pack these parts separately (use the right packing techniques for each of them) and label them accordingly – note down which furniture piece the item came from and where it should go when the furniture is put back together after the move (e.g. bottom left dresser drawer; second from the top bookcase shelf; etc.).
When labeling packed drawers, consider writing down the contents of the drawer as well (e.g. Betty’s office supplies; Tom’s summer shirts; etc.). If the drawers have handles or knobs, consider attaching labels with strings to the handles/knobs.
See also: How to pack glass shelves for moving; How to pack drawers for moving
Next, wrap the furniture in protective materials and label every piece with its type, destination room, and any necessary handling instructions (Coffee table, Living room, Handle with care). Use a permanent marker and write in capital letters, so the labels are easy to read.
Keep in mind that when labeling furniture for moving, it’s best to use the color code labeling system – assign a color to each room in your new home and label all furniture pieces that will go into that room in the same color (use color labels and/or color markers in the corresponding color).
If you choose green for the living room, for example, be sure to attach a green label to the coffee table – or, if you don’t have color labels, use a green marker to write the information on the white piece of paper that will be attached to the coffee table.
Color labeling will result in smooth and efficient unloading – upon seeing the color, you and your moving helpers will immediately know which room the piece belongs to and will be able to take it directly there without wasting any time.
How to label large furniture pieces for moving
Larger furniture may need to be disassembled before the relocation so they become lighter and more compact – and, therefore, easier and safer to move.
- Label the parts as you disassemble the furniture – Wrap each furniture part in protective coverings as soon as you take it away and label it immediately. Be sure to indicate exactly what the part is and exactly where in the furniture it belongs. If labeling a furniture part that is not wrapped in protective materials, use painter’s tape as detailed above;
- Place any removed hardware parts and fastening elements in sealable plastic bags, so they don’t get lost during the move – Label the bag (china cabinet hardware) and attach it to one of the larger parts of the corresponding furniture item or pack it in a box with other parts of the same furniture piece.
Be sure to take photos at every step during the disassembly process – for reference when putting the furniture back together in your new home.
Use the above-described color code labeling system.
See also: How to disassemble furniture for moving
How to label furniture with fragile components
If a furniture piece has glass elements, protruding parts, or other fragile components that can’t be removed before the move, be sure to provide additional protection to these components (place cardboard pieces over glass surfaces, wrap protruding parts in bubble wrap, etc.) and label the furniture as “FRAGILE”. (It is a good idea to indicate exactly where the fragile part is so people know what to be careful about when handling the furniture).
Attach several “HANDLE WITH CARE” stickers or labels to the furniture piece and indicate which side is up (use arrows or directional indicators to show proper orientation).
NB! Use the same precautions when labeling antique furniture, family heirlooms, and other delicate and/or valuable furniture pieces.
See also: How to move antique furniture
How to label furniture for movers
When using professional moving services, you may not need to worry about packing and labeling your furniture:
- If you’ve hired full-service movers, they will take care of your furniture;
- If you’ve hired movers just to transport your items to your new home, you can still request furniture disassembly and packing as an extra service – the pros will dismantle your larger pieces, will pack the furniture items in the safest way possible, and will label them appropriately.
If you’ve chosen to pack and label your items yourself, label the furniture pieces as described above – just be sure to inform your movers of the labeling system you have used. In case it’s the color code system, don’t forget to attach corresponding colored tags/labels to the doors of the rooms in your new home. Make sure the tag/label is in the right color and has the name of the room on it, along with a list of the furniture items that belonged there – so the movers can verify the room name and whether or not a certain piece should go in there.
Related: Does your furniture need furniture movers
Labeling furniture for moving makes for a better organized, safer, and more efficient relocation. Don’t hesitate to do it when preparing for your next move.
