How to move antiques safely during a long-distance move

Planning to move and don’t know what to do with the antiques you possess? Are you worried about how to move antiques safely during a long-distance move? You’ve come to realize that it’s no easy task. Antiques require special treatment. This article will answer the question of how to move antiques during a long-distance move.

Packing antiques safely for a long-distance move

When packing antiques, you need to take into consideration their age, value, and also fragility.  Let’s look at jewelry, coins and similar smaller antique items for example. These types of antiques don’t represent that big of a hassle when packing. You should be just fine placing them in a box or pouch. Some of them probably already have their original packaging. On the other hand, furniture and other bigger fragile items require a different, more careful approach when packing. To make your life easier, you could disassemble them into smaller pieces. Items like that need to be wrapped in a bubble pack, then into a packing paper. To protect the edges of furniture, a blanket or a sponge should come in handy. All that’s left to do is to mark the box with a “fragile” inscription. If it’s too difficult, there is a moving and storage Canada company that can help you with that.

How to handle antique paintings?

If you wonder how to wrap your precious piece of art, you should consider getting a special kind of paper for that purpose. Even if it comes in contact with the canvas, the special paper will prevent the color from diffusing and erasing. Afterward, wrap the art in bubble wrap and that will protect it from breaking or scratching. It also wouldn’t be so bad to put it in a box, perhaps a box from an old TV you are not using anymore. This way you will also save the artwork from moisture. Moisture causes the paint to spill. If you follow these steps, the risk of something going wrong will go down significantly. What can also happen is that you might be an owner of a really rare painting and not even know it. We can’t stress enough how important it is to do the necessary research.

Important things to do before moving antiques safely during a long-distance move

One of the most important steps in packing antiques for moving is to clean them. A soft and clean microfiber cloth should do the job just fine. Make sure not to use any chemical products, especially on wooden antiques, because they can easily get damaged. During the moving phase, people tend to forget about the antique patina. Patina is a green or brown gloss on the surface of metals, produced by oxidation over a long period. Patina plays a huge role in the value of a certain antique. If you use the wrong type of cloth, you will damage it. Therefore it’s important to be smart and not devalue your antiques. If you need a reliable Toronto moving company, we got you covered!

If you aren’t completely sure how to do all these things properly, visit your local hardware or antique store and ask for advice.

Shipping antiques

Shipment of highly fragile and voluminous antiques requires knowledge, experience and technique. If you end up hiring a specialized company for moving your valuable items, here are some things to take into consideration:

• make a list of all antiques you plan to move, that way you can check if anything is missing afterward
• take a photo of every item, so if anything breaks during the move you have proof of it
• before hiring a company, do thorough research and make sure they have good reviews
• once you hire professionals, you need to emphasize the fact that the items are fragile and mustn’t get damaged

Ways of transporting antiques

Depending on how far you move, you will need a certain type of transport vehicle. When searching for a suitable vehicle, make sure it fulfills these conditions:

• adequate
• safe
• durable
• reliable

The area in which the items would reside during the move should be upholstered. This way, antiques will be safe and protected. Moving supplies Toronto has exactly what you need.

The help of a friend

It’s always a good idea to tell your plans to a person you trust. They can help you if something goes awry. Help can come in more ways than one, either a piece of really good advice or offering a vehicle of their own. This way you can be sure that they will do their best to keep your belongings safe until arrival at the new destination. It’ll also make it easier on the budget cause it eliminates other expenses, such as hiring a company.

Insurance policy when you have to move antiques safely during a long-distance move

When we talk about packing and moving antique items, one of the most important things is an insurance policy. One thing you should do before moving is to check if your insurance policy covers antique items.  If it doesn’t, you should contact your company to add that option to the list. That way you will be financially compensated if something breaks during the move.

Final thoughts

When moving, the goal is to transfer every item safely and undamaged to the new destination. The biggest fear we have is about antique items. We are sentimentally bound to them and to us they are priceless. It would be a shame to ruin them now after they have been preserved for so many years. In a process of moving a long distance, you need to take a more careful approach. We can’t risk the valuables getting damaged during the packing, loading, shipping and unloading. Make a foolproof plan, do research and hire a reliable company with high-quality moving supplies to help you. This way you will move antiques safely during a long-distance move with ease. Arm yourself with patience and we hope that following these steps will help you avoid unnecessary amounts of stress.