If you just sold the home you are moving out of, the buyers are expecting the floors to be in the same condition as when they had the home inspected. If they notice new damage upon moving in, they may be entitled to legal recourse, depending on your state laws. The buyer may even be entitled to back out of the deal entirely due to the new damage, depending on whether the sale has officially closed or not.
Even if your home is still on the market, you don’t want floor damage deterring potential buyers from purchasing your home or leading to you having to reduce the sale price.
Read on to learn four tips for protecting your home’s flooring during the moving process.
-
Clean All Floors Thoroughly on Moving Day Morning
While you likely plan to clean all of your floors after all of your belongings have been removed from your home, it is also important to clean them just before the moving process begins. There will likely be many people walking around in your home during the moving process, and dollies topped with heavy appliances will be rolled across your flooring.
This means that any dirt and debris currently lying on top of your carpeting could become embedded deeply within it when walked on (even if it is under a protective mat). Even worse, debris on hardwood floors or tile floors can permanently scratch the floor.
Play it safe and vacuum all carpets and sweep and mop all tile and wooden floors before the moving process begins.
-
Place Heavy-Duty Floor Mats at all Entry Ways
It is very important to ensure that all moving helpers wipe their shoes on a heavy-duty floor mat before entering your home from the outdoors to avoid tracking in debris that can damage your floors. You can also provide them with special paper booties to cover their shoes before entering your home.
This is especially important when moving on muddy days or winter days when the outdoor pavement may be covered with salt or other deicing chemicals. Once tracked indoors, salt particles stuck on shoes can scrape hardwood and tile floors, leading to permanent scratches, and mud can become embedded in carpeting. The last thing you want to do on moving day is scramble to find a carpet cleaning machine to rent at the last minute before your family travels to your new destination.
An even better solution (if you have enough help) is to have some moving helpers stay indoors and others stay outdoors. The indoor helpers can pass moving boxes and furniture to outdoor helpers to eliminate the chance of dirt, mud, and debris getting tracked indoors.
-
Create Paths by Laying Protective Film
Our movers at Bekins lay a protective film to create pathways. This helps protect the flooring from damage from dirt, debris, and other particles that can be tracked inside from the outdoors. If you follow our lead by laying protective film, clean them off regularly to keep dirt and debris from making their way off the films.
In addition, even after you create as many moving pathways as possible, it is a good idea to have plenty of old rugs and blankets available on moving day. In the event there is a piece of large furniture not near a pathway, the movers can walk on the rugs to avoid tracking in dirt and debris from the outside.
-
Cover All Furniture Feet With Protective Pads
While it is a good idea to always place protective pads, also called sliders, on furniture feet, especially when the furniture is in a room with hardwood or tile flooring, it is especially important on moving day. While, ideally, all furniture should be lifted straight off the floor before it is carried out of your home, your helpers might end up accidentally sliding the feet across the floor a bit as they prepare to move it, which can scratch your flooring.
If the furniture is heavier than you expect, you might also need to set it down to rest your muscles or reposition the furniture before you get it completely out the door. If you slide the furniture just a bit as you set it down, you could scratch the floor if protective pads are not in place.
If you will soon be making a move, contact Bekins Van Lines for moving help. Professional movers will take all the steps needed to prevent damage to your flooring and the rest of your home on moving day, so you won’t have to worry about making last-minute home repairs due to moving day damage.
