How To Move Furniture Across Country: Tips and Tricks To Get To Your Long-Distance Destination

Even well-made furniture can be surprisingly fragile, and contingency plans take on a new meaning in long-distance moving. But with the right equipment, plan, and a little luck, the process can go just as smoothly as moving down the street. Here are our tips for how to move furniture across country — safely and with as little stress as possible.

First Steps When  Moving Furniture Long Distance

Decide What Stays & What Goes

If you’re moving to a smaller home or downsizing for retirement before you move furniture across country, this point is for you. A move is a great opportunity to offload items that you’ve grown out of or just don’t want to cart across the country — because let’s face it: That $50 thrift-store couch from college may not be worth the price tag for movers, a truck, and insurance. It adds up.

A moving sale is a great tip to add to the process of how to move furniture long distance — and a fantastic way to get rid of the big stuff so you can travel light. It’s also a low-stress way to say goodbye to your neighbors before you hit the road. And if you’ve still got a ton of furniture and tchotchkes left over post-sale, donating your belongings is the way to go. Check out your local Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, or other nonprofit; in many cities, they’ll come to your home and pick up your things at no charge.

Document & Protect Your Furniture

As you’re planning your strategy for how to move furniture across country, make sure to take a photo of each piece so you have pre-move proof of its condition. Pay particular attention to any scratches or other defects. It’s important to have a record just in case there’s a question of damages and liability on the other end. You should also make sure you know how much coverage your movers provide and whether you should add protection for more valuable items.

Make Sure Everything Fits

Before you’ve figured out how to move furniture across country and load it on your truck, make sure it will fit when you get to your destination. This is especially true if you’re moving to a home that requires downsizing or storing your belongings in a smaller space. Measure that chaise lounge and piano before loading them up.

Top Options for How To Move Furniture Across Country

The choices you make in your plan for how to move furniture long-distance will affect your journey to your new home. Consider how much furniture you have to move, your budget, and how much time and effort you’re willing and able to spend.

Portable containers offer more control over how your items get loaded, because you can do it yourself.

Rent a Portable Moving and Storage Container

A portable moving and storage container is a great option when thinking about how to move furniture long distance — for many reasons. It provides one solution for both moving and storage: You can store your container at a secure facility or keep it in your driveway, which means you can take your time packing, loading, and unloading your furniture. Portable containers also offer more control over how your items get loaded, because you can do it yourself — which can mean the difference between your favorite side table and your favorite side table with a big chip in it.

Hire Full-Service Movers

If you have a lot of oversized furniture items (especially big-ticket items like a piano) that may be difficult to move on your own, you may elect to use a traditional moving company that’s skilled in how to move furniture across country. This is effective, but it can be costly — and sometimes risky. In fact, thousands of customers file damage claims every year. That’s because items are often unloaded and reloaded several times during their journey, or even shipped co-mingled with other people’s belongings. If you decide to go this route, it’s a very good idea to get moving coverage. Your items may very well emerge unscathed, but it’s worth being covered just in case.

Freight shipping companies offer LTL (less-than-truck-load) and FTL (full-truck-load) shipping options.

Use a Freight Shipping Company

You can also hire a freight shipping company to ship your furniture long-distance. You'll have two shipping options to choose from: LTL (less-than-truck-load) and FTL (full-truck-load). Depending on which you choose, there will be variations in your costs, shipping time, security, and other factors, including the following:

• LTL shipments may be transferred from truck to truck multiple times during transport, but FTL shipments remain on the same truck the whole time, which can significantly lower the chances of damage or loss.
• If you have lots of furniture pieces that require delicate handling and you need to move long-distance fast, FTL is probably the best choice — but it will cost you more.
• On the other hand, if you're only shipping a few items, and it doesn't matter when they get to their new destination, LTL should work just fine.

Also, you’ll want to explore both ground freight and air freight. The better option for you will depend on what you’re shipping, how much it’s worth, and even whether you have any perishables. Note: We don’t recommend moving any perishables packed among your furniture! But if you have sensitive things you absolutely must get to your new home, here’s some guidance from the pros at FedEx — including how to move furniture long distance.

Deciding how to move furniture across country starts with the type of move you choose: DIY, full-service, moving containers, or something in between.

DIY — Or Go Hybrid

To take the do-it-yourself route, you don’t necessarily have to know everything there is to know about how to move furniture across country. It’s as simple as renting a truck yourself and getting some pals to help you load it up. A hybrid approach is also an option: Do the driving on your own, and hire local help for packing and loading assistance. This is especially useful for big furniture items you may not want to risk putting in the hands of amateurs (meaning yourself).

Tips for How To Move Furniture Long Distance

If you’ve opted for the DIY version for how to move furniture long distance, we have some pointers you’ll want to keep in mind.

Visualize not just the piece of furniture but what space the piece will occupy in your moving truck, container, or otherwise — and get creative.

Time to put those well-earned Tetris skills to use. Before you pack anything, picture all the pieces you have to move — the couches, tables, chairs, bookcases, etc. Then look at the negative space within each of these. The key to how to move furniture across country securely for travel is to make it as compact as possible. We mean filled. Dense. What can be packed within the bookcase to fill the negative space? Visualize not just the piece of furniture but what space the piece will occupy in your moving truck, container, or otherwise — and get creative.

Two important packing and loading tips: Distribute the weight evenly when you fill up the moving container. And get blankets and plastic wrap. Lots.

Mattresses

Be sure you have a plastic mattress slipcover to keep both the mattress and box spring safe. Your mattress is also basically a big wall — use it strategically to box in other items you’re moving.

Bed Frames

Another one of the big items you’ll probably have to wrangle with, a bed frame can be as simple as one flat, smooth piece or as intricate as Victorian-style woodwork. Either way, a great place to put this is between your mattress and box spring. Keep it snug.

Main Tables (as Opposed to Side Tables)

If it’s an option, take the legs off your tables and wrap each one individually. Wrap the accompanying chairs together, stacking them, if possible, and use bungee cords to keep everything together and secured.

Mirrors

Sometimes you can get away with hacks, but figuring out how to move furniture long-distance involves understanding your cargo. If you’ve got mirrors, grab some masking tape and make a big “X” across the face of each one. Avoid duct tape here — your mirrors won’t like it. This is a great idea for any glass surfaces to help minimize the impact of constant vibrations in the moving process. Your mirrors and glass won’t break as easily. We also recommend packing mirrors and pictures inside specially-designed frame boxes.

Couches

Remove the cushions and use them as packing material to secure other pieces. Remember the negative space? That exercise will come in handy here, especially when you plastic-wrap the couch with softer items inside — like stuffed animals, linens, and clothes. Nothing too big or heavy — just enough to take advantage of the space. Stand the couch on its end if you can, picking a nice corner of the container or truck. Just make sure it’s blocked in and won’t topple over during the move.

Dressers/Chest o’ Drawers

Before even trying to move these out of your house and into a moving container, know that: 1. It’s a lot easier to get them to the container when the drawers are removed first, and 2. Corners can cause as much damage as they can receive. Pay special attention to the corners and finished areas, covering them completely with blankets. (Did we mention blankets are your best friend?)

Your smaller furniture pieces will help you secure bigger pieces when you move. That said, they deserve some love, too, when you’re planning how to move furniture long-distance.

Protect your furniture from unnecessary damage by knowing how to pack and secure each piece for transport.

Chairs

Recliners can be unwieldy, but generally fare well when properly secured. It’s the smaller chairs that will fly around in a moving truck if you take a curb too quickly! Save yourself the headache: Stack, wrap, and bungee these down.

Side Tables

Like chairs, these usually have skinny legs and can fit in between larger items where there’s space. Watch out for pointy things like drawer handles and corners in case they rub against another piece of furniture. You may be able to load a side table by yourself, depending on the size, but if it’s older (and especially wooden), take care not to handle it in such a way that a piece comes off.

Coffee Tables

For glass tops, it’s a good idea to put a masking tape X over it (like your mirrors). A bubble cushioning roll will be your best friend here, too. Any drawers? See the dresser strategy. Use at least two helpers if you can. You got this.

How To Move Furniture Across Country — FAQs

Q: How do I move a lot of stuff across the country?
A: Knowing how to ship furniture across the country involves one key element: Planning. Moving furniture across country can be challenging and complex. But with the right preparation? Piece of cake — almost. We are advocates of list-making: Write down everything. Take an inventory of all of your belongings, for starters, and then decide what route you want to take.

Q: What is the cheapest month to move cross-country?
A: Making your move from September through April is a good idea. Most people want to move during the summer, when kids are out of school, and families have more time (and better weather) to settle into their new towns. Likewise, weekdays aren’t as pricey as weekends, for similar reasons. And try to avoid holidays, when demand may be higher and moving crews may have less availability — which often translates to a bigger price tag.

Q: What is the cheapest way to transport furniture across states?
A: Figuring out how to ship furniture for the least amount of money usually results in DIY. Rent a rental truck or a portable moving container. This works particularly well if you’re flexible on timing and can avoid peak moving season.

Q: What are red flags to watch for in movers?
A: When you’re researching how to ship furniture to another state, it might be tempting to go with the first option that seems inexpensive and easy. But cheap isn’t always wise. In fact, it’s one of the brightest red flags to look for. A few others: Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t give you a fully finished contract. And that contract should include details about the company’s insurance coverage. Perhaps most importantly: Research your company — if reviews are bad, or if they don’t even have an online presence, that’s a big nope. Next, please!

Q: Can movers move furniture with stuff in it?
A: Yes! Making the most of space is what we’re all about. That giant armoire you’ve been carting around for a decade is a beautiful piece of furniture — and when you’re strategizing how to move furniture across country, it’s even more valuable as a giant packing box. Stuff it full of blankets, pillows, towels, and other linens, and then wind some bubble cushioning roll around it to keep the door closed. The same goes for smaller dressers, end tables, and other cabinet-type pieces with drawers and doors. Stuff them full of non-fragile items for a super-efficient hack. You’ll save money on boxes, and you’ll have extra room in your storage container.

How To Move Furniture Long Distance the Flexible Way

When you’ve figured out how to move furniture long-distance and are ready to hit the road, make your long-distance move flexible with PODS portable moving containers. They’re delivered right to your driveway so you can pack and load at your convenience. And if you need extra time when you reach your destination, not to worry: One month’s storage is included in the cost of every move. Need some help with the heavy lifting? PODS can even refer you to local packing and loading services.

Visit PODS online for a free local moving quote or call 877-350-7637 for long-distance moving.

Shannon Jacobs is a Tampa-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to the PODS Blog. She has lived in Atlanta, the Berkshires, and Nashville, but always returns to the warmth of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

_{*This article was written on behalf of PODS Enterprises, LLC (“PODS”). PODS does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this article and disclaims any liability for reliance upon the content herein.}