How to take apart and move your bed
When preparing for your upcoming move you may have noticed there is no way your bed will be able to fit through your door and make every turn necessary in its current form. For almost every move we recommend having your bed taken apart. Beds have a hard time fitting through entryways and when left together are very susceptible to damage. In this article we will go over how to properly take apart your bed and prepare it to be moved.
Any professional and well reviewed moving company should be equipped with the necessary tools and equipment to properly disassemble, move, and reassemble your bed. However, if you would like to save money by performing a DYI move or want to ensure your bed is taken apart to your satisfaction, disassembling your bed yourself may be your best choice.
Most beds are comprised of four major parts – a headboard, a foot-board, and two side pieces. There may also be supporting pieces connecting the sidepieces in which the box-spring lays upon. The good news, most beds are rather simple and straightforward to take apart, requiring minimal tools and knowledge.
The first step will be inspecting the portion of the bed where the sidepieces connect to both the headboard and foot-board. At these joints is where you will disconnect the sidepieces from the headboard and foot-board. Upon inspection there may be multiple scenarios –
- There are large, flat hooks connecting the side pieces to the foot-board and headboard. These are usually the simplest beds to disassemble as you only need to apply force to the underside of the sidepiece at the joint where it connects to both the headboard and foot-board. Upon applying force the hooks should dislodge themselves, freeing the sidepiece from the headboard and foot-board.
- There are allen screws, screws that have hexagonal holes that require and a certain sized allen key in order to turn and remove. These beds are rather straightforward and just require you to utilize allen keys in order to remove the allen screws. Once the allen screws are removed the side pieces should just slide off of the headboard and foot-board.
- There are long screws with a fastening bolt at the end. You will need to utilize a wrench to loosen the bolts off the screws until they are completely removed. Once removed the sidepieces should slide off the screws and be removed from the headboard and foot-board entirely. The bolts on the headboard and foot-board should also be removed as they protrude and could cause damage to other items in its vicinity once in the moving truck.
It is important when removing the sidepieces to remove it from both the headboard and foot-board at the same time. You cannot remove just the foot-board and let the sidepiece rest on the ground still attached to the headboard, or vice-versa, as the weight may cause the joints to crack. Also ensure when removing the sidepieces that the headboard is leaning back against a wall so that is does not fall forward after the sidepieces are removed. This is especially important because damage or injury may occur if the headboard falls.
Ensure that you keep track of the hardware removed from your bed as they are required to reassemble the bed. These hardware pieces are small and easy to lose so make sure you put them in a secure bag and keep track of them.
Preparing the bed to be loaded
Now that the bed is successfully disassembled it is time to prepare the bed to be loaded into the moving truck. The mattress and box-spring should be put into a thick, plastic mattress bag in order to prevent dirt or debris from getting on your mattress.
Your sidepieces can both be wrapped into a single pad, diagonal, so that they are completely covered. Use tape to fasten the ends of the pads so that they do not become displaced during the moving process.
The headboard will require between 1-2 furniture pads to properly wrap. Wrapping the pads, with tape, on the ends of the headboard, where the sidepieces were connected, will provide the best protection.
The foot-board can simply be wrapped into a single pad and taped on each end for protection against scuffs, marks, intact with walls, or other furniture items during the moving process.
Loading the bed
Once disassembled, moving the bed to the moving truck should be a rather straightforward process. We recommend using at least two people when moving the headboard, mattress, or box spring to avoid potential damage or injury. Depending on the flexibility of the mattress, both the mattress and box spring can be put on a four wheeler and wheeled to the moving trailer, unless stairs are part of the route.
Securing the headboard, foot-board, sidepieces, mattress, and box spring is the critical part of successfully moving your bed as any shift in position may cause potential damage. A proper moving trailer will come equipped with rails of some sort in which to secure hooked straps or bungee cords. We recommend placing the mattress against the wall of the trailer, next the headboard, next the box-spring, so that that the headboard is sandwiched in-between, then the foot-board and sidepieces. Once all items are up against the wall you can place a moving strap or very tight bungee cord over them to secure them in place, utilizing the rails built into the moving truck or trailer. Ensure that your strap or bungee cord is sufficiently tight in order to avoid movement during the trip ahead.
Unloading the bed
Luckily, if you’ve made it this far, the rest of the job is easy! All that is left is to undo the straps securing your bed in place, inspect for damages, and unload the bed in the same fashion you loaded it. Putting the bed together is the exact process of taking it apart, just in reverse. Ensure you get the small hardware tight enough in place so that your bed cannot shift once you lay in it.
