Will Movers Take Dressers If They’re Full?
This is the question Safe Responsible Movers gets the most from prospective clients reaching out for pricing and information. Or some variation of it. “Do I have to empty my dressers before the move?” “Will movers take full dressers?” “Can I leave my clothes in my dressers?”
These are all common subject lines of emails that frantic customers send us. And while we don’t count dressers with clothes still in them as strictly prohibited, we do strongly encourage customers to empty all desks, dressers, cabinets, hutches, and anything else with drawers. Remember, Boston movers have to deal with tighter staircases than most other areas of the country, so local moving situations may be different than long distance moves you’ve encountered in the past.
Moving out of the Royal Palace of Stockholm? You should probably empty your dresser before the movers show up. Photo by Øyvind Holmstad (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Why You Should Empty Dressers Before Moving- They’re Easier to Move
The lighter an item is, the quicker the movers can move it. The quicker the movers can move your stuff, the cheaper your move is. That’s one reason we always recommend removing all items from all furniture. However, if time or resources dictate, it’s generally okay (but never recommended) to leave soft, light, and non-fragile items like clothes or linens in small and low-weight dressers. Think of dressers made either of woods like pine or cedar, or of a light material like particle board. If you’ve got a bureau made of solid oak or maple, you’ll have less leeway. Those are heavy woods. You’ll need to empty that one no matter what.
The other benefit of emptying your dressers for a move is that it will reduce the risk of injury or damage. And the less likely the movers are to fall (especially when moving in the winter), the better chance your items have of making it to their final destination without a scratch.
Should I Just Take the Drawers out Instead?
Removing dresser drawers is a tempting option when preparing for a household move or apartment move. However, it’s often more trouble than it’s worth. Remember that, after removing all the drawers, they either need to go back into the dresser (taking valuable time on moving day) or they’ll need to find safe places in the truck for the duration of the move. Drawers are made to fit into dressers. Leaving them in keeps both the drawers and the dresser sturdy, distributing weight evenly and appropriately, whether you’re hiring a crew of 2 men and a truck, or just labor only movers
Loose drawers can be much more difficult to pack than their original contents. Photo of Tejo Remy’s “You Can’t Lay Down Your Memories” Chest of Drawers, XS version, photographed at the Droog exhibition, Milan Salone 2008 by Guy Keulemans – Yugyug via Wikipedia. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
Always Remove Fragile Items from Dressers and Cabinets
No matter what, all fragile and heavy items should be removed from furniture. Additionally, it’s a bad idea to keep small items of any kind inside drawers during a move. Even if you’re just loading a pod, your pod movers will have to tip your dresser on its side when moving it down stairs or through tight hallways. This movement can cause small items to fall through the crevices between drawers, or cause fragile items to smash against each other or the wood, maybe getting lost in your rental truck move if you’re going that route. So always pack fragile items separately from dressers and cabinets.
Got fragile items? Take them out of any cabinets or dressers prior to your move.
Our expert team offers household moves, apartment moves, in house moves, furniture delivery, office moves, pod loading, rental truck loading, college moves, and almost any other moving labor you can think of.
For more tips on how to make your move as efficient and cost-effective as possible, please consult our frequently asked questions. Looking for highly-rated professional movers to take your empty dressers? Get a quote from Safe Responsible Movers today!
