Answered by Robert Moreschi
December 5, 2013 Hi, thanks for visiting Movers.com! Your predicament is a fairly common one, but nonetheless one that presents a lot of challenges.
Washers and dryers are heavy, cumbersome items to move, even if you have multiple people assisting you, and sometimes you need professionals who are well-practiced in the art of moving such large, difficult items.
Any local moving company will be able to assist you in moving these items from your second floor to your basement, and since you'll only be moving the appliances from one floor to another and will not require a truck, you'll only need moving labor. The whole process should only take an hour or two and you'll pay the movers by the hour. Typically, most local moving companies will charge you between $80-$120 per hour for moving labor.
Of course, if you choose to hire a moving company to assist you, they'll bring along all of the necessary items and
moving supplies, such as blankets, shrink wrap and dollies. Without them, you can risk damaging your items, or even your home.
Preparing to move your washer and dryer
- Remove the hose from the back of the dryer. Before getting ready to move the dryer, take the hose from the back and disconnect it from the wall and from the back of the dryer. You can store the hose inside the dryer for safe keeping and so that you do not misplace it during the move.
- Unplug the dryer and secure the cord. Next, you'll need to unplug the dryer from its power source and secure the cord to the back of the dryer with packing tape so that it does not get in the way during the move or become tangled, presenting a hazard to those attempting to load it onto the truck.
- If you have a gas dryer, turn off the gas connection before disconnecting. For those with gas dryers instead of conventional electric ones, you should turn off the gas line running to the machine before you disconnect it to risk any gas leaking out.
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Empty all contents and unplug machines. Before the actual moving begins, you're first going to want to unload the washing machine and dryer and make sure that there are no clothes that you forgot about and left in there. You'll have to shut off the water supply going to the washing machine before you unplug it. After that, disconnect the hot and cold water hoses from the machine. Then, you're going to have to unplug the machines from its power source and secure all wires and cords to the machines using packing tape.
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Protect the machines with moving blankets or pads. Drape some moving blankets over the washing machine and dryer and wrap them with moving pads to protect the machines during the move, as well as while they're on the truck. One layer of moving blankets should be sufficient enough protection during the move.
To get an estimate for your moving labor, you can visit our
website and submit your information in our quick and easy free moving quote form, or call us at 1-866-343-1243 to be connected to movers who can service your move.
Also, feel free to read through our extensive collection of
moving guides to learn more about how you can prepare for the move, and if you're interested in just hiring some moving labor to get the job done, you can visit our
moving labor page to get a free quote for your job.