How to Preserve Family Heirlooms During a Move

Moving house is stressful enough when it’s just clothes, books, and flat-pack furniture. Basically, you have a whole bunch of belongings you’re already having to manage, but go ahead and throw in a piece of antique furniture that’s been in the family for generations, and the stress levels go through the roof.

It’s not like you can replace great-grandad’s oak dresser or the dining table that’s hosted Christmas dinner for the last forty years. Besides, you just can’t get furniture anymore like it used to be made, right? Of course, you want to hold onto these antiques for dear life, theres sentimental and practical use for them. 

But anyway, these pieces aren’t just wood and polish, they’re memories you can touch. And that’s exactly why moving them feels so, well, overwhelming, because one wrong life, bump, whatever, you’re dealing with damage that holds a lot of sentimental weight. So, how do you move heirlooms without losing sleep?

Handle with More than Just Care

Sure, bubble wrap and blankets help, but antique furniture needs more than a bit of padding. As you might have already realized, each piece has its own quirks. Maybe it has delicate legs, tiny handles that could snap off, or a glass panel that looks like it’s been hanging on by sheer willpower since 1920. 

But seriously, handling heirlooms means really understanding what makes them fragile, not just throwing them in the back of a van and hoping for the best.

Emotions Make them Priceless

It’s easy to say an antique is “worth a lot,” but the value isn’t always monetary-based. Maybe that sideboard isn’t worth much at auction, but it’s priceless because it was your grandma’s pride and joy, right? Well, yeah, money can’t replace the scratch marks where generations of kids did their homework or the dents left by a thousand family dinners, and that’s what’s making it so special.

Anyways, that’s why protecting heirlooms isn’t just about financial value, it’s about protecting history. While sure, it’s more than okay, well, annoying, if your modern furniture gets scratches, but yeah, it really does feel super heartbreaking when it’s your family heirloom.

Try Not to DIY

Now, it’s entirely understandable if you want to DIY your own move; a lot of people do it to save money. But sometimes, it’s not always a good idea. And yeah, there comes a point when bubble wrap just isn’t going to be enough. So it honestly might be a good idea to instead look into specialist removals, since it’s a lot less stressful to have professionals handle your heirlooms instead.  They know how to dismantle, pack, and transport antiques so that they arrive in one piece. Besides, it frees up your time to do other things that need to be done during the whole moving process.

Just Plan Ahead

If you’ve got heirlooms to move, planning ahead makes all the difference. For example, don’t leave it to moving day to figure out how you’re going to get that solid oak wardrobe down the stairs. Well, that should be obvious enough. The same goes for measuring doorways; you should do that in advance, and overall, don’t make assumptions when it comes to logistics.

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.