How to transport your fridge when moving house?

Some items are trickier to move than others. That’s certainly true for fridges, which can be irreparably damaged during transport.

And because it’s rather expensive to buy and is used to preserve food, a fridge must always be transported with the utmost care.

In this guide, we’ll look at how to transport a fridge when moving house, from cleaning and defrosting to plugging it back in your new home.

Whenever possible, a fridge should never be transported lying down, as it can allow the compressor oil to rise and mix with the refrigerant gas, causing lasting damage to the refrigerant circuit.

Note that this applies to all refrigeration appliances, i.e. freezers, combined fridge-freezers and American style fridges.

To move a fridge, place it on a trolley with the compressor at the bottom, to ensure a maximum incline of 45°.

If you have to take the stairs when moving, use a three-wheeled trolley to help you get down.

If you don’t have one, get some non-slip gloves to lift the bottom of the fridge. A second person will be tasked to hold the top of the appliance upright.

Finally, place the fridge in the back of the moving truck, in its upright position!

One or two weeks before the move, start clearing out the food from your fridge to avoid wasting it, and why not draw up a menu that uses all the ingredients.

If you still have a few perishables left on the day, store them in a cool box filled with ice packs, or ask a friend or your future neighbours to store them for you.

Finally, don’t forget to remove all the accessories that came with the fridge (glass panels, trays, shelves, etc.).

The fridge should be unplugged at least 24 hours before the move. If you take into account defrosting, washing and drying, we recommend that you even start the process 48 or 72 hours prior.

Depending on the size of your fridge, the thickness of the ice layer in the freezer compartment and the ambient room temperature, defrosting can take from one to five hours.

To defrost your fridge:

• Locate the drain pipe and place it in a container

• If there is no pipe, lay out several cloths on the floor

• Place a pan of hot water on a trivet in the freezer, close the door and wait 15 minutes

• Gently scrape off the ice with a wooden spatula. Knives are not recommended as they can permanently damage the fridge

To save time and take some mental load off, we recommend washing your fridge before you move.

To clean the inside of your fridge, use either a mixture of water and baking soda or a mixture of water, white vinegar and lemon juice.

These are excellent natural disinfectants for keeping your appliance clean.

Clean the side walls and seals if they look dirty, wipe everything down with a clean cloth, then leave the door open while it dries to prevent mould.

Moving heavy objects requires special care. And the fridge is no exception.

Start by carefully wrapping fragile items such as glass panels in blankets or bubble wrap. Plastic shelves can be taped to the sides of the fridge with streak-free adhesive.

Don’t forget to secure the door with straps or rope couplers so that it doesn’t swing open when moving. Don’t use tape for this as it won’t be strong enough.

Then fix the power cable to the side of the fridge with adhesive tape. Finally, protect your fridge with a blanket or the original packaging, place it upright in the moving truck, if possible on a pallet or a blanket if it’s a long trip, then secure it with straps or wedge it with other furniture.

It is important to wait at least five hours after moving before plugging a fridge (to an earthed socket only), otherwise its ability to preserve food will be permanently impaired.

The liquids in the compressor at the back of the fridge will have been stirred up during transport and need some time to settle.

Furthermore, it can take up to three days for the temperature inside the fridge to stabilise.

That’s why we recommend that you store non-critical foods first and wait one or two days for meat and fish.

Note that this recommendation also applies to newly acquired fridges. And for fridges that have been transported lying down, we recommend waiting at least 24 hours before plugging them back in.

Can’t move your fridge yourself?

Professionals can take care of it for a fee between €90 and €160, depending on the size of the appliance and the context in both buildings (lift available, number of floors, etc.).

While hiring a moving company can be expensive, it guarantees that your belongings will be transported by experts using adequate equipment (hand trolleys, straps, tailgate lift, ramp, etc.).

It’s up to you to decide whether your fridge is worth the effort or not. ;)