Will Movers Take My Dresser if it’s Full?
This is one of the most common questions we get from potential moving customers. Or at least it’s one form of it. “Do I need to empty my dressers before the movers show up?” “Will movers take full dressers?” “Is it okay leave things inside my dresser?”
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.
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
Empty Dressers are 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 we reason we always recommend removing all items from all furniture. However, if time or resources dictate, it’s generally okay (but never recomended) 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 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.
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. Your 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. 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!
