Whether you have a king-sized rattan bed or an upholstered full, when it comes to packing up your bedroom, disassembling your bed may seem like the most daunting chore. But, with the right tools and some know-how, you can make fast work of it. Follow these tips for packing your bedframe!
Moving Supplies You’ll Need to Take Apart and Pack Your Bedframes
- Toolkit with screwdriver and wrench
- Moving blankets
- Zip-top baggies or packing paper
- Packing tape
- Permanent black marker
Steps for Taking Apart and Packing Your Bedframe for a Move
1. Get another person to help
Disassembling furniture, especially a bulky bed frame, is definitely a two-person job. Are your bedframes made of metal or wood? Do some have an attached headboard and footboard, or just a headboard? Each bed in your house may have a different configuration, from platform beds, sleigh beds, and canopy beds to bunk beds and more. Whatever the types, be sure to get help disassembling.
2. Gather your packing supplies
Spread out a moving blanket on the floor so you can immediately place each piece in a protected place as you disassemble the frame. Have your tool kit, zip-top baggies, packing tape, and permanent marker ready.
3. Strip the bed
Remove all of the bedding. If you have time, launder your sheets and pillowcases, so you’ll have clean linens when you reassemble and make your bed at your new house. We provide tips packing your bedding in this section: How to Pack Pillows and Bedding for Moving.
4. Remove the mattress and box spring
When you remove the mattress and box spring, either lean it against a wall or go ahead and put it in a mattress bag/box as long as you’re handling it. We outline the best methods to pack your mattress and box spring here: How to Pack a Mattress and Box Spring for Moving.
5. Remove the headboard and footboard from the bedframe
Bedframes attach to headboards and footboards in a variety of ways:
Some metal bedframes snap together.
Some metal and wood bedframes attach with screws or nuts and bolts.
Some attach with specially-made brackets.
If your bed frame is attached to the headboard and footboard with screws, use a screwdriver to remove the screws. If your bedframe connects to the headboard and footboard with specially made brackets, using a block to jostle the brackets loose can be helpful. If the bed has slats that screw into the bed frame rails, remove those and stack the slats together.
Place all the screws, nuts, and bolts in a zip-top baggie or wrap them in a piece of packing paper and tape closed. Place the hardware in separate baggies or packages for each part of the bed frame. Be sure to label so there won’t be any confusion about what goes where when you reassemble the bedframe in your new home.
6. Wrap the headboard, footboard, and rails in moving blankets
Place the footboard diagonally on the blanket. Wrap the blanket around the footboard and secure it with packing tape or movers’ wrap. Use the same process for the headboard, and then the side rails and slats. Attach each bag of hardware to the corresponding part of the bed, with tape or movers’ wrap. This way, those essential nuts and bolts won’t go missing during the move.