How to Take Apart Your Bed Frame Before Moving Day

Moving can be an exciting but stressful time in your life. One of the most stressful things about moving is handling your larger furniture items. Your bed, in particular, can be notoriously difficult to disassemble and transport. Luckily for you, there are some easy-to-follow steps on how to take apart your bed and bed frame in time for moving day below.

1. Strip The Bed

The first step to preparing your bed for a move is to remove all bedding materials from the mattress properly. It will prove difficult to move your mattresses if they’re still covered in pillows, blankets, and sheets. The best way to protect your bedding items is to place them inside of plastic bags before placing them into boxes or totes. This will protect them from water and dirt.

2. Easing the Load

Before your bed frame can be taken apart, you must first lighten the load on the bed frame so that further tasks are made easier. You can lighten the load by removing the mattress and the box spring from the bed frame. Be sure to rest the mattress and box spring in a safe, dry area or move them into the back of the moving truck if you already have it. If your bed uses a series of bed slats for support, remove these bed slats as well and bundle them together with string and move them aside.

3. Disassembling the Headboard/Footboard

Most beds are constructed with more than just a metal frame. Most beds will have a decorative headboard and footboard attached to the frame. Before the bed frame can be disassembled, the headboard and footboard must be detached from the frame itself. The type of tools you will need to remove the headboard and footboard will depend on the bolts used to secure the headboard and footboard to the frame. Be sure to closely examine the bolts before beginning the disassembling project to ensure that you have the correct tools to unscrew the bolts.

Using a plastic sandwich bag, place all of the bolts and nuts into the bag to prevent losing them. You may have to use a hammer to loosen the bed frame from the notches in the headboard and footboard. Once they’re loose, remove the bed frame from the headboard and footboard. Before you load your headboard and footboard onto the moving truck, be sure to wrap them in a sheet or a moving blanket to prevent scratches, dents, and damages during the move.

4. Disassembling The Bed Frame Itself

We’ve come to the magnum opus of this tutorial – how to take apart the railings of the bed frame. For metal bed frame railings, you can either leave the railings attached and move the entire frame out as is or you can bend the horizontal railings to detach them from one another. This will separate the metal railings into two large railings with two smaller railing “arms” at each end. These small railings fold inward to compact the railing and make it easier to transport.

To ensure your mattress and box spring reach your new home in pristine condition, we suggest to consider purchasing a waterproof mattress cover or a protective box for each to protect them during the move.