Moving a washer and dryer safely comes down to three things. Shut off and drain the water lines the day before. Strap or bolt the drum so it cannot swing. Then use stair-rated equipment for the carry. Most damage happens on the stairs, not in the truck.
Laundry appliances are the heaviest single item in most homes. Call (610) 755-5535 for a written estimate before you touch a hose clamp.
What Does Moving a Washer and Dryer Actually Involve?
A front-load washer runs 200 to 250 pounds empty. Its drum sits on springs and shock absorbers built to absorb spin cycles, not stair impacts. Moving a washer and dryer splits into two jobs people tend to blur together. One is disconnecting the utilities. The other is getting the units out of the room.
The disconnect side is plumbing work. The carry side is rigging. Treating both as one rushed task on moving morning is how hoses get sheared and floors get gouged. Our Philadelphia-area crews plan them as separate steps.
Do Movers Disconnect a Washer and Dryer?
In Pennsylvania, licensed household goods carriers generally do not perform plumbing, gas or electrical work. LiteMovers will move a washer and dryer that is already disconnected, capped and drained. That norm protects you, because a disconnect that floods a laundry room is a plumbing claim, not a moving claim.
Water lines and shutoffs
Close the hot and cold valves behind the machine. Run a short rinse cycle so the pump clears standing water. Then pull both supply hoses into a bucket, because a drained line still holds a surprising amount.
Gas dryers are a licensed job
A gas dryer needs a licensed plumber or gas fitter to shut the valve and cap the line. Do not treat that as a DIY step. Electric units only need the cord unplugged and the vent duct pulled free. Either way, review the venting guidance in the CPSC bulletin on dryer fires before you reconnect.
11 Moves That Get a Washer and Dryer Down Safely
- Measure the doorway, the stair width and the tightest turn first.
- Shut the water valves and run a rinse cycle to empty the pump.
- Drain both supply hoses into a bucket and cap the wall stubs.
- Book a plumber for a gas line, or unplug an electric unit.
- Pull the vent duct and clear the lint trap.
- Install the shipping bolts if you still have them, or strap the drum.
- Tape the door and detergent drawer shut with low-tack tape.
- Blanket-wrap the washer and dryer cabinet, then band the blankets.
- Load onto an appliance dolly with a stair strap, never a box dolly.
- Work the stairs with two people, one below setting the pace.
- Stand the units upright in the truck and strap them at two heights.
Steps six and nine are the ones people skip. An unbolted drum can shear its own suspension on a single hard step down. A box dolly cannot hold a washer and dryer against the operator on a descent.
Why Philadelphia-Area Stairs Change the Job
Rowhome and twin basements
In South Philadelphia, Manayunk and the older twins in Ardmore and Havertown, basement stairs often run under thirty inches wide. Many have a hard turn at the bottom and no handrail on the open side. A basement washer and dryer usually has to come up those stairs, which is the harder direction. A hoist through a bilco door is sometimes safer.
Second-floor laundry on the Main Line
Newer construction in Wayne, Berwyn and Malvern often puts the laundry room upstairs beside the bedrooms. That means a full flight down, a landing turn, and treads that mark easily. We run runners and corner guards on those routes. Main Line home moves almost always include an appliance descent.
Does a Washer and Dryer Stay With the House in Pennsylvania?
It depends entirely on the agreement of sale. In Pennsylvania, a washer and dryer is personal property unless the contract lists it as included. Hard-plumbed units still are not fixtures the way a furnace is. Write it into the contract either way, because assumptions here cause settlement-day arguments.
If you are leaving old units behind, a scheduled removal and donation pickup is cleaner than hoping the buyer wants them.
Stacked Units, Closets and Apartment Buildings
A stacked washer and dryer tower in Center City or King of Prussia looks easy and is not. The two units are often bracketed together and have to be separated before either moves. The closet door frame is usually the tightest point on the route.
Buildings add their own constraints: certificates of insurance, reserved freight elevators, and loading dock windows that close at five. Our apartment and condo crews handle that paperwork, but management offices need lead time.
What to Tell Your Estimator Before Moving Day
A written estimate is only as good as the information behind it. Stairs, long carries and appliance handling are factors an estimator has to see in advance, so raise them on the survey.
- Front-load or top-load, and whether you still have the shipping bolts.
- Gas or electric dryer, and who is doing the disconnect.
- Number of steps at both addresses, and whether there is a turn.
- Whether the washer and dryer is stacked or bracketed.
- Distance from the door to the truck parking spot.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission urges consumers to get a written estimate and an Information for Shippers packet before signing. LiteMovers holds PA PUC A-8916211, USDOT 2173383 and MC-888055. Verify any carrier through the PA PUC movers page, and see our written estimate FAQs.
Do not forget utilities. PECO’s move service page lets you start electric service before you arrive, which matters if you want the dryer running the first night. If the washer and dryer is going into storage between settlement dates, our packing and storage options keep it upright and covered. For another heavy item, see moving a treadmill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move a washer and dryer by myself?
You can, but the stairs are where injuries happen. A front-load washer is a two-person lift at minimum, and it needs an appliance dolly with a stair strap. If the route has a turn or an open-sided stair, hire a crew.
Do I need the shipping bolts for a front-load washer?
They are strongly recommended. The bolts lock the drum to the cabinet so the suspension cannot slam in transit. If you no longer have them, the manufacturer will usually sell a replacement set.
Will LiteMovers disconnect my gas dryer?
No. A gas line has to be shut and capped by a licensed plumber or gas fitter. We move the dryer once that work is done. Electric dryers only need the cord unplugged and the vent duct pulled free.
Can a washer and dryer be transported lying down?
Stand them upright whenever possible. Laying a washer on its side can shift the drum against the tub and bend the suspension rods. If a low ceiling forces it, lay the unit on its side rather than its back.
How long does the appliance portion of a move take?
For a two-person crew, roughly twenty to forty minutes per unit including the wrap and the carry. Basement stairs with a turn push that toward the top of the range. Disconnection is separate and belongs the day before.
Ready to Move a Washer and Dryer the Right Way?
LiteMovers has handled laundry rooms across Montgomery, Delaware and Bucks counties, Philadelphia and Chester County for years. Tell us about the stairs and we will plan the carry around them.
Call (610) 755-5535 or toll-free 1-877-798-8989, or email moves@litemovers.com for a written estimate.
LiteMovers · 307 East Church Rd, Suites 1 & 2, King of Prussia, PA 19406 · PA PUC A-8916211 · USDOT 2173383 · MC-888055
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