Do I Need to Get My Appliances Ready Before the Movers Arrive?
“Do I have to do anything to my fridge and washer before moving day, or do the movers just handle it?” is a question we hear on almost every pre-move walkthrough at Two Chicks Moving. The honest answer is yes—major appliances need prep work before our crew can safely load them, and skipping it is one of the most common reasons a move gets delayed right at the front door. As a local mover in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Estero, and Bonita Springs, here’s exactly what to do with each major appliance before our truck pulls up.
Refrigerator
Unplug the fridge at least 24 hours before moving day and prop the door open so it has time to fully defrost — a still-frozen freezer can leak all over the truck. Remove and separately box any glass shelves and drawers, shut off and disconnect the water line if you have an ice maker, and towel-dry the interior so nothing grows mold in transit. Tape or stretch-wrap the doors closed so they don’t swing open on the ramp. Once it’s at the new house, let the fridge sit upright for a few hours before plugging it back in — that gives the internal fluids time to settle and protects the compressor.
Washer
Run an empty cleaning cycle, then leave the door open for about 24 hours to let the drum dry completely. Turn off the water supply, disconnect the hot and cold hoses, and drain any water left inside into a bucket or towel before packing the hoses separately. If you kept the washer’s original transit bolts, now’s the time to reinstall them — they lock the drum in place so it doesn’t bounce around and damage the suspension during the ride.
Dryer
Detach and clean out the vent hose so lint doesn’t scatter in the truck. If it’s a gas dryer, don’t disconnect the gas line yourself — call a licensed technician or your utility provider a week or so before your move date. This is also the one appliance category where our crew’s hands are tied by law: professional movers generally can’t disconnect gas lines or hard-wired appliances, so booking that appointment early keeps your move on schedule.
A Few General Rules
Tape down loose cords and secure them to the back of each unit so nobody trips carrying it through the door. Keep small parts — shelves, hoses, manuals, transit bolts — together in one clearly labeled box instead of scattered across the move. And if you’re not sure whether an appliance needs a professional disconnect, ask during your estimate; it’s a five-minute question that saves a delayed truck on moving day. For more on how appliance and manufacturer guidance can differ by brand, Whirlpool’s own moving guide is a solid reference to double-check against your specific model.
Local Area Guide: A New Charter School Opens Its Doors in Fort Myers
If you’re settling into Fort Myers this month, there’s a milestone worth knowing about even if you don’t have school-age kids yet: Nova Classical STEM Academy, described as the first school in the world to blend a classical-education foundation with STEM-focused, project-based learning inside a tuition-free public charter school, opens this August on Banway Road in south Fort Myers. Approved by the Lee County School Board, the 73,000-square-foot campus welcomes grades K–7 for its inaugural year, with plans to expand a grade at a time through 12th grade.
The school held a community ribbon-cutting in April with Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, Lee County Commissioner Trish Petrosky, and the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce on hand, and its Founding Principal, Matt Sheets, called the launch “an investment in the future of our community,” pointing to STEM labs, robotics resources, and outdoor collaboration spaces built into the new campus. According to Priority Marketing’s coverage of the ribbon-cutting, enrollment for the 2026–27 school year remains open — good news for families weighing school options as part of a move to south Fort Myers.
Whether you’re relocating a family with a first-grader or you just like watching your new hometown invest in itself, a new K–12-track school opening its doors is the kind of long-term community growth that tends to be good for property values and neighborhood energy alike across Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Estero, and Bonita Springs.
Getting ready for a move and not sure what needs to happen to your appliances, your utilities, or anything else on the checklist? Reach out to Two Chicks Moving and we’ll walk you through it during your free estimate.
