How to Move a Fridge Without Wrecking the Compressor (or the Floor)

By Mick — IDIY’s lead handyman.

The fridge is the heaviest single thing in most Aussie homes — a 600-litre family fridge weighs 90–110kg empty, and it’s awkward, top-heavy, and full of bits that scratch floors. Half the moving-day damage we get called to assess is a fridge dragged across timber floors, dropped down concrete steps, or tipped on its side and left there for hours (which can wreck the compressor). Done right, you can move a fridge with two adults and a $30 trolley without scratching a floor or killing the compressor.

What you’ll need

• An appliance trolley (also called a fridge dolly) with strap — hire from Bunnings or hardware shops, $25–40 a day
• Two heavy-duty moving blankets (also hireable)
• A 4m ratchet strap
• A roll of masking tape
• An old towel
• Two adults — this is genuinely a two-person job

Step 1: 24 hours before — turn the fridge off and let it defrost

Turn off at the wall, prop the doors open, put towels under the freezer compartment to catch melt water. The freezer must be fully defrosted before moving — a half-frozen freezer drips inside the fridge during the move, which then drips out the back during transport, which is how moving trucks get fridge-shaped puddles in them.

Step 2: Empty everything and clean it out

The fridge moves empty, full stop. A full fridge is 30–40kg heavier and the contents shift during the lift. Wipe shelves and drawers, leave doors slightly ajar so it doesn’t stink during transit.

Step 3: Tape doors shut

Masking tape (not duct tape — duct tape pulls paint off) across each door, top to bottom. Two strips per door minimum. Doors swinging open during a tilt is a finger-crusher and a bent-hinge mid-move.

Step 4: Tape down the power cord

Coil the cord and tape it to the back of the fridge. A trailing power cord gets stepped on, tripped over, or caught in a wheel.

Step 5: Walk the move first — measure doorways and clearances

Tape-measure every doorway, hallway corner, and stair tread between the fridge and the truck. A 700mm-wide fridge will not go through a 680mm doorway with the door on. If it’s too tight, you can pull the fridge doors off (most modern fridges have hinge caps that pop with a screwdriver), but plan that before lift day.

Step 6: Wrap the fridge in moving blankets

Two blankets, secured with the ratchet strap around the fridge body. The blankets protect the paint and corners and stop the trolley from gouging the side panels. Don’t strap so tight you crush the blanket flat — snug, not crushing.

Step 7: Slide the trolley under, tilt back gently

Position the trolley flush against the side that will tip. Have person A hold the top of the fridge while person B kicks the trolley plate under the bottom. Tip back slowly to a 45° angle — never more — and engage the trolley strap around the fridge.

Step 8: Move slowly, with one person on the trolley and one steadying the top

The person on the trolley walks backwards. The other person walks forwards with hands on the top steadying — they don’t carry weight, they prevent toppling. Slow, steady, talk to each other on every step, especially on stairs.

Step 9: Stairs — never one person, always two, and never on its side

Stairs are where injuries happen. Lower a stair at a time with the trolley tilted away from the stairs, the person on top guiding. Never lay a fridge on its side to “drag” it down stairs — apart from the obvious risk, lying a fridge on its side means oil from the compressor can run into the cooling coils. If that happens, the fridge needs to stand upright for at least 24 hours before you turn it on, or you’ll wreck the compressor.

Step 10: At the new house — let it stand 4 hours before turning on

Even an upright move shakes oil around in the compressor. Stand it upright in its new position, plug in but leave switched off for at least 4 hours (24 hours if it spent any time on its back or side). Then turn on at the wall and let it cool empty for an hour before loading food.

The Mick rule

Never lay a fridge on its side. We’ve seen this advice ignored a hundred times — followed by a $1,500 compressor failure two weeks later. If your fridge has to go through a tight space and the only option is to lay it down, lay it on its front (the door side), with the back (compressor side) up. Never on the back. And whether front-down or upright, stand it for 24 hours before powering on.

Moving an upright freezer, wine fridge, or American-style French-door? Send us a photo — those have specific quirks worth knowing about.