How to Pack and Move a Washing Machine Safely

By Mick — handyman, Newcastle NSW.

I’ve moved a lot of washing machines over the years, and I’d reckon about 70% of them have arrived at the new house with the drum bearings shot. Not because the truck driver was reckless, but because the owner threw out the transit bolts the day they got the machine installed and didn’t know they existed. Then they hire a removalist who slings the machine on a trolley, drives 800 km up the Hume, and the unsupported drum bashes itself to bits inside the cabinet on every pothole.

Replacement transit bolts from the manufacturer cost $15 to $40. A removalist charging you “secure-pack” is usually just slipping foam wedges around the drum and hoping. Drum bearing replacement after the move costs $450 in parts plus 3 hours’ labour. The maths is obvious.

The Aussie-specific bit: front-loaders sold here mostly use 4 transit bolts (Bosch, Miele, LG) or 3 (Samsung), and the bolt heads are 12 mm or 13 mm spanner — different to the European 10 mm hex you’ll see on US-import YouTube videos. Don’t try to use the wrong size, you’ll round the bolt and then it’s a $200 service call to drill it out.

What you’ll need

• Transit bolts (call the manufacturer with your model number — Bosch and Samsung both ship within a week)
• 13 mm spanner or socket (12 mm for some Miele)
• An appliance trolley or sack truck (NOT a furniture trolley)
• Two ratchet straps
• An old towel
• A bucket (drain water will come out of the hoses)
• Removal blankets — 2 minimum
• A second person — non-negotiable on the lift

Step 1: Order the transit bolts a fortnight before move day

Bosch Australia, Samsung Aus, LG and Miele all sell transit bolts as a service part. Quote your model number (sticker inside the door) and pay $15–40 with shipping. They take 5–10 business days. Don’t leave this to the last minute — moving a front-loader without the bolts in is the single biggest avoidable mistake in the whole exercise.

Step 2: Run an empty hot wash the day before

Empty drum, no detergent, hottest cycle. This drains old wash water from the sump and gives you a clean machine to plumb in at the other end. Skip this and your new house will smell like a hostel laundry on day one.

Step 3: Turn off and disconnect the water

Two taps behind the machine — turn both off (clockwise). Unscrew the inlet hoses with the 13 mm spanner if they’re tight, by hand if they’re not. Drain the hoses into the bucket. There’s always more water than you expect.

Step 4: Disconnect the drain hose

Pull the drain hose out of the standpipe. Hold the open end higher than the machine for 30 seconds — gravity drains the residual back into the sump, not onto your laundry floor. Then lower it into the bucket.

Step 5: Empty the sump filter

Bottom-front panel, pop it off, unscrew the filter, drain the 500 mL of water it holds into the bucket. Refit the filter tight. If you skip this step the water sloshes during transit and ends up in the electronics.

Step 6: Tilt the machine and fit the transit bolts

Pull the machine out 30 cm from the wall. With your helper, tilt it back about 20 degrees and have a look at the back panel. You’ll see 3 or 4 holes with rubber bungs (or sometimes no bungs — the holes are exposed). These align with the drum suspension.

Pop the bungs out (small flathead). Thread the transit bolts in by hand first, then tighten with the spanner. They should pull the rubber drum dampers tight against the cabinet — that’s what stops the drum bouncing during transport. Don’t massively over-tighten or you’ll strip the threads in the cabinet steel; firm hand-tight plus a quarter-turn with the spanner is enough.

Step 7: Coil the hoses and tape the door shut

Cable-tie the inlet hoses to the back of the machine. Tape the drain hose up so it doesn’t dangle. Use blue painter’s tape (not duct tape — leaves residue) to hold the door shut so it doesn’t swing open mid-lift.

Step 8: Trolley the machine onto the truck

Use an appliance trolley with a strap — not a flat furniture trolley. The trolley goes against the back of the machine, your helper tilts forward, you slip the trolley underneath, then lean back to balance. Strap it on across the front of the machine.

Walk it slowly. Front-loaders are 75–95 kg and the centre of gravity is high. Steps are the dangerous bit — bring a third person if you’ve got more than two stairs.

Step 9: Load on the truck upright, strapped tight

Front-loaders must travel upright. Lying down on the side will damage the door hinge and there’s residual sump water that’ll flow into places it shouldn’t. Two ratchet straps — one across the middle, one near the top — anchored to the truck rails. Removal blankets between the machine and any other furniture.

Step 10: At the new house — remove transit bolts before you switch on

This is the bit removalists forget. Before you plug it in and run a wash, the transit bolts must come out. Reverse the spanner job, pull the four bolts, replace the rubber bungs in the holes. Keep the bolts and bungs in a labelled ziplock bag taped inside the door — next move, you’ll need them again.

If you switch on with the bolts still in, the suspension can’t move and the first spin cycle will rattle the cabinet hard enough to crack the plastic. Don’t ask how I know.

The Mick rule

$15 of bolts beats $450 of bearings every single time. If you can’t get the original bolts in time, don’t move the machine — pay a removalist who supplies their own kit, or postpone the move by a week. Driving an unbolted front-loader more than 50 km is rolling the dice on a $1,500 appliance to save a $20 part. Mad, when you put it like that.

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