Moving Day: How to Secure Furniture to the Top of a Car

You may have little choice but to secure furniture to the top of a car on your moving day. It doesn’t work well for long distance moves, or if you plan to travel on the highway much. The best option in those cases is to borrow or rent a truck. However, if you find yourself still needing to transport furniture on the top of your car, here’s how to secure it and keep you and others safe:

Cover the Roof with Blankets

To prevent scratches on the car roof, lay down enough blankets on top of the roof. If the furniture moves around during transit, it will bump against the blanket instead of the car itself. You won’t have to worry about an auto body paint job as a result of moving furniture on top of your car. A rough and sturdy old blanket is best, because a regular comforter might be too slippery. If you don’t already own some, check your local thrift stores for cheap blankets.

Use Strong Rope

You need to buy strong rope before moving day. Some movers have attempted to be creative in what they use to tie down furniture, or used material that would seem to be a good choice but is often not.  Everything from telephone cables, twine, fabric, bungee cords and tape has been used to try to secure furniture to the car. That often results in the furniture being blown off the car. Strong rope is not cheap, but the investment is probably a lot cheaper than paying to replace busted furniture. You can buy good quality rope at your local hardware store or at a moving supply store.

Try Ratchet Straps

One alternative to using rope that works well are ratchet straps. If you have a roof rack on the top of your car, then the straps are a good pick. You may decide to invest in roof racks not just to secure furniture to the top of your car, but it might come in handy in the future to move your bike or other things. Using a roof rack is safer than not using one for this task.

Tie the Right Knots

If you decide to go with a rope, then you have to learn or re-learn how to tie good knots. A square knot works, but you can’t do it just once. You have to tie multiple knots, and it may take as many as five times. Do a search on YouTube for a knot tying tutorial if you’re not sure how to tie a square knot. You may even come across a video about tying a knot around furniture on the roof of a car.

There are laws to protect drivers and pedestrians from furniture that might fly off a car and cause injuries. You have to secure your furniture well, and if you’re not confident that it is, consider hiring a professional mover to move it for you. It’s not worth causing harm to someone else and being sued over it.