The only constant in life is change. We change jobs, meet new people, and go to different places. Since we go to different places, we often have to move and take our stuff with us. However, one of the most annoying situations to have to deal with is, during a move, something gets damaged. If you’ve got a beloved piece of furniture, like an elegant teak shower bench, you want to make sure it stays in good shape.

We’ve all had to deal with disastrous moving experiences, but we’re taking what we’ve learned and passing it on to you. Enjoy these 5 easy suggestions for moving your wood furniture.

1. A few weeks before you begin packing, take the time to treat the wood on your furniture. You can do this by applying a coating of furniture polish or wax on the surfaces. Wood can be sensitive to environmental changes, and without protection, the wood can split or crack.
2. Be sure to remove belongings from inside the furniture prior to the move. During all of the parts of the move, your stuff will be shifting around and in motion. If things are inside, they can fly out, causing damage or even injury.
3. A smart move is to break down your furniture, if possible, before loading it into the moving truck. Disassembling a table or removing all of the drawers from a chest of drawers makes it easier to load everything and put them in storage if needed.
4. Speaking of disassembling, after you break down a piece of furniture, you probably have a bunch of screws and nuts to keep track of. Make life easier and put them in a sandwich bag, then tape the bag to the item they’re used for.
5. Want to protect the beautiful finish and form of your wood furniture? On the day of the move, wrap them in moving blankets, then use stretch film to secure the blankets.