I just drop the directions and wrench in a ziplock and tape it on the underside of the cabinet or whatever, where you can't see it.

Ikea actually has most (if not all) of the manuals on their site. I think last time I checked it wasn't in an immediately obvious place, but you can search for "assembly instructions" and they all come up.

After couple of cross-country moves I think the best way to put the furnitures (IKEA) back was to take pictures of steps while disassemble... I also piled up screws etc. in groups and tagged them with explanatory notes, silly notes most of the time, worked for me...
good luck with your move!

Ah ha, here: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/assembly_instructions.html

I guess as it says they don't have all the manuals yet, but they definitely have all the greatest hits like your Hemnes.

Now the tricky part is remembering your furniture's fun Swedish name after 5 years...

Here's Ikea's own directory of assembly instructions:
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/assembly_instructions.html

I keep a looseleaf binder with clear page covers for all of the instruction manuals, warranty cards, etc. for the electronics and appliances in my home - That would work well for this purpose too.

huh... we've never had a problem just pulling the stuff apart. but if you want to re-assemble (and not just dump) the furniture, i suppose you do need the instructions at the other end of things. ;)

Try to leave anything screwed directly in to wood (or particle board) intact; removing screws and reassembling later will significantly weaken your piece of furniture.

I had a small project of finding all my manuals online and dropping them into a folder on my computer. I held onto a few that needed the instructions for operation, like the satellite dish and the difficult alarm clock. Everything else I stashed away. I have yet in the two years needed to go the stash. I also took pictures or copied them from the manuals any backs of components(stereo, tv) that are hard to see and I sometimes need to plug in blindly.

I keep a folder labelled "warrenties/instruction manuals" in my file cabinet. Whenever I get something (be it large or small), and it's in place in my house, the warranty/receipt and assembly instructions and manual(s) go into that folder. Years later, as it usually happens, when I suddenly need the information/instructions or whatever, I know just where to find them.

I am always terrified of taking apart ikea stuff because it seems so cheap...

While ChrisGal has a point, I don't think there's much of a trick to taking the stuff apart. With a bed, I'm guessing you want to get the headboard and footboards off first.

I agree with ChrisGal.

But since IKEA furniture assembly directions consist of 2 or 3 cartoon drawings and you have to figure out the rest on your own, it shouldn't be hard to take them apart.

Plus, you should always purchase 2 of anything you buy from IKEA. The extra one will be needed for scavenging missing or broken parts.

Keep in mind that Ikea alters the screws/parts used in a product sometimes and the manual posted on the Ikea website may not be totally the same as the one you got in your purchase.

I had a problem with reassembling a Lack shelf when I lost a screws during my move. It took us (me and the Ikea employee) a while to found out that they have changed the hardware used and Ikea actually has its own database of manuals (which the employee have access to) and he found the right part number for the year of my Lack shelf.

Since then I filed all my Ikea manual and put screws in ziplock bag when move.

(sorry for my poor english :)

I do the file cabinet thing too, for all manuals.

I also put all screws and hardware into a ziplock bag and tape it with packing or duct tape onto a part of the furniture that doesn't show (last time, I taped it to the bed slats and rolled that end into the middle of the bundle). That way, all the hardware is right with the furniture.

If you are being moved, the movers will do the disassembly and reassembly, so any lost parts are their problem.

I am also moving this weekend and also disassembled my ikea bed using the manual and going backwards.

Sorry, some of us can't afford to shop anywhere but Ikea and thrift stores. And after six months of my mattress being on the floor and not finding a bed frame I liked at a thrift store, Ikea it was.

Lots of IKEA stuff is junk, and lots of it is actually better made than what you'd get from a far more expensive furniture store. Depends on the piece.

The good thing about IKEA is that their prices are so low, you can afford to hack their pieces to fit your needs without worrying about destroying something really valuable. As a consultant who's moved 50 miles or more 5 times in 9 years, I really value that. Some of my $200 IKEA pieces have repurposed two or three times already, saving me a fortune and the environment a lot of wear and tear.

If you cant find the manual... take pictures of the whole step by step process.... then you can review it if needed..

Can anyone tell me where to find the wall lamps above the bed? Thanks!

i love ikeafans. very informative!

we bought the ikea Gulliver crib when our son was born and we keep the instructions under the mattress. it's been taken apart & put back together at least three times each and it's still just as sturdy as the day we put it together (22 mos. ago). a good crib that we recommend to anyone looking for a good, simple, sturdy crib. xo

I moved this weekend and I have an EXPEDIT bookcase, the biggest one. I was worrying about how to dissemble it but it turned out that our movers are amazing and carried it as a one piece wrapped around bubble wrapping plastic. It's still fine and the moving end without a scratch.