Lifting, holding and moving large furniture requires right techniques and appropriate tools. And when you try doing it yourself without right tools or knowing the right techniques, you are always at some risk. But when you have the tools and know the techniques used by professionals, you can move heavy and large furniture safely and with ease.
This is one of the primary reasons
why we prefer hiring moving service is because we find it hard to pick and move
larger furniture from one place to another. And, it is actually a fact, that if
we are not able to hold or lift the large furniture comfortably, we may end up
getting hurt or end-up damaging the furniture and other surrounding items in
the house.
But, the professional moving service providers are well trained, and they know the right techniques and have all the tools to lift and move even the larger and heavy weight furniture without causing any damage.
However, if you are planning to go for a do-it- yourself move and you are not quite sure about how to move the large and heavy furniture on your own, then I have got you covered. Today, in this post about moving larger and heavy weight furniture I am sharing a few of the quick and simple hacks that can help you to move all types of furniture by yourself.
Tips for moving large furniture by yourself
You know, when you have right set
of tools, and you know the right techniques, then doing something becomes much
easier, and that’s the case with moving companies. They have all the tools,
know the right process and therefore they are able to move your goods,
including heavy and larger furniture.
And therefore, if you are moving
large furniture by yourself, it’s important to get right tools, and know about
the right techniques like how to hold, pick and move heavy weight furniture.
And that’s what I am going to share in this post for you to move large furniture
by yourself easily and safely.
However, before you try these large furniture moving tips and hacks, just check and see at first, whether you are able to manage or not and then accordingly take a call. And don’t hesitate to take help from friends, family, neighbors or professional moving serviceproviders, when needed.
And here are the simple packing moving hacks and tips for moving large furniture easily and safely by yourself.
Access feasibility of moving by yourself
In order to make it easier for you to
move large furniture smoothly and safely, you need to plan things really well.
At first, access whether you require someone to help or you can pull it off on
your own.
After that, figure out what are the things that you are going to carry exactly and where. Since you are moving the furniture alone, it’s important to jot down all the potential risks, and prepare yourself to tackle those carefully.
Also, take into account where you
will be keeping the things after unloading them in the new home, because that
will help you to pack the items in the right order.
Lighten the load before moving
When you are moving the heavy and
the bulky furniture, try to lighten the load as much as you can. Remove all the
attached parts if it can be removed before lifting and moving the furniture.
Like when it is about moving a
desk, avoid moving it without removing the drawers and the other contents
inside it. If removing is not an option available to you, at least tape the
drawers and the shelves shut so that they do not open while you are lifting and
carrying the item.
Removing the furniture legs and the
protruding handles, knobs and pulls will also make things easier for you.
However, do not forget to label things while removing so that you can put them
back in the right place later.
These will not just make the
furniture lighter to carry but will also help prevent gouging walls, scratching
floors and pinching fingers.
Get the right tools for moving furniture
You will obviously need the right moving tools, equipments and packing materials if you have to move the large and heavy furniture by yourself. So, some of the items that you need to arrange for are as below:
Dollies–
Dollies are the most essential tools used by moving companies for moving large
and heavy weight furniture. A utility dolly is an upright tool that has got two
wheels. But a furniture dolly is flat with 4 wheels. In case of moving
furniture, you need to buy the furniture dolly. These are easily available for
rent, so grab one before the moving day. Furniture dollies are best for moving
washing machines and dryers. However, in case of objects that are higher than
your chest level, be very careful or maybe avoid using a dolly.
Lifting straps–
This moving tool works like a pulley system and helps you lift large and heavy
furniture with ease. The best thing is that when you are using lifting straps,
it will help you put less strain on your body by lowering the center of gravity
of the large and heavy furniture that you are lifting.
Stair rollers–
Stair rollers help you to roll the heavy furniture easily down the steps.
However, it is a bit risky if you are not aware of how to guide the furniture
safely down the stairs. And, even if you are confident that you can do it, I
will suggest you to take help from others instead of doing it all alone.
Glides and sliders–
It is very much advisable that you go for sliders for your large furniture
instead of lifting them by hand. These are typically the plastic disks that get
easily fitted under the large and heavy furniture so that they glide easily
across the floor when you are pushing it. You just have to slip the slider
under the legs of the furniture, not lift it. After that, tilt it on the side
and slide the right material underneath it. For dressers and couches, the sliders
are the best option to go for.
In fact, the sliders, besides
helping you to move the large items easily, they also help you protect both
carpet and hardwood floors from getting scratched or damaged while moving the
large objects.
Protect doorways
You are very likely to bump against
the doorways while moving the large and heavy furniture from one room to
another. So, in order to prevent that from happening, you can remove the
molding of the doorways that falls in the path as that you get some extra space
to move the large furniture.
You may also consider covering your furniture using quilted pads as that will also help you protect your doorways. Furniture blankets and bubble wraps are also good. Just be sure that the covering is very tightly secure to the item that you are carrying with a tape so that it does not slip while you are moving the item.
Use right techniques for moving large furniture
The professional movers are well trained in carrying the heavy and the large furniture and you are not a professional. You may not have that much of an experience to carry heavy objects. So, you need to be very careful while moving large furniture to avoid serious injuries.
Listed below are a few of the
safety tricks that you should keep in mind when moving heavy furniture for your
own safety.
While you are lifting any
object, make sure you lift using your legs and not your back. If you do not do
this, you may end up hurting your back really bad.
The right bending posture
is very important when lifting heavy weight objects like larger furniture and
therefore you should bend using your knees and not your waist.
Always remember to straighten
your hips and knees, and then extend the legs and breathe out as you are
lifting the furniture.
Do not twist your body or bed
forward when lifting the furniture for moving.
You should hold the furniture
as close to your body as you can, and at right height e.g. at the level of your
belly button.
You should not rush while
moving heavy weight furniture, so be slow and steady while lifting and moving
large furniture.
Never ever lift the heavy
furniture or any other heavy object above your shoulders or with your arms
extended outwards.
Wear gloves and shoes
I would definitely recommend you to
wear heavy duty protecting gloves while moving heavy furniture on the moving
day. This is a good precaution which will help you prevent scratching or
damaging your fingers while moving the furniture or any other packed moving
boxes.
Wearing comfortable shoes is equally
important for your safety and comfort when moving large furniture. Close toed
shoes are really good for such tasks. You can even wear the comfortable sports
shoes. They will keep your feet protected while you are lifting and moving the
large and heavy furniture.
Summary
Moving is always complicated, and especially the do it yourself move. However, as far as the lighter and the smaller household items are concerned, one can still manage to pack and move those easily and safely. But moving large furniture by yourself is not going to be easy, and that’s where the professional packer mover services become necessary.
If you are not able to use the right techniques, you will only be increasing the risk of damaging the furniture but also may end up getting seriously hurt. This is why hiring movers is always preferred, as they are trained as well as have the right tools to move the heavy and large objects.
However, if you know the right techniques
and have all the right tools, you can move heavy and large furniture safely and
without much hassle. Some of the common tools that you require to move large
furniture are the moving straps, furniture dollies, sliders and stair rollers.
To make things easier to lift the
heavy objects you may also buy tools like forklift, skates, and rollers skids,
lift buddy, toe jacks etc. But since buying everything is not possible, at
least arrange for the most obvious ones as it makes moving larger furniture
safe and easier.
I have already shared tips for
lifting and holding the furniture above and if you follow these techniques
closely and use the tools correctly, you will be able to large furniture much
more safely and effortlessly.
What else do you think one should
keep in mind when moving large furniture by themselves? Share your furniture
moving tips and hacks by commenting below.
