When it comes to moving heavy furniture, ideally you should have a minimum of two people bearing the load. However, having additional helpers on hand isn’t always possible.
If you happen to find yourself in a position where you are moving heavy furniture items on your own, don’t despair. Below are some handy tips for how to safely move heavy furniture or large boxes on your own while preventing injury and damage to your property.
Think Before You Lift
Stop. Before you even attempt to pick up a large box or piece of furniture on your own, pause first and think through the process beforehand. Map out the path that the object will take in order to get out of your home and into your moving vehicle. While you’re at it, have a think about whether you should really seek additional help by asking people to help move this item or perhaps by using a tool.
It’s worth noting that if you are ever in doubt about your ability to lift a heavy object on your own, just don’t. Save yourself from injury and enlist some help.
Clear A Path
Remove any obstacles that may get in the way of moving your large piece of furniture. This includes any shoes, boxes or other pieces of furniture that may be in your path. Clearing a path to move your large furniture out of your home will make the whole process easier so you won’t have to start and stop to move things out of the way once you start doing the heavy lifting.
Be sure too that there aren’t any pets or kids running around to get in your way before you start.
Protect Yourself
Before you even begin, make sure you are wearing the right kind of clothing for the task of moving your belongings. Wear slightly loose clothing (but not too loose) to allow for easy body movements and don’t forget to wear enclosed shoes to protect your feet.
Protect Your Furniture & Property
Do your best to protect your furniture from getting bumps during your move by wrapping plastic or bubble wrap around fragile areas. Use heavy furniture blankets to protect and pad out large, delicate surfaces.
Protect your floors by placing furniture pads on the bottom of your furniture and tape cardboard to your walls and around corners to prevent any scuffs and dents.
The Right Tools
Using tools to help make your life easier when trying to move heavy furniture on your own can be really helpful. Using the following tools can save you effort as well as prevent any strains and injuries to your body and in particular your back.
- Dollies – a fantastic tool for easily moving large items without having to do most of the heavy lifting and dragging, you can purchase or rent dollies in the form of a two-wheeled hand truck or four-wheeled square/rectangular platform. Simply place your furniture on top of the dolly and then pull it along with greater ease.
- Moving straps – these are good for lifting large items and are used to evenly distribute the weight of your large item across your body.
- Sliders – ideal for use when moving heavy furniture across flat flooring such as tiles or hardwood floors. Simply place the sliders underneath the furniture and watch your furniture glide more easily across your floors. Aside from making it easier to move your furniture with ease, sliders also do a great job of protecting your floor from scuffs and scrapes. For those who are looking to slide furniture across carpet, you can also find sliders that can help glide furniture with ease across carpeted flooring.
- Gloves – wearing gloves while moving your furniture will not only protect your hands from any sharp edges and corners, but protect your furniture at the same time.
Save Yourself The Hassle – Get Help From The Professionals!
If moving heavy furniture on your own sounds like too much work, there’s an easier way. Working with an experienced moving professional like Giffen Removals is the easiest way to get the job done!
We’ve got all the necessary equipment, tools and skills to move your cherished possessions safely and effectively while preventing damage to your items and property.
Call Giffen Furniture Removals today and ask for a free quote!
