Moving furniture can be a difficult task, whether you’re just rearranging your home or moving to a new one. Using the proper techniques and tools can make it much easier. However, if you’re not careful, your furniture could get damaged in the process. Wood can be gouged, upholstery can rip, and glass can break. It’s important to know how to move furniture safely, especially if you don’t have the budget to hire professional movers.
To begin with, you need to measure the doorways, hallways, and stairs of your home and of the furniture pieces you want to move. This will allow you to figure out if the furniture pieces will fit through them or if they will require disassembling. It’s also a good idea to plan the route you will take when carrying the furniture pieces from one room to another. This will help prevent you from having to carry the items more than once, which can be a major pain and also adds to the overall time it takes to move the furniture pieces.
When lifting heavy furniture, be sure to use proper technique. Bend your knees and use your leg muscles to lift instead of relying on your back. This will also help prevent injuries during the moving process. It’s also a good idea not to lift anything above your head, as this can strain your shoulders.
Larger furniture pieces like chairs can be especially difficult to move, but there are some things you can do to make them easier to handle. For example, you can put furniture sliders under the legs of a piece of furniture to make it easier to move across the floor. You can also hook larger furniture pieces, like sofas and chairs, around corners to help them maneuver through narrow doorways. This method is often used by professional movers.
Lastly, you should empty and secure all drawers on your furniture before starting the moving process. This will make it much easier to move the furniture later, and it will also reduce the chances of any items falling out during transit. It’s also a good idea, if possible, to disassemble your furniture pieces as this will make them lighter and more manageable. This is especially true for items that have removable components, like cushions, drawers, and table legs.
If you have a very heavy piece of furniture that you need to move, consider recruiting the help of a friend or two. By working together, you can make the process much easier and faster. In addition, having a second person around can provide extra support if you need to balance the load or if you’re struggling with the weight of the piece.
Another helpful tip is to wrap your furniture in blankets or furniture pads before moving it. This will help protect the item from scratches and dents during transit. You can also use bungee cords or straps to secure your furniture items to the walls of your moving truck to ensure they don’t shift in transit.