Moving heavy furniture can be quite a struggle, especially if you don’t have anyone to help you. Or you have an injury. Or are you are unsure of how to properly lift heavy items?
There’s also the risk that you may cause damage to the furniture you are moving, or injure yourself. Not only do you have to have proper moving equipment, but you also need to be physically fit and strong to move heavy furniture.
The easiest and most time-effective solution to moving heavy furniture is by hiring a reliable removals company. Local & Interstate Removals are qualified and experienced removalists who have been expertly trained to handle heavy furniture with care.
If you’d instead prefer to do it yourself, with the help of your friends, how do you move heavy furniture to your new home? There are many different methods you can use. Keep reading to find out.
Using Sliders To Move Heavy Furniture
Perhaps the easiest method to move heavy items is by using furniture sliders. You can readily purchase them at any home goods or hardware store such as Bunnings. There are different sliders for different surfaces. Whether you plan to move your furniture over grass, or carpet
Step 1: Place a slider under each corner of furniture
To do so, you need to lift each corner of the furniture, and then place a slider under it, with the smooth edge facing downward. Doing this will help make moving the furniture much easier, by reducing friction.
Step 2: Push The Furniture
After you have carefully put the sliders under the furniture corners, next, you can start pushing it. If possible, have another person to help guide you, and make sure the furniture doesn’t tip over.
To reduce the risk of tipping, push the heavy furniture from towards the bottom, instead of from the top. Sliders eliminate any friction and allow the furniture to move quickly and easily.
A hack you can try, if you don’t have any furniture sliders, instead you can try using frisbees.
Before you move your heavy furniture, you should ensure that it is protected from damage. Local & Interstate Removals offer packing services for furniture of all shapes and sizes.
Using Specialist Equipment
The next method uses specialist equipment to make moving heavy furniture easy. These are the methods that professional interstate removalists will use to move your furniture.
Shoulder Dolly
hese lifting straps connect to your shoulders, and they help to distribute the weight and take it off your back. They also let you utilise your stronger muscles and provide extra leverage.
Please Note: You should not use a shoulder dolly for moving heavy furniture up or downstairs. They will cause all of the weight to shift completely to the person on the bottom of the stairs.
Moving Blankets
An alternative to sliders is to use moving blankets, which will protect the furniture during moving. A moving blanket works in the same way which sliders do, except you put the whole blanket under the piece of heavy furniture.
After you have secured the blanket under the furniture, you can then pull the blanket towards the direction you wish to move it. The furniture will slide along with the blanket.
Sliding furniture is much easier than trying to lift and carry it. It will also prevent a serious injury.
Moving Furniture Upstairs
To move heavy furniture upstairs, you can take a bunch of moving blankets. Fold them up, and place them on every step. This will turn your stairs into a temporary ramp. After you’ve set up the stairs, put another blanket under the furniture. Next, pull the edge of the blanket to move the furniture slowly up the steps.
It’s a good idea to have someone help you, and keep the back of the furniture steady while you pull it up the stairs.
Using A Hand Truck/Moving Dolly
Depending on what furniture you need to move, either a hand truck or a square moving dolly could be the best option.
A hand truck is a piece of metal which stands upright, which has wheels on the bottom and a handle on top. There is a platform at the bottom by the wheels, which is used to hold the furniture.
A moving dolly is a small square platform. It has four wheels and comes in a variety of different sizes.
When to use a hand truck
A hand truck is best suited for tables, dressers and smaller bookcases.
You wheel the hand truck by wheeling the platform under the furniture which you need to move.
Then lean the furniture against the hand truck. Next, tilt the handle towards you. This will make the furniture lean with the hand truck, and will let you wheel it where you need to move it to, which is significantly easier than trying to push it.
You need to exercise caution when moving heavy furniture by using a hand truck. If you try and use it with a piece of furniture which is too large, there is a chance it could fall, and in the worst case, crush you. You will need to use it with furniture that you can keep upright carefully.
When to use a moving dolly
A moving dolly is suited to wider furniture which may not fit on a hand truck securely.
A moving dolly is extremely simple to use. You need to lift the piece of furniture on top of it. Then you can use push the furniture around instead of having to lift it, by using the wheels of the moving dolly.
Just be sure that the dolly you are using is large enough to fit the furniture you will be moving.
It’s also recommended to have someone help you lift the furniture onto and off the moving dolly, rather than trying to do it yourself.
Manually Moving Heavy Furniture
If you plan to move heavy furniture manually, you must take extra care not to injure yourself, and only do so if you are physically capable.
While this method is the least recommended, here are a few tips for heavy lifting furniture:
Carry High-Low
This method requires 2 people to carry furniture such as a bookcase or large dresser. First lean the furniture backwards, and have one person carry it from the top and the other person carry it from the bottom.
By carrying it at an angle, it makes it easier to carry up or down a flight of stairs, and also when you need to set the furniture upright, you no longer need to lift it all the way back up.
Bend At The Knees
To prevent serious injury when lifting heavy items, you should always bend at the knees. Use your legs and core to lift the furniture. Never bend at the waist while using your back to lift.
Use your legs and keep your upper body and torso as straight as possible. Ideally, it should be almost vertical.
Lift with your legs first. Then with your back and your arms.
For more information on manual handling and preventing injuries, visit Better Health.
If you need a hand with moving your heavy furniture and want to ensure you don’t injure yourself or cause damage to your expensive furniture, then hiring a professional removalist is a good idea.
Removalists can help you move anything from one heavy item, through to an entire household of furniture.
Local & Interstate Removals are professional movers who care about your furniture. Call us for an obligation free quote on1300 705 705 or via email info@localandinterstateremovals.com.au.
