If rearranging furniture makes you want to pull your hair, then moving heavy furniture when moving house will definitely make you go mad. But since we’ve done this for years, we are committed to helping you stay sane. From strenuous packing to heavy lifting, we’ve compiled the top five furniture removal tips and tricks to make your move easy.
Moving furniture comes with a lot of hurdles. Hence the need to plan. Know beforehand where each item will be placed. You can do this by creating a sketch of the furniture layout for every room. The sketch doesn’t have to be a world-class drawing. Just a loose drawing to guide the furniture arrangement will suffice. Tape each sketch on the wall of the respective room where the furniture movers can easily see it.
Planning will cut your unpacking stress in half, as you won’t have to manoeuvre items repeatedly, trying to see which position suits them best.
Moving furniture is a lot harder if you don’t have the right packing materials. Off the bat, bubble wraps are a must-have. There are also a few more essential materials that you can buy or hire to ensure you are not hurt, and your furniture and floors are not damaged in the moving process. Here are the materials you need.
The cover gives your sofa and mattress an additional layer of protection. They’ll not get dirt during the loading and unloading process.
Moving blankets are a must-have when moving heavy furniture. The blanket secures and protects your items from damage. It especially comes in handy when you are moving fragile items. You’ll also need plastic wrap or tape to secure the blanket firmly.
Slides make it easier to move couches, drawers, dressers, or carpets across the floor. Once you’ve placed a slide underneath each leg of the item, you want to move, you can easily glide it across the room. Slides minimise friction, protecting the floor from damage.
Large items like pianos can be hard to move around. That’s where a furniture dolly comes in handy. A furniture dolly is a four-wheeled moving device with a wide base. You place it under an item and wheel it across the floor.
Moving straps helps in moving large, heavy items with ease. Once you strap the item to be moved, your arms are free to manoeuvre and help move the object. The straps also support your back and shoulders that would otherwise strain if you lifted the furniture straight from the floor. Moving straps are adjustable and can fit anybody.
Dismantling furniture makes it easier to move items through doors, rooms and tight stairways. Way before the moving day, disassemble the furniture you don’t use often. A day before the moving day, dismantle the remaining furniture to save time on the moving day. Drawers, legs, shelves, knobs, bed frames, cushions and dressers are some of the removable pieces you should dismantle.
Here are some tips to help you make this process easier.
Keep the parts of each piece of furniture in a separate bag and label it.
Take a picture of an item before dismantling it. This will come in handy when assembling it.
Use the instruction manual to disassemble furniture. Keep the manual safe. You’ll need it.
One screw can make a whole lot of difference. Use a sealable bag for screws and bolts that might easily disappear.
Furniture removal can be hectic, especially if you are dealing with awkwardly shaped items or big furniture. More than using the muscles, you’ll need wit for a smooth moving process. And so here are some pro tips to help you get started.
The high and low method helps you carry taller items like filing cabinets or dressers. You can easily move a filing cabinet by tipping it backwards at an angle so that one person carries the bottom and another person carries the top. The tall item will tilt at an angle, making it easier to pass through doors and stairways.
When it comes to coaches and sofas, it can be challenging to move them through doors. But with the hooking technique, you’ll find it a lot easier. All you need to do is to turn the chair on its side. Then curl it around the doorway with its back going through the door first. Then the rest of the chair will easily slip out.
If there are stairs, it will help to use a ramp to move furniture. You should use a professional ramp if you have heavy items or improvise one from a cardboard to move light objects.
Lifting heavy objects often leads to back and shoulder strain or even injury. So, as much as you’ll be sliding, dragging and pushing items, you’ll need to be careful when carrying items into and out of the van and along the stairways. To carry the furniture correctly without hurting yourself, here is what you should do.
Bend your knee and not your waist when lifting items from the floor. The weight should be on your legs and hands and not your back.
To maintain the right balance, carry the boxes close to your body.
Spread your legs apart to help maintain your balance.
Watch your steps. Because you are carrying heavy items, you can easily topple and fall if you are not careful.
Stay still when moving while carrying an item. A sudden move might lead to imbalance, causing you to fall.
Why break your back when we can do the heavy lifting for you? From secured, quality packing to personalised delivery services, we have everything it takes to ensure your heavy furniture is professionally packed, safely transported and delivered to your desired destination without a hitch. Contact us. Let’s handle your furniture removal at the drop of a hat.