Moving heavy furniture without taking the requisite precaution can cause injuries to your back and joints. You may even risk damaging the furniture you’re attempting to move. But sometimes moving objects heavier than ourselves cannot be avoided when you’re trying to save money on your move. Thus, doing a DIY move is the best way to go.
Here are 7 handy tips to make moving large household goods a breeze when you’re moving house:
1. Plan in advance
Always have a plan on where you intend to place all the furniture items in the new house. If this step is missed out, it’s far more likely that the furniture will need to be moved around multiple times while you work out where it’ll look best.
2. Dismantle items where possible
Remove any part of your heavy furniture that is removable, especially parts that protrude from the furniture, such as the legs, arm rests, protruding handles, pulls and knobs. Pack these items separately so that the furniture is easier to manoeuvre through stairs, turnings, doors and rooms. Ensure that you label them so you can remember what item of furniture needs which pieces.
3. Slide items of furniture if possible
Furniture sliders can make your life so much easier when moving heavy furniture. If you’re unable to find sliders, it’s easy to find household items such as rugs, towels, plastic container lids or Frisbees as an alternative. Make sure to only use soft sliders on hard surfaces and hard plastic sliders on soft surfaces.
4. Use furniture lifting straps
Lifting straps can be a great aid to help lift bigger, heavier items since they offer much more support to backs and shoulders to stop you from taking the strain. These also leave hands free to help move the items with more dexterity.
5. Proper posture when lifting
When carrying heavy items, always remember to lift carefully to make sure you don’t hurt your back. Instead of bending at the waist to pick things up, bend at the knees and lift with a straight back
6. Protect your furniture
Always use furniture blankets, pads or bubble wrap. Be sure the protective covering is tightly secured to your furniture with strong adhesive taps so it doesn’t slip while you’re carrying it.
7. Push instead of pull
Pushing is a lot easier on your body than pulling, so try pushing heavy and large furniture before having to lift it.
If you have any doubt about your ability to lift and carry something, don’t do it. The money saved is not worth it if you injure your back, break a bone or damage the item, which will end up costing even more. Leave the heavy lifting job to professional household movers while you spend your time on other important aspect of the move.
Shipping large or heavy household items can be overwhelming and daunting when you are planning to move to a new home. Shiply offers fast and reliable delivery services for heavy or bulky items. Whether it’s a multi-door inverter refrigerator or a metal safe, you can count on Shiply to do the heavy lifting for you. You can browse the Shiply website at https://www.shiply.com/us/household-goods-shipping for more information.
