Easy Ways to Move Heavy Furniture
Moving furniture- what a drag. It can be on your mind for weeks, and when the day finally comes to get that old futon up and out, you’ll probably be dreading it more than anything. Everyone who’s moved has gone through it. Here are a few tips from the experts of Pro Removalists Brisbane. These can definitely help you make it through your furniture moving fiasco.
1. Protect Your Furniture
If you’re moving valuable furniture, you might be smart to invest in some duct tape and a little bit of cushioning.
When people think of moving their furniture, they mostly get a fear for their walls and doors. What if I chip the paint? What if I break something? Well, as it turns out, the danger to your furniture can be just as pressing.
So, make sure to provide a little padding or extra protection at vulnerable spots. Be extra careful with delicate pieces.
2. Use Shoulder Straps
You’ve probably heard all kinds of conflicting advice about what to lift with. Throw your back into it, lift with your knees, don’t strain your arm muscles, superman- the works. But there is one way you can reduce the risk of muscle strain and make the job a whole lot easier.
A pair of furniture lifting straps usually runs about $35 and can be the best investment you make- aside from the new house- when you’re lifting your furniture. Shoulder straps help you avoid muscle strain, work your way out of awkward carrying situations, and a host of other benefits.
3. Slide, Don’t Drag
This tip may sound a little weird. What’s the difference? Aren’t sliding and dragging just two different words for the same thing?
No, they are not.
You see, when you lift one side of your furniture and drag it along the floors, you’re providing it with just the leverage it can use to dig into your floors and cause a big, ugly scratch.
When you slide your furniture, however, you simply push it flat along your floors, avoiding scratches. We would recommend placing something soft between the legs of your furniture and your beautiful floors. This reduces scratching.
4. Curve Chairs Around Doors
Can’t get that chair through that door? Well, how’d you get it in there in the first place?
All jokes aside, chairs actually have a lot of mobility in terms of where they can and can’t go. If your chair is giving you trouble, don’t be afraid to try a different angle.
One great way to move chairs is to curve them around doors. To do this, simply turn them over until the thinnest part of your chair is facing the door. After you get this part through, curve the chair around to get the adjacent section through.
5. Remove doorway moldings
This goes back to our section about protecting your furniture. While getting some padding may be a great way to protect your valuable table, you still run the risk of damaging paint and wood. And the most vulnerable structures around are your doorway moldings.
Doorway moldings go on doors to cover up the bare part where the wall meets the doorway. Taking these off can prevent scratches. True, you can still chip the wood that lies under your doorway moldings, but that wood is mostly covered up, ad likely doesn’t have any paint on it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
6. Disassemble/dismantle
Rocking chair won’t fit through the door? Don’t leave it for the next person, take it apart- piece by piece- and get it out to your next venue.
Dismantling furniture can be as easy as unscrewing a few screws. Likely, it will only really be an option for things like wooden tables and chairs, but you’d be surprised what will come undone.
7. Mattress Slings
Just like furniture straps, mattress slings help you and your moving buddies avoid muscle strain and awkward lifting positions. For just twenty bucks, you can get a pair of mattress slings that won’t let you- or your mattress- down.
8. Carry Bulky Items High & Low
When going down stairs or any descending surface, you’re going to want to carry things like couches and loveseats high and low. This means that the person lower on the surface carries the object from the bottom, while the person higher carries it from the top.
Make sure to be very communicative, letting your carrying partner know when you need more speed, less speed, or some additional carrying power.
9. Enlist Your Friends
This is the easiest suggestion on our list- discounting the possibility that you don’t have any friends (we’re very sorry).
Moving all of your furniture alone will likely end up in more scratches, dents, and damages done to valuable items that you would otherwise have kept in prime condition. Don’t let the lonesome moving blues get the best of you. Enlist your friends to help you get those tables and chairs out the door.
Moving by yourself can also cause such unnecessary muscle strain- and stress! You’ll be wondering- how do I get this couch up those stairs? How do I know it won’t fall down on me? How in the world do I move a 150-pound dining room table all on my own?
Having some helpers is just so much better.
10. Map Out Your Drop Spots
When all’s said and done, you may have a few furniture pieces that you don’t want. Instead of taking them to the dump, think of taking them to donation spots or perhaps charities. If they’re still usable, there’s someone out there who will love them. Ditch the dump and take your used furniture somewhere where it can help.
All in All
All in all, just doing a few common-sense steps will help you make moving day so much easier. By following these recommendations, you can avoid the dents and dings that so often seem like a requirement for moving days. Just try not to throw your back out or strain a muscle.
