Is your relocation day coming close? And now you are thinking about moving furniture by yourself but don’t know how? Well, you’ve come to the right place. With these essential furniture relocation tips, even amateurs can do the heavy lifting with ease.

Of course, all of this would be much easier if you hire movers to move furniture, but sometimes this isn’t possible. Indeed, there might come a time in your life when you will have to do this without the help of professionals. For instance, when you are rearranging stuff at your home. Here are some tips and answers to questions you might have regarding this matter.

How Do I Move Heavy Furniture by Myself?

The most important thing when you move furniture in the house is safety. Do not do this on your own if you are not sure you can’t handle the task. When we say doing this on your own, we mean refrain from doing this without professional help, but you will need help from your friends either way. For every pick-up technique, organization and the right preparation are keys to success.

Lifting Techniques for Moving Stuff

Safety is your priority. Many injuries can occur if you are not careful, so if you don’t feel like you can do this, hire movers to do it for you. Many people hire professionals because they don’t know how to move a piano and other bulky items. It is much cheaper to get a professional moving service to do this for all your belongings, not only for one. You can try to relocate some large stuff, but make sure you do the picking up and carrying properly. Here are some techniques you need to follow:

• Pick up with your legs, not your back – When you lift something from the ground, bend your knees and try to put weight on your legs, not on your back.
• Adjust your balance – Keep your legs wide apart, and your balance will be better when you grab something.
• Don’t twist your body – When you’re carrying a lot of weight and turn your body, you are more likely to injure your back in that unnatural position.
• When you feel tired, rest – If you lose your grip, put the large object on the ground carefully. Don’t try to push through it if your hands start shaking because the furniture can slip through and fall on you or someone else.
• Keep the load near your body – When grabbing bulky, massive stuff, make sure you grab it from the bottom and keep it close to your thighs and chest when carrying. This way, you will have more support and balance and put less strain on your back.

Check out this video for more tips on safe lifting.

The First Tip: Create a Plan and an Inventory

When it comes to relocating large and massive objects, you will need to make an inventory list of all the things you are going to bring with you. After this, make a plan of which item goes first and what stuff comes afterward. The general rule of thumb is that large items should go in the back of the cargo hold. This means you will have to do the heavy lifting at the beginning of your move. When you decide which one goes first, you will have to assess your doorways and stairs to see if your things can go through. One of the common moving mistakes is not taking the right measurements of their doorways.

Tips on How to Use Furniture Moving Equipment

As you may know, there are a lot of materials you will need to buy for packing your items, like boxes, paper, bubble wrap, and many others. This is true regardless of whether you’re relocating a sofa or a closet. There are many types of equipment for you to choose from, especially if you plan to carry these things yourself. Although, only a few are essential and must-have tools proven to be very handy, even for amateurs.

Use Dollies for Relocating Your Stuff

This is a must-have piece of equipment. You can buy two kinds of dollies: a four-wheel and a two-wheel dolly. A four-wheel dolly looks like a platform on four wheels with a handle where you can put your stuff and push it to the truck. Two-wheel dollies have a smaller base or platform, but they are better for weight distribution for tall things. You just put your tall stuff on the base and lean the dolly and push it. Fasten the load with ropes or belts to the dolly before you start to push it. You will be surprised how easily big things can fall and make a mess.

Buy Some Furniture Sliders

Sliders are made of plastic or fabric and are the best help for moving furniture within homes. You can use them on the carpet or hardwood floor. Your floors will be protected, and pushing will be easy. All you have to do is put a slider under each leg or corner of your sofa or cabinet and slide them easily through the whole house.

For the Safety of Your Back, Use Lifting Straps

Professional movers use straps for picking up large and massive objects. This handy device allows you to transfer weight from your back and arms to the straps. You should adjust them correctly according to your height. So how to use them? Take two straps (each person carrying should have one) and place them towards the bottom middle of the object, then pull it towards yourself, hold the object and lift it. This way, you will be able to carry items quickly and easily. Be aware that this will not help you much on stairs.

Carrying up and Down the Stairs – The Best Tips

Narrow stairs and hallways are your biggest enemy when it comes to carrying large and bulky objects. This is why you must do your calculations and take measurements correctly.  As we mentioned before, straps will not be much of a help when carrying an object down or up the stairs. Here, all you need is the right technique and your muscles. For example, if you want to carry a large sofa down the stairs, you will need help from at least three friends – one on top of the stairs and two on the other side going backward. All the maneuvering should be controlled by the people going backwards because they take the first steps and carry all the weight. Use the so-called high-low method, which means one person should lift the item on the bottom and the other on the top. On each floor, put your sofa down and reposition to do a turn. If you have narrow hallways, you will have to turn your sofa vertically in the L position.

If you think your large chair will be an easy move, think again. Most of these large chairs can go through doorways, just sliding through. If they can’t, you’ll have to get creative. Turn your chair on the side, so it is in the L position. Slide one part of the chair (for example, the back of the chair) through the door and then tilt it around the doorway so the other part can come through. The same method can be used for other bulky stuff too.

Protect Your Doorways

Bear in mind that your moving out for the first time budget will increase significantly if you damage the old apartment in any way, especially if you’re a renter. Make sure you protect everything that will be on your way. This includes especially doorways and narrow hallways. Wrap your stuff in foam, blankets, or sheets. Also, cover the floors with blankets or plastic sheets (or both).

Furniture Preparation Tips

When relocation day comes, you need to prepare your stuff in the right manner. Now is a good opportunity to do a deep cleaning of your couch, sofa, and bed. Arrange to do this before your big day. If you have a leather sofa or couch, use specialized protective cleaning products, especially if you are moving internationally or planning to book a storage service. Your belongings will be protected from any moisture in the storage unit or weather conditions during transport. If you have an antique wooden sofa or coffee table, clean them too and cover them with blankets or sheets. Do this for other items as well. Plastic wraps are only good for metal or glass objects. If you put them on wood or leather, you will risk damage due to condensation and moisture.

Disassemble and Reassemble Your Stuff Like Professionals Do

You should take apart everything that can be put apart. So pack separately the legs from the sofa and other removable parts. Remove all drawers from the desk or wardrobe and wrap them in bubble wrap or packing blankets. Also, remove all the shelves and doors from cupboards. Bear in mind that you have to label all the parts and screws properly to put them back together later on. If you have a lot of similar small screws, put them in a zip lock bag and label them. If you are relocating to another state alone for the first time, you can hire cross-country movers for a packing service as well. They will disassemble and reassemble all of your belongings.

How to Do Unloading Like a Pro – Top Tips

As we mentioned above, when loading a truck, you should prepare a plan and follow some rules – big items can go first. When unloading, your large things will come last. You should place your boxes aside, so they don’t get in the way of your large items. Plan and figure out before the truck arrives where you want each piece of furniture to go. You don’t want to unload heavy stuff and then move it again later on in your home.

Can You Hire Movers to Move One Item?

If you are wondering, How much does it cost to have a couch moved?  Or will movers even come to move one couch? The answer is yes. Some companies will take a “small move” as well. When it comes to the price, that will depend on many factors. Where is your final destination? How many items will you move? How many flights of stairs are there in your building? Which services would you like to book? All of these questions will be answered when you contact the movers and ask them for a quote.

Ask Movers for Help

If you need help moving furniture and think you can’t move your belongings alone, contact your cross country movers no matter if you are doing a local move or moving internationally. It is advisable to at least hire someone to do the heavy-lifting part of the job. You can choose a variety of services and pick the ones that are best for you. If you hire movers for a full service, your relocation will be much more stress-free and, most notably, work-free. All you will have to do is sit back and relax and not worry about how to pack dishes for relocation or anything else regarding packing and loading.