Tips, Tricks and Tools for Moving Large Furniture

​Moving to a new house with large items can be stressful, especially when some of the large furniture needs to be moved alone. Thankfully, there are special tools you can use to help make moving large furniture easier, as well as some special tips and tricks you can put into practice. Let’s get into them!

Pull or Push Furniture
Instead of picking up the heavy furniture and risking more strain on your back, try pushing or pulling the furniture instead. There are certain things you can use to make this easier such as using a blanket underneath the object to pull it across the floor, or using furniture sliders to help push/pull the furniture. Depending on the type of floor you are working with, one might work better than the other so take that into account.

Disassemble Furniture
If the piece of furniture or object you are moving is able to be easily disassembled and reassembled, that might be a better idea that trying to move it as it is. Whether the piece has movable or easily damageable parts or is simply too heavy, taking it apart will decrease the risk of damage and make the piece lighter to work with.

Wrap Items in Plastic Wrap
If there are loose or movable parts on the object, one useful hack is to take plastic wrap and wrap the loose or movable part so it is secure and won’t risk getting damaged. You can even use plastic wrap to wrap individual dresser drawers to reduce the risk of your clothes tipping out, or to help secure padding around an object like bubble wrap or even towels/blankets. There are multiple uses for plastic wrap during a move and you can buy a large roll of it online to make it last.

Let the Professionals Do It
A moving company doesn’t necessarily have to complete a whole entire move for you. They can even just help out with the big stuff! Leave the heavy lifting to us if you’re worried you might hurt yourself or if you just don’t have the ability to do it on your own. We would love to help!

Use Special Lifting or Moving Equipment
As mentioned earlier, using special lifting or moving equipment can make moving large items more manageable, either by yourself or with a partner. Along with furniture sliders, here are some other tools that can be helpful.

Utilize Rolling Dollies
There are rolling dollies of all sorts that can be used depending on what you are moving. Furniture dollies are low to the ground, flat and are typically seen made with 4 pieces of wood in a square with carpet or fabric to prevent scuffing.
 
They can hold up to 1,000 pounds, but the downfall is having to lift the object up onto it and off of it. A pushcart is basically a furniture dolly with a tall handle on the back to help with maneuvering and steering. These, however, are more expensive than other dollies. Lastly is a hand truck or utility dolly, which is the traditional upright dolly that are “L” shaped with a flat metal ledge on the bottom that can be slid under the object and tilted back to lift. Heavy duty ones can also hold up to 1,000 pounds or more.

Try Moving Straps
Moving straps, otherwise known as shoulder dollies, are great tools to use when having to lift and carry heavy objects because they anchor around your shoulders in a way that takes the weight of the furniture piece off of your body and lowers the center of gravity of the load.  This makes the object easier to lift and carry without all the weight pulling on you as much.

Make a DIY Mattress Sling
If you’ve ever tried moving a mattress you know it’s difficult. The size, flexibility, and weight of it combined make it incredibly awkward and difficult to hold as well. By using simple ropes to create a “sling” around the mattress, you can more easily maneuver the mattress, lift it, and pull the mattress as needed without having to fight as much.

Heavy-Duty Furniture Lifter
A heavy-duty furniture lifter is a tool that helps lift your furniture just enough to be able to slide rollers, moving straps, or a moving blanket underneath the object. Because although those other tools are great, sometimes the biggest barrier is still figuring out how to lift the object to get the other tools underneath it. So, this might be your solution.
 
When it comes to moving large objects, work smarter instead of harder. This will decrease your risk of injury, prevent or decrease the risk of items getting damaged or broken, and decrease the amount of energy and strength you’ll need just to lift and move some items. If there is anything we learned during a move, it is to use brains over brawn. And as always, if you still need help, we are just a phone call away! Leave the difficult part to us.