Moving Large Items 101 – Dos and Don’ts of Heavy Lifting

Some belongings like sofas, desks, bookshelves, cabinets, pianos, and refrigerators have to be taken care of with patience and precision. You don’t want some of your necessary belongings getting damaged in transit or crashing down the stairs. You will have to pay attention to some relocation mistakes when starting to organize your move. Still, with our relocation hacks, you won’t have any anxiety about moving out. Follow this relocation guide, and you won’t have to worry about a thing.

Why Is it Important to Know How to Move Something Heavy?

Say you’re relocating for a job, and you are now starting to organize your move. You have a serious task ahead – deciding on the best way to pack an apartment. You need a plan in place for boxing-up larger belongings like furniture, bedroom sets, and dining room sets. Without proper organization, you might end up with damaged belongings or even get hurt trying to get the heaviest item to the truck. You’ll have to think about protecting your belongings as well as the interior of your home. You will have to protect the carpet, walls, stairs, and floors. Getting professional movers and packers to help with your move would be the best option because they are good at preparing you to pack and move efficiently.

Buy and Use Appropriate Supplies and Tools

As soon as you start drawing up your relocation to-do list, you have to start thinking about buying equipment and supplies needed for the transportation and protection of your belongings. Apart from supplies, you will also need tools for each item you will have to dismount or disassemble. What you will require are:

• Lifting straps – necessary thing to have when trying to lift heavier belongings. It is designed to decrease the strain on your whole body by transferring the weight off of you.
• Plastic wrap or a blanket – For securing each item, so it doesn’t get damaged, consider getting a plastic wrap.
• Furniture dollies/trolleys – you can choose between a two-wheel trolley or a four-wheel trolley. Either one will come in handy when relocating furniture.
• A screwdriver – You will probably have to dismount a flat-screen TV or disassemble some bookshelves. Ensure that you have screwdrivers of various sizes at hand.
• A pair of protective gloves – Your top priority is protecting yourself. Ensure that you have protective gloves when you start packing.
• Furniture sliders – The best way to protect your floors is to get reusable sliders so you can slide anything across hard floors and carpets.
• Stair rollers – If you need something moved down the stairs, it’s good to have stair rollers because it’s easier to maneuver your things if you have this tool.

You can always contact your cross-country moving company and get additional information about what equipment you might need for some of your personal belongings. They can share with you some vital relocation tips. Don’t hesitate to visit the Craigslist website, where you can find affordable tools and supplies very quickly.

The Process of Moving Large Items

If you plan to move without cross-country movers, call your family members or friends who can lend you a helping hand – help is invaluable when dealing with packing. Still, before you start securing each item, you should take a measuring tape and measure everything that needs to be moved as well as the doorway, hallways, and staircase. In short, ask yourself – will the bed fit through the door?

You want to be certain that the item can fit through every doorway. In case the door is hindering the move, you should remove it from the hinges and so make additional space for your things. Also, clear the path, so there aren’t any boxes and things blocking the way. The next step is to wrap everything from a couch to chairs so that unexpected accidents don’t leave you with broken belongings.

Don’t Forget to Sort Each Item

You should always downsize before your relocation. That means that not every item has to be transported to your new home – old cupboards, rarely used chairs or broken refrigerators that just won’t have a purpose when you move. When making a moving-out list, don’t include anything that you can leave behind. Decide what you must take and what you can get rid of. If you are not ready to part with some belongings, you can also figure out how to repurpose old furniture. Also, consider donating old appliances or recycling some old-fashioned armchairs or couches. What can also be helpful is going online and selling some of your belongings. In this way, you can earn extra money and invest it in long-distance moving services.

Relocating Belongings From the Kitchen

When you start preparing the kitchen for the move, you will realize how many bulky objects you need to box up – belongings such as the fridge, dining room table, and chairs, as well as china cupboards and shelves. So, before you prepare your larger objects from the kitchen for the relocation, ensure that you properly store all of your appliances and fragile items. When you have safely packed away your glassware, fine china, and expensive cookers, you can start organizing and planning how to safely move larger objects from this room.

How to Move a Fridge Safely?

One of the heaviest and largest items in your house is usually the refrigerator. If you want to move it safely, first thoroughly clean it out and defrost the unit. Then empty all the drawers and take them out. What can be very useful is to take the manufacturer’s manual and follow the instructions when disconnecting all the power cords.

After you have measured the fridge and the doorways, create a plan of the path to take. You can tilt the fridge back and move it slowly out of the house with the help of at least two people. If the fridge has wheels, another option would be to lift it carefully and place it on sliders. Then you can guide it carefully forward. Another option is to put it on a four-wheel dolly. You will require straps so the fridge stays in place.

Here is a video on additional hacks on how to move a fridge.

How to Move a Dining Room Table?

The easiest way to move the dining room table is to take the legs off. When you unscrew the legs with your screwdriver, wrap the legs with plastic wrap or bubble wrap. You should tape the legs together so they are in one place and then take a blanket and cover all sides of the table. The blanket will stay in place if it gets taped to the table. As mentioned before, don’t place tape over wooden surfaces. If you have glass top tables, bubble wrap should be used for protecting them against damage (and also blankets). You will need at least two people who can lift the tabletop and carry it to the truck. In the truck, the tabletop has to be placed on the floor or against the wall of the truck and secured with rope.

Relocating Objects From the Living Room

You will spend the most time boxing up your living room. You want to properly sore sofas and chairs because these are some of the basic apartment essentials. The heaviest objects in this room will probably take the longest to disassemble and load into the truck. That is why you must have a thorough understanding of how to box everything up efficiently. Devise a plan for how you will disassemble your couch, armchairs, shelves, TV stand, and coffee table. Then decide on the best path to take when relocating these belongings and who can help you with the load.

How to Move a Bookshelf?

Some people have big bookcases and bookshelves that might seem difficult to move at first glance. However, if you take your time and disassemble the whole unit, your task will become much easier to handle. Ensure that individual shelves are removed and use plastic wrap to cover everything. If you don’t want edges to get chipped or scratched, use blankets to wrap each individual shelf. Next, use packing tape to secure everything so it doesn’t move or fall off. In case your shelves are made out of wood, avoid using tape directly on the shelf’s surface. You might have problems later when trying to remove the sticky residue that the tape can leave.

How to Move a Couch?

When you start preparing your couch for the move, you should take it apart as much as possible. With your tools, disassemble any part that can be detached – for example, legs and cushions can usually be removed. If you remove some small parts like screws and nails, put them in a plastic bag and keep them close to the couch, so you don’t lose them. The next step would be to take the plastic wrap and cover the cushions and pillows. Blankets can also be used for covering the whole sofa.

Use furniture sliders to slide the sofa across the room. The sliders will protect your floors, and it will be easy to guide the sofa wherever you want it. When the sofa gets to the truck, you will require a ramp so that you can wheel your sofa up. Almost all trucks have this ramp, so you won’t have to worry.

The same applies to the armchairs. If you are apprehensive about getting them scratched, use cardboard to protect them. And of course, everything should be secured with tape.

Relocating Your Bed

When relocating some of the largest objects, we cannot neglect the belongings found in the master bedroom. You might be wondering – how is it possible to safely move a bed? Actually, there are different types of beds. Some can be disassembled, and then you can cover all their smaller components with blankets and paper before putting them in a cardboard container. Bear in mind that, after the move, you will have to assemble everything so take pictures before unscrewing the legs and the bed frame. For those beds that cannot be completely disassembled, you want to ensure to have enough people at your disposal who will help with lifting the bed frame, tilting it, and carrying it to the truck.

Safely Moving a Mattress?

Mattresses can be a bit bulky and complicated to move. First, check if you still have your mattress bag from when you purchased it. If you have it, put the mattress in the bag. You can do that by putting the mattress on the floor and lifting one end so you can slide the bag over the mattress. If you don’t have the bag, plastic wrap and blankets can be used to cover the mattress from every side. When lifting the mattress, grab the bottom corners and lift it together with your crew. Also, you can place the mattress in an upright position on the dolly. Then you can push it carefully to the truck you want to load it in.

Get Help With Heavy Furniture From Your Movers

If you are not certain that you can move all of the bulky belongings by yourself, the best thing to do would be to contact a long-distance moving company. Your movers will be able to help you with any question or dilemma you might have. They can also offer their packing services, and movers will then handle heavy furnishings for you. They will bring all the supplies and relocation essentials necessary for securing all of your heavier things. You won’t have any fear of relocation when you have professional packers doing all the heavy lifting instead of you.

What Not To Do When Relocating Heavy Belongings?

The most common mistakes people make when relocating something big and heavy are related to lifting techniques. Don’t put the weight of the item you are holding on your back but your knees, so you don’t get hurt. Don’t carry anything too far away from your body – lift and carry everything as close to your body as possible. Also, don’t twist or turn unexpectedly or forcefully while lifting if you want to avoid injuries.

You Are Now Prepared For Your Move

When searching “long distance movers near me,” also think about the strategy and plan of your move. Have everything planned out and written down on your to-do list. Be patient and organized as much as possible. If you have any issues, contact your relocation company which can offer solutions for your problems in record time. If you stick to the advice on how to move heavy items from this guide, you will definitely have a successful move. Your only task now is to come up with the right plan.