One of the great challenges in transferring a new house is carrying the furniture from your previous home. You can avail of professional movers for that needed lift or you can just utilize the very person you have – the people around you.
Of course, it will be just easy to buy new furniture if you have a concrete financial capacity. If not, then you have to deal with the heavy lifting. Furniture like tables, beds, couches, and cabinets can be heavy and can cause serious injuries if carried carelessly. To prevent that from happening, here are tips to help you manage the load.
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Tall items shall be carried high and low.
Tall items, when carried horizontally, tend to be space consuming and can be swinging out of control with a slight mistake. To resolve that, tip the furniture at possibly a 45-degree angle and have another person carry it in as opposed to your lifting reference.
For example, if you carry a cabinet, tip the whole object and let someone lift on the upper left corner while you lift the bottom right corner.
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Utilize pivoting of chairs around corners.
When putting chairs inside the door, it can become a puzzle. Since the chairs are an L-shaped inside view, you can utilize the corner as its pivot and move the chair similar to a ‘hooking’ motion.
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Maneuver vertically the couch.
As you move a couch in a horizontal manner, you might be dealing with a tight spot where pivoting is not an option. Have it stand as vertically as possible, taking note of the doorway’s clearance, and utilize the same technique in moving a chair.
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Use a shoulder dolly.
A shoulder dolly is a lifting strap that makes use of leveraging with your large muscular parts. They can be worn at your own convenience but can get tricky on elevated steps as the weight can shift uncontrollably, therefore it is recommended for non-inclined lifting.
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Use furniture-carrying straps.
For larger loads, a shoulder dolly can be not enough. You can use furniture-carrying straps, either bought or even created along the way.
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Slide using blankets and rags.
It might be the oldest trick to reposition heavy objects. As long as the floor has a smooth surface and the blankets or rags are durable enough to withstand tear, you can able to pull it off.
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Wrap furniture with plastic for protection.
Moving furniture can have some unexpected issues like chipping or scratch. You cannot avoid it no matter how careful you are since there can be external forces. However, you can be prepared for it by wrapping the furniture with plastic. For more fragile objects, you can use the bubble wraps.
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Improvise something into a mattress sling.
The mattress can be heavy, thick and have no gripping for the hands. The most convenient way to carry them is to use a sling. It is done with a partner but if you are alone, you can refer to some other ways.
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Fold a box spring.
To do this, make sure your box spring is foldable. If not, there’s no need to ditch it. You can just split your existing box spring and fold it without even compromising its usage. Make sure as you fold, you secure a strap to prevent the springing back uncontrollably and secure the cut with screws afterward.
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Have a plan where the furniture should be positioned.
After all the removal from your previous house, it will be efficient if you already plan where the furniture will be placed. In that way, there won’t be unnecessary lifting which can cause energy drain, injury or even damage to the furniture.
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Remove the back of the recliner chair.
The recliners are designed to have a movable back using a lever. If activated while lifting, it will definitely cause serious problems. Remove the back off before even moving it. Read its manual or watch tutorials for easy and fast removal.
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Disassemble any removable parts that can be easily attached.
If parts can be removed like drawers, knobs, locks and other else, please do so. Not only they take off unnecessary weight, but you also prevent situations causing imbalance or obstacle.
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Peel off the door stop molding.
If the door is not wide enough, remove temporarily the door stop molding. IT can be reattached anyway rather than having to suffer difficulties in moving a piece of furniture inside or outside.
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Utilize a ramp.
A ramp can be so useful especially on elevated steps. It removes the heavy lifting and turns into a simple pushing or pulling.
Conclusion
The most important among all these tips is to always protect your back or any delicate part when lifting or moving a piece of furniture. Do not let an injury take away the excitement of moving into a new home.
