1. Use Furniture Pads
Furniture pads are one of your greatest assets when moving furniture. Unfortunately, these pads can also make your furniture clumsy and difficult to maneuver. Furniture pads can also be expensive. Follow these tips to avoid these problems:
- Tape your furniture pads to the furniture to keep them from sliding off, but don’t apply the tape directly to the furniture itself.
- Wrap the pads tightly in stretch wrap after they’re in place to give your hands something to grip onto.
- Buy used blankets or sheets to cover your less-fragile furniture if furniture pads are hurting your budget.
If wrapping a piece of furniture in a pad makes it too slippery to hold onto, move it into the truck without the pad, then place the pad on the furniture once it’s in the truck to provide some protection.
2. Buy Specialized Hand Trucks
Sometimes a standard hand truck just isn’t enough for large or bulky pieces of furniture. Get a specialized hand truck or dolly for moving these pieces of furniture. For example, get a furniture dolly for moving your couch, and an appliance dolly for moving items like your refrigerator.
3. Take Furniture Apart
Take apart all furniture that can be taken apart, including your bed frame, tables, and cabinets. When taking apart furniture, video record yourself so you’ll have a set of instructions to follow when it’s time to reassemble.
Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws in a sandwich bag and attach the sandwich bag to the remaining pieces to make reassembly easier. When you’re done, use stretch wrap to attach all the pieces to each other.
4. Buy Gliders, Straps, and Shoulder Dollies
A variety of tools can help you move furniture. Familiarize yourself with these items so that you decide which ones are right for you.
Gliders
Gliders are little pieces of plastic with felt on the bottom. They can be placed underneath chair, couch, and table legs to push the furniture across the floor. Gliders are especially effective on hardwood floors.
Straps and Shoulder Dollies
Straps and shoulder dollies can help you lift large, bulky items like safes, refrigerators, and couches. Straps allow you to use some of the strongest muscles in your body without putting too much strain on parts of your body like your back.
5. Have a Plan
Before moving any furniture, make a plan in advance. Will any furniture be left behind in your old home? Label these items clearly so no one will accidentally move them into the truck. Do you know where your furniture will be placed in your new home? Draw a floor plan to show the furniture layout you’d like to see after your move.
Distribute copies of your furniture layout to everyone who is helping you move so they’ll know where to put your furniture when they arrive at your new home.
6. Make Accommodations for Weather
Bad weather (especially precipitation like rain and snow) can do damage to your furniture. If you’re expecting weather on the day you move, have tarps on hand to prevent your furniture from getting wet outside.
Keep spare towels accessible to wipe off furniture that does get wet. If possible, plan to move your furniture out through the garage and back your truck up to the garage door to limit your furniture’s exposure to the elements.
7. Remove the Door Stop from the Doorway
Some items are just too big for the doorway. If you can’t quite get something to fit through the door, remove the door stop from the doorway to give yourself half an inch or more, which may be all you need to get your furniture through.
8. Clear a Path
Get everything out of the way before you try to move a large, bulky piece of furniture. A clear path can help you avoid accidents and make the process of moving furniture more efficient.
9. Get Help
The best thing you can do when moving a lot of furniture is to get help from people who are strong, sturdy and physically able. If you’re planning to have friends help you, tell them about the types of furniture they’ll be moving before they arrive. This will help them gauge how much of a help they’ll be during your relocation.
The best way to ensure that your furniture will arrive at its destination safe and sound is to hire movers. A good moving company will have all the tools needed to move your furniture from one place to another. For more information about how you can move your furniture, get an estimate from Wheaton World Wide.
