Tips for Moving Large Furniture

Blog / Tips for Moving Large Furniture

Packing up your personal belongings before moving home may be a chore but it is something that most people can handle without too much difficulty (although getting your removal company to do all the hard work for you is definitely a more appealing option). What often poses a problem for DIY movers and even some companies that specialise in local and interstate removals, is heavy furniture. If you are preparing to relocate and you would like to make sure that your largest pieces of furniture make it through the move safe and sound, follow our tips below.

Moving Large Items Safely

Whether you have an antique dresser that you would hate to see damaged or a large sofa with leather upholstery that you dont want to be ripped in the move, the following tips are sure to come in handy.

  • The Hi-Lo Technique When you are carrying tall pieces of furniture such as dressers, it is best to employ what we call the hi-lo technique: have two people carry the item, with one end held high and the other held low. This technique helps to keep the weight of the item in question centred, which makes it much easier to control.
  • Hooking Through Doorways Large sofas that look as though they will never fit through the door can be tackled by standing them on their end and hooking them through the doorway (lead with the back edge of the sofa then swivel it through 90 degrees to bring the bottom through).
  • The Slide If you have a heavy safe or filing cabinet that would make a mess of your new floors were you to drag it into position, try the slide instead. For hardwood or lino floors, place a thick blanket or towel underneath the item and use it to slide your furniture across the room. You can accomplish this manoeuvre by pulling the slider (the blanket or towel) or by pushing the item across the floor with the slider underneath it. Alternatively, you could use a fridge trolley to control your move.
  • Wrap Expensive/Valued Items Use bubble or shrink-wrap to protect the upholstery on soft furnishings and the finish on hardwood pieces of furniture. By doing so, you can ensure that an accidental knock does not cause irreparable damage to your most prized possessions. Alternatively, if you are working with a removals company, they should be supplying you with special moving blankets to protect your furniture.
  • Use Lifting Straps Heavy-duty nylon straps that are designed to go underneath the pieces of furniture you are lifting and loop over your forearms are a great alternative where sliding is not practical. They help to spread the load over a larger group of muscles when lifting and to keep the object in question under control at all times. If you would like some more useful tips on moving heavy items, or perhaps a competitive quotation for us to do it for you, please feel free to contact us by phone or email whenever convenient.