Packing is difficult enough—moving furniture and heavy boxes on the big day is even harder. Without proper planning, it can be exhausting and even dangerous. Furniture moving gone wrong can result in damage to your belongings or even personal injuries.
Luckily, you don’t need to know how to move furniture by yourself. If you’re planning a move, our tips can make moving heavy furniture stress-free without doing damage to yourself or your possessions.
1. Use Furniture Pads
If you’ve never used furniture pads before, you might think they’d make your furniture clumsy and difficult to maneuver. However, furniture pads are a great asset for moving furniture when used correctly. Also known as moving blankets, furniture pads are thick quilts available in a wide range of sizes that wrap around furniture to add padding and protection. Follow these tips to get the most out of these handy tools:
- Wrap tape around the pads to keep them from sliding off, but be mindful not to apply the tape directly to the furniture itself to prevent damage.
- Wrap the pads tightly in stretch wrap after they’re in place to give your hands something to grip onto—furniture pads can be slippery on their own.
- Use old blankets or sheets to cover your less-fragile furniture if furniture pads aren’t in your budget.
- If you’re more concerned about protection from moving truck bumps, wait until the furniture is on the truck before you cover it with the pad.
2. Buy Specialized Hand Trucks
Sometimes a standard hand truck—a two-wheeled cart used to transport boxes—just isn’t enough for oversized or bulky pieces of furniture. Consider buying a specialized hand truck or dolly for moving these bigger items. For example, a furniture dolly is ideal for moving your couch, and an appliance dolly is best for transporting your refrigerator.
Wheaton’s movers are trained to handle specialty items that require more time and care, so consider choosing a full-service mover if you’re nervous about moving your own large items.
3. Take Furniture Apart
Disassemble all furniture that can be taken apart, including your bed frame, tables and sofa. If you’re not sure how to disassemble furniture for a move, start with items that have screws or different components. It may be helpful to record a video of the process so you’ll have visual instructions to follow during reassembly.
Keep all nuts, bolts and screws in a labeled, zip-top bag and tape the bag to the furniture pieces to make reassembly easier. Then, use stretch wrap and a furniture pad to attach all the pieces to each other.
4. Try Gliders, Straps and Shoulder Dollies
A variety of tools can help you move furniture better than old-fashioned elbow grease. Familiarize yourself with these items to decide which ones are right for you.
Gliders
Gliders are little pieces of felt that can be placed underneath furniture legs to make pushing the household furnishings across the floor easier. Gliders are especially effective for furniture that can’t be easily disassembled, such as heavy dressers and tables, and they also prevent floor damage.
Straps and Shoulder Dollies
Straps and shoulder dollies make for a two-person system to help you lift large, bulky items like safes, refrigerators and couches. Standard straps tie into harnesses to prevent putting too much strain on your back as you lift.
5. Have a Plan
Before moving day arrives, make a detailed plan. We recommend downloading our moving checklist to make the process even easier.
Are you leaving behind any furniture 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 the 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 the new house. Wheaton also has storage services if you need some time to settle in before you haul in the furniture.
6. Make Accommodations for Weather
Bad weather (especially rain and snow) can do damage to your furniture. If you’re expecting cloudy skies on moving day, have tarps on hand to prevent your furniture from getting wet outside. This is especially important for moving leather furniture during winter.
Keep spare towels accessible to wipe off furniture that does get wet. To limit your furniture’s exposure to the elements, ask your movers to back the truck up to the garage door and plan to move furniture out through the garage.
7. Remove Obstructions from the Doorway
Some items are just too big for the average 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. For even more leeway, take the door off its hinges (just remember to put it back!).
8. Clear a Path
Get everything out of the way before you try to move a large, bulky piece of furniture through the house. A clear path can help you avoid accidents and make the process of moving furniture more efficient. It may also be helpful to work room by room, clearing out the biggest furniture before tackling the rest of the boxes.
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—like our moving team at Wheaton World Wide Moving. But 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, and ensure you don’t have to learn how to move heavy furniture by yourself.
Wheaton World Wide Can Make Your Move Smooth
The best way to ensure that your furniture will arrive at its destination safe and sound is to hire full-service movers. A good moving company will have all the tools needed to move your furniture from one place to another without risking damage. At Wheaton, we have decades of experience handling moves with care, and we’re always guided by our commitment to quality assurance.
For more information about how we can move your home with care, contact us or get a free estimate.
