This year has been a time of renewal and rejuvenation for many people’s homes. Never have we had so much time to spend in our homes and living spaces, and never have we needed to get so much out of them. Many homeowners have needed to use their living space as home offices, learning spaces for their kids, and recreation and gym space to keep physically active. This has meant that many people are considering a move or purging oversized furniture items to make space for their multi-use accommodations instead.
Moving Oversized Items yourself
If you feel like your physical abilities are a match to move your item then before you proceed consider the following:
Assess the Situation
Never move a heavy or oversized item alone. It is quite easy to lose your balance or footing and have an item topple. Have someone to help and available to call for assistance in case of an emergency. Stay away from dangerous terrain. Stairs and inclines increase the added danger of toppling or falling. Enlist help from more than one person to help. Use proper lifting techniques: bend at your knees and lift with your legs and not with your waist or back. Keep your back straight. Wear proper clothing and closed-toe shoes to protect your feet.
Establish a convenient route to move your item that will avoid uneven flooring or steps. Make sure kids and pets are out of the way to avoid tripping over them. Finally, measure hallways and doorways to ensure your item will fit. There is nearly nothing worse during a move than traversing a huge pathway and then finding you can’t pass through a doorway and having to go backwards!
Use Tools
Glides are little discs that fit under heavy furniture to slide it to the desired location. A utility dolly has two large wheels and is usually used for transporting stacks of boxes. A furniture dolly is flat with four wheels and is used for large awkward items. Regardless of the dolly you choose, you still need to use extra care as you maneuver your item onto the dolly and hold it in balance as you wheel it to another location. The moving blog.com has a full guide on how to use and choose moving dollies. Lifting straps cause less strain on your body by lowering the centre of gravity of the item you are moving. They can make moving heavy objects much easier.
Not only will these tools help you to protect yourself physically, but they will also help you keep objects lower to the ground, with less pressure on your knees and back for moving. In addition, tools will help you protect your floors and walls as they provide more stability to your item as you move it.
Use Protection
Protect the item you are moving and your home. Even going slowly, there’s a good chance you will edge your oversized or large item into a wall or another piece of furniture as you move it. Using moving blankets, bubble wrap, or even old comforters and towels to protect your item and your walls, is a good idea. Wrap your items and use straps to hold the cloth/cushioning in place while you move the item, ensuring that you keep your handholds clear for moving.
Lighten Your Load
If there are any components that you can safely remove from your item before moving it, do so. Take cushions off couches. Empty dressers and wardrobes of clothing and drawers if possible. If you can detach mirrors, hutches or upper cabinet sections, or even disassemble large items, it will make the move so much simpler. Take caution though because many items lose stability or weaken with repeatedly being taken apart and put back together. If handles and knobs or furniture legs stick out, remove them, label them, and move them separately. This also goes for fridge and freezer doors if they stick out. This will make the item lighter but also prevent damage to floors and walls.
Use Professionals
While it is possible to move oversized items yourself, the cost of hiring movers may save you serious injuries (and lifelong chiropractic bills!) as well as damage to the furniture, your walls, or your floors. If you have valuable or fragile items, it is probably best to hire movers to protect your property during the move. It may seem like hiring a professional is too costly or too much hassle for one or two items but it is well worth it in the long run.
Professional movers will wrap your item to cushion and protect it. They can pad the area through which they’ll be walking to save your floors, or have enough people to lift the object appropriately. Professionals also have access to the equipment that will make the job manageable and easy to carry out. They also have the experience to know what techniques will work, and which will not.
Hiring professional movers can not only save your body but also provide the peace of mind that your oversized items will be safe and treated with respect as they are moved. At Mike the Mover, let us help you protect your large items as we move them for you. We have the skills and equipment to do the job safely and quickly for a reasonable price. Call us today or get a free online quote and we would be happy to discuss your items with you to work out a plan today!