It’s no small feat to move heavy furniture. As anyone who’s ever exercised will tell you, lifting heavy objects is a physically demanding job. Then you must factor in maneuvering around tight spaces and suddenly, moving heavy objects like furniture starts to look like a daunting task.
So, if you’re rearranging the home that you’re already in or moving to Indianapolis, you’re going to want a few tips for moving heavy furniture so you can get your things from Point A to Point B while avoiding injury during the moving process. Hiring professionals like Indianapolis movers can also be your best option for a safe move.
Plan ahead when lifting heavy furniture.
The first thing that you should do before moving furniture of any sort is to create a plan. Map out the route that you’re going to take, especially for larger pieces of furniture like sofas, bed frames, or cabinets.
Get accurate measurements.
You’ll want to measure doors and other openings to make sure that the furniture can fit through them. Your measurements must be as accurate as possible. If you’re off by as little as an inch, you may not be able to fit your furniture through. Accurate measurements will also help you get furniture around tight corners, or if you’ll be able to get a piece of furniture around corners at all.
Clear a path.
Make sure that your path is clear, so you don’t trip over anything, especially when you’re going down the stairs. One bad fall down a set of stairs can be disastrous, not just for you but also for whatever piece of furniture it is you’re trying to move.
Don’t walk backward down any stairs, either. You do need to carry something down the stairs, but make sure that you’re looking forward.
Protect your furniture and your home with furniture sliders and other equipment.
Part of proper planning during the moving process is making sure you’ve got adequate protection, not just for you, but also for your home and for the furniture itself. The first part of protecting your furniture is to use furniture sliders, which most moving companies, like Indianapolis movers, provide as part of their services. These will reduce friction and help you slide heavy items across the floor without any scuffing.
Your home probably contains more than a few fragile items. Things like lamps, vases, Chinese heirlooms – all of them can be easily broken. To protect them from getting broken, use plastic wrap. Any small pieces that are contained in the furniture, such as coins that get lost in couch cushions or loose items that get left in drawers, should be removed.
If you’re moving something with detachable parts like drawers, then either remove them entirely or wrap them up tight so they don’t shoot open during the moving. Don’t leave any items on shelves either. They can fall off and break or make you trip.
Having the right equipment makes all the difference when doing any task, so make sure you’ve got the right tools for moving heavy furniture. Other than the aforementioned furniture sliders, you’ll also want to have lifting straps. These are crucial for carrying heavy items as they can help you evenly distribute the weight so as not to pull any muscles and avoid twisting anything.
A hand truck can also be useful if you don’t want to have to lift anything heavy. You can get a standing or a flatbed dolly. The important thing is that your furniture can fit on it and that it comes with straps to secure it. Also make sure to have moving straps to secure your furniture once it’s on the truck. You don’t want heavy pieces rattling around in the back when you transport furniture.
You should also have handy tools like wrenches and screwdrivers around to assemble and reassemble furniture.
Disassemble large pieces.
Speaking of which, a step that often gets overlooked when moving furniture is disassembling large furniture. But doing so can make the moving process a lot simpler. Carrying the smaller, individual parts is a lot easier than carrying large furniture items all at once.
Because the individual pieces are also a lot lighter, they put a lot less strain on your back muscles, which significantly reduces the risk of injury. Disassembling a piece of furniture also protects it during the move, as you can put the smaller pieces in extra padding or put them in a safe place, so they don’t get lost or broken.
Disassembling furniture can also help you make more efficient use of space since you can tuck the individual parts away into a corner of a moving truck as opposed to having large items take up a lot of space right in the middle. If you’re moving a bed and it’s got a floppy mattress, set it aside and move it separately from the frame.
How to Stay Safe while Moving Heavy Furniture Solo
Moving furniture is a physically demanding task that puts a strain on large muscle groups, especially around the legs and arms. Because of that, it’s essential to prioritize your own safety and the most critical aspect, but one that often gets overlooked, is proper lifting technique.
Use proper lifting technique.
Too many people lift with their backs. What you should do is lift your legs. Bend your knees when you lift something heavy, be it a chaise lounge or a kettlebell. Your legs are designed to carry heavy loads, but your back isn’t.
And pull whatever you’re carrying close towards you to stay as balanced as possible. Also, don’t forget to take breaks and hydrate. Hydrating regularly can help you avoid muscle cramps.
Ask a friend or Moving Help.
If you can get a friend or hire Indianapolis movers to help you out when you carry some furniture, then you should do that. Not only is it easier to move heavy furniture when you’re sharing the load and the weight that each person carries are evenly distributed, you’ve also got someone who can call for help should anything happen.
Wear proper safety equipment as well. This could be a hard hat like what a construction worker would wear, or it could be a pair of gloves to keep you from getting splinters or it could be some lifting straps.
Seek Help from Movers
But, if you really want to be safe and avoid any kind of heavy lifting when you need to move heavy furniture, then you really should hire professional movers to do the work for you because they’ll make sure that your move goes in the right direction. You won’t have to pivot when trying to move a heavy couch around a corner, because professional movers can do the pivoting for you.
But going hands free with your move isn’t the only reason you should hire pro movers. Professional movers are often trained to pack, carry, unload, and transport furniture safely and efficiently so that every piece of furniture gets to where you want it in good condition.
Professionals are more efficient.
Aside from their training, professional movers also often work in teams, so they’re more efficient. They can get it done much quicker than you can, even if you get help from a friend. They’ll also have the proper equipment needed to do the job. They’ll have their own sliders, their own hand trucks, their own stretch film to wrap fragile edges, their own moving straps and all other handy tools needed for carrying furniture.
Invest in your peace of mind.
Now, you may think that hiring professional movers is going to cost you money, but it can be more cost-effective in the long run. If you think about how much time and effort goes into packing up all your furniture, not to mention the risks involved, then hiring pro movers can be an investment that pays dividends come moving day.
Moving is usually stressful, so hiring professionals ensures that you won’t have to deal with the stress of making sure that all your plates are in wraps or that all your chairs are tucked away neatly. Hiring professionals can take a huge weight off your shoulders.
Personalized service
Not every moving day is going to be the same. Some people are going to move all the way across the country and others are going to move a few houses down. Hiring professionals means getting customized service since professional moving companies can tailor their services to your needs. They’re also flexible enough that they can work around your schedule.
Between their expertise and their efficiency, professional Indianapolis movers can get the job done better than anyone else. So, while it may cost you some money, in the long run, it’s a lot safer for you and for your furniture for you to hire them. Not only will it take a huge load off your back physically, but it can also relieve you of a significant mental burden as well.
Conclusion  Â
There are a lot of ways that you can move furniture from one place to another. If you know what you’re doing and are comfortable with the risk, then you can do it by yourself or with a friend. But, if you’d rather have the experts take over, then you should hire a professional moving company in Indianapolis to do the job for you and stay safe. There are people whose job it is to move heavy furniture, so spare yourself the back spasm.
