You intend to relocate shortly. You’re confident in your ability to pack and transport little objects, but what about your bed? Couch? Is that an antique hardwood wardrobe? What is a grandfather clock? Huge sculpture?
Feeling confident about moving these enormous and hefty objects out of your door and to their next destination is another story. If you are not prepared or competent of performing this task, you risk causing harm to your items, your house or business, and perhaps injury.
That being said, if you’re dedicated to doing it yourself (with a little help from friends and family), there are certain procedures to follow to guarantee that you can move your large items securely — or to help you assess whether you might need some professional assistance. In that scenario, you can rely on Empire Movers & Storage to provide an expert hand to undertake the heavy lifting of your relocation.
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How to Move Heavy Items Safely
Step 1: Before You Begin, Make a Plan.
This is where you make a list of all the heavy and large objects you intend to relocate. Before making your initial lift, you must first decide where you want to move them. Then plan a route from point A (where your item(s) are now) to point B (where they will end up), taking into account any obstacles or hurdles along the way. They can include things like doorways, elevators, staircases, and other furnishings. Expecting these will assist you in reducing the danger of harm to your belongings, your property, and yourself! Also, this may assist you in determining how many additional people you should ask to assist you – there is safety in numbers when it comes to carrying heavy furniture.
Step 2: Collect Your Tools.
Having the proper equipment is half the battle when it comes to transferring your heavy possessions. Many of the tools listed can be purchased or rented.
While moving heavy things and furniture, you’ll probably find the following items useful:
- Moving blankets and plastic stretch wrap: It’s a good idea to have some way of wrapping up your belongings to give a buffer against scuffs and scrapes when you’re lifting and transferring them. Putting moving blankets over your items and securing them with plastic stretch wrap (not the kind used in the kitchen) works well. While you’re doing it, you might wish to cover doorways and bannisters to protect them from harm as well.
- Lift slings and shoulder dollies: These are equipment that use various sorts of straps to wrap around or underneath an object to make it simpler to lift – with the assistance of another person. Lift slings are made of a rope or strap with two handles, one on each end. You and your moving partner place the sling beneath an item, such as the long edge of a sagging mattress. Then, on each side of the strap, take one of the handles and lift. Shoulder dollies are equipped with a front harness that you and your moving companion each wear over your shoulders. A strap then connects the two shoulder harnesses and can be placed beneath a large item to make lifting easier for you and your partner. They are frequently adjustable to the size of the thing being moved.
- Dollies, carts, and hand trucks: A variety of wheeled moving tools are available for hire for the duration of your relocation. Dollies and carts are four-wheeled square platforms (carts generally feature a handle to effortlessly push or pull the item), while hand trucks are two-wheeled square platforms with a handle that you tip up on the wheels to move once the item is loaded onto the hand truck. Both can be highly beneficial in moving big goods safely to distributing weight equally and eliminating the need to lift heavy items. But, before wheeling anything away, it’s a good idea to strap your belongings in so they don’t shift or fall off while you’re moving.
Step 3: Eliminate Any Minor Components.
Remove all sections from larger goods that you can without hurting or breaking them to minimize the total weight to be carried at one time. In this vein, it’s a good idea to empty any drawers and remove any goods before moving the wardrobes and dressers. Eliminating pieces may also make it easier to navigate barriers such as doorways and stairwells while transporting a big object. For example, eliminating your couch’s feet may allow you to easily slide it through a doorway – sometimes just a few inches may make all the difference.
Step 4: Use the Most Secure Methods.
Lifting big goods without the assistance of specialists might result in damage, thus suitable practices must be used. Here are a few pointers to remember when carrying big items:
- Before you lift, plan your path of movement and remove any obstacles or blockages.
- When lifting anything heavy, utilize your legs rather than your back. When lifting, make sure to bend at the knees rather than the waist.
- Carry the goods close to your body to put more weight on your arms and keep your balance.
- Avoid twisting your body while lifting and moving goods.
Step 5: Unloading
The final step in a successful heavy item move is unloading. When you arrive at your final destination, whether by truck or in a separate part of your home, you’ll want to make sure that the heavier goods are correctly unloaded. It is prudent to prepare how you will unload the products (like arranging for additional help, equipment for unloading, deciding the placement for the items at a new home, etc.)
Not sure you’re ready to tackle these steps on your own?
It’s all right! Lifting big goods might be a scary chore for anyone who has never done it before. Empire Movers & Storage strives to alleviate the stress of a stressful move by providing a variety of services such as packing, unpacking, and disassembly and reassembly of your items. We can even manage to relocate only one or a few large things if you aren’t transferring everything!
Our team is well-trained, experienced, and equipped to safely transport large things — as well as all of your other stuff — to your new address.
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