How to Move Large & Heavy Furniture by Yourself

Whether you’re living in a house or an apartment, there’s one thing that’s often in short supply — space. Floor space, drawer space, cabinet space — it’s the one thing that we could all do with a little more of, particularly when it comes to our bedrooms.

Before You Start

Before you move any furniture through your home, it is best to make sure you have planned appropriately. Knowing what you need to move is only part of the job; you need to also plan how you’re going to move it and where to.

Make sure you also consider the risks and overall safety of the task before you move anything.

Auckland White Display Cabinet

Plan the Route Through Your Home

To ensure that moving your furniture goes smoothly, plan the route you will take through your home. Take into account the size of the piece of furniture, if the furniture is a particularly awkward shape, and where paths in your home narrow.

By planning ahead, you ensure you take the safest route through your home rather than one that could be unsafe.

Ask a Friend to Help You

For pieces of furniture that are not only heavy but also large or unstable, the safest way to move them may be to have a friend help. Wardrobes and bookcases, for example, may need an extra pair of hands to be able to move the furniture safely.

Alternatively, if the furniture is simply too heavy for you to move on your own, asking a friend for a hand is the best way to ensure you move it safely.

Protect Your Home and Body

Once you have properly planned how you’re going to move your furniture, you should start to think about how you can protect your furniture, home, and your body while moving the furniture as planned.

The first point to cover is protecting your body. When lifting heavy objects, you should:

• Lift with your legs
• Keep the object close to your body
• Keep your base wide and stable
• Avoid twisting

In addition to the above-mentioned points, also consider the use of protective clothing, such as gloves, to avoid injury.

When considering how to protect your home, some techniques and practices you can use are:

• Corner guards to cover sharp corners on your furniture, both to protect the furniture and any walls you may bump into during the moving process.
• Bubble wrap and cardboard can be used to cover and protect furniture made from a more fragile material. It will also stop any marks or scratches from appearing on the walls of your home.
• Blankets or rugs can be used to aid in sliding furniture. Using these will help to reduce the likelihood of marking the floor when moving the furniture.

Handy Tools & Equipment

There is a wide range of tools and equipment to help you move your furniture safely. These tools range from carrying aids to sliders, all to help you move your furniture in the safest way possible.

Furniture Carrying Straps

Furniture carrying straps are a furniture lifting aid that can be used when two people are carrying a larger object. The straps are designed to go underneath the object in question to bear the majority of the weight, while the people carrying the object keep everything stable.

Furniture-Moving Dollies

Furniture-moving dollies are a great option if you don’t have anyone to help you. Once you’ve moved the furniture onto the dolly, moving it to the right position will be a piece of cake.

The main thing you should keep in mind if this is your chosen method for moving your furniture is keeping the object stable. Maintaining stability while moving may be difficult for taller or more awkwardly shaped furniture.

Ramps and Floor Sliders

Similar to furniture dollies, ramps and floor sliders are brilliant if you don't have anyone to give you a hand. All you need to do is place the piece of furniture on the slider or ramp.

Sliders and ramps are suitable for both carpeted and hardwood floors and are a great way to avoid damaging your flooring during the moving process.

Techniques For Moving Heavy Furniture

Now that you have a plan for what furniture you are moving and how to move it both safely and efficiently, the following are some tips and tricks to make moving awkwardly sized furniture a bit simpler.

Tilt Long and Tall Furniture

With furniture such as wardrobes and bookcases, finding the right way to move them safely can be difficult due to their tall build. The same is true for pieces of furniture like wide sideboards and TV stands.

By tilting the furniture, you can change where the centre of gravity is for the piece in question, as well as reduce the amount of contact it has with the floor. This ultimately will result in the furniture being easier and safer to move, either on your own or with help.

Avon 4 Tier Bookcase & 1 Storage Drawer

Take Large Furniture Apart

If the piece of furniture is simple too large or too heavy for you to move, then disassembling the piece is the best option to move forward. Whether this be splitting the furniture into separate smaller pieces or completely disassembling the whole thing, reducing the size of the furniture in this way will make it much simpler to move.

Don’t Lift With Your Back

As discussed in the start of this article, there are certain techniques for lifting heavy or awkward-shaped objects that you should remember when moving your furniture. The safest way for you to lift the furniture is to lift with your legs, keeping your core tight to protect your back from any strain.

“Hook” Furniture Through Doors

For furniture that is “L” shaped, fitting them through tight doorways can be challenging. This is where the “hook” comes into play. The hook technique refers to continuously turning the furniture as it moves through the door frame to keep the width of the piece moving through the frame to a minimum.

Hire Pros if You Need to

If you’ve tried everything, or just simply think you’re not up to the task, there is no shame in getting the pros in. Whether it be for the whole job, or just for the heavy furniture, hiring a team of professional movers will ensure that your furniture is moved safely and efficiently.

FAQs

Can I Move Furniture On My Own?

There are plenty of ways that you can effectively move large furnishings without assistance. Sliders, dollies, and trolleys are all options you can use for moving furniture with minimal or no assistance from a second pair of hands.

How Do I Move Heavy Furniture by Myself On Carpet?

Moving furnishings on carpet can be difficult due to the increased friction caused by the carpeted surfaces. To counter this friction, the use of hard sliders will allow furnishings to move easily with reduced friction. If you don’t own any furniture sliders, a good substitute for hard sliders is tinfoil. If you are moving furniture across hard floorings, do not use tinfoil as it may scratch the hard surfaces.

How Do I Move Furniture Downstairs?

Depending on the size of your furnishings, moving furniture downstairs can be a difficult task. To make this task easier, you can use blankets to wrap the furniture, giving the furniture some added protection in case of knocks or scrapes.

If you are moving the furniture on your own, it is best to make sure that you have a good grip on the furniture before heading downstairs. A good way to make sure that you are moving the piece of furniture safely is to put the longest side of the piece on the floor and slowly walking the furniture down the stairs. If the furniture is too large or too heavy for this, then consider disassembling it to make sure you are moving the piece as safely as possible.