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Moving house can be back-breaking work, especially if you are a novice at it. Unless you are a professional removals person chances are you are going to struggle to find the best method to move large items.

It’s not easy, that’s a fact! When you consider the amount of work involved moving large items into or out of our homes, offices or storage units (not to mention the loading and off-loading stage), it’s extremely labour intensive. If not done correctly, we risk causing self-injury. Quite often, people attempt to do the job by themselves, and that is fine! However, it is crucial that we do it right because we could be risking our health and safety. It’s physically intense on backs and joints when we don’t know how to move large items in the correct way and the last thing we want, during removals day, is a trip to the hospital.

Here are five helpful tips before you begin the move, which could save you a lot of time and patience as well as any unnecessary injury!

  1. Don’t rush it – Ok I understand we want to get the job done ASAP but rushing it is a big mistake. If you take time to process the work involved beforehand, you have a better chance of getting it done successfully. So, look at what you are taking on, pay specific attention to the size of the objects and the space you are about to transition through. Is that sofa going to fit through the door? Measure it! If not, why waste time and handwork struggling when it may be so much easier to take the door off. It may seem like taking on extra work, but it could save heaps of time in the long run.

 

  1. Is it really a one-man job? – If you know the heavy item is going to be a struggle to lift single-handed then get some help, Ask friends, family or neighbours to help lift an item if you have to. Remember more hands make lighter work. If help is a struggle to find, then seek professional help with the removal as an alternative or perhaps you may know some professional removals people who could borrow you some of their equipment and tools to help move large items.

 

  1. Dismantle large items if you can – Instead of struggling with large items, it may be easier to take them apart, if possible. For instance, you can remove all drawers from a chest or desk to make the object lighter, and you may be able to take legs off sofas in order to fit them through a doorway better. Anything that you cannot remove needs to be secured, so tape them shut! Protruding handles and doorknobs can be quite hazardous too so if you cannot take them off, cushion them so that they don’t cause any harm or injury to anyone.

 

  1. Add extra protection –It may seem time-consuming, but it’s extremely worthwhile in the long-run. Ensure you cover and protect all items, use blankets, sheets, bubble wraps, newspaper, etc. to keep items safe. Anything that breaks is not only costly to you but also hazardous for those doing the removals so take extra care when packing for the move.

 

  1. Push and pull– It may seem like we have a logical understanding when it comes to pushing and pulling large items, but the truth is it’s so much easier to push than it is to pull. Having said that, we generally find a lot of people still pull large items, even at the risk of serious harm to their back! We would recommend it, especially for the novice removals person. Unless you are a professional who knows how to do this safely, it’s better to go for the easier option, and that is to push. Pushing is a lot less strain on your back and joints, and there are ways to make pushing even easier too. If pushing is a struggle, try a blanket or sheet under the item, or if it’s on a hard surface such as a tiled floor, you can even squirt a tad of washing detergent to make the item slide smoothly. Again, professionals will most likely have a set of gliders if you can get your hands on some of those, great!

Helpful tools which make the job light work

Ok you may not be able to get your hands on all of the tools (professionals use) to help make removals easier, but if you can get hold of some, we would recommend these handy implements are high on the agenda.

  • Furniture Dolly – these are those two-wheeled trolleys and are seen pretty much everywhere, most stores will have them for stock loading, and every removals company owns one too. If you cannot get hold of anything else at least try to get hold of one of these, it way saves time and strength in the long run.

 

  • Lifting straps – Helpful to move heavy items from higher ground to lower and easy to make for DIY removals by using some ropes and people to act as a pulley. It’s a simple but effective method.

 

  • Stair rollers – these are helpful to glide large items downstairs; however, they can be hazardous for those who are not familiar with them. If you don’t feel confident to use them, it’s probably best not too; you certainly don’t want some large item rolling full speed down the staircase if you make a mistake.

 

  • Plastic Gliders –are professional methods of gliding furniture around, although a rug, blanket, or sheet can be effective. These are the proper tools to help glide heavy items effortlessly.