How to Move Heavy Furniture By Yourself

There are lots of moving pieces that come with planning to relocate. And some of those moving pieces are heavier than others — like your couch! In fact, moving heavy furniture out of your old home and into the new one is among the most challenging parts of any move. That’s why you should hire moving helpers, as having a team of people who have done this before can make your move go smoothly.

But, if you don’t have the time or money to arrange for moving help, the next best option is to find out how to do move heavy furniture by yourself. Now, keep in mind that moving heavy furniture by yourself doesn't mean you're completely on your own - just that you don't have professional movers helping.

Take a look at these tips on moving heavy furniture without hurting yourself or damaging your property.

What Is the Easiest Way To Move Heavy Furniture?

The most important thing about moving heavy furniture is ensuring that you don’t get hurt when you do it. This is why you should follow the correct lifting techniques for moving heavy items. To start, you should find ways to only lift as a last resort. That means you should push, pull, and slide heavy furniture as much as possible when moving it out of your house.

You can buy furniture sliders to help with this. These are small, plastic discs that you can slip under heavy furniture so it’s easy to slide across the floor without damaging the surface. If you don’t have time to go out and buy these, you can slip some cardboard or a blanket under your furniture to help it slide across the floor.

Of course, you’re going to have to lift your furniture at some point, such as to get it into the moving truck and up any stairs. Once it’s time to lift, make sure you bend at the knees — not the waist — so you can lift the bulk of the weight with your legs and arms instead of with your back. This means starting in a squat position as you start to lift the furniture.

Next, keep the item close to your body as you walk with it, and make sure your head is always facing forward so you can see where you’re going. This will reduce your chances of falling while moving heavy furniture out of or into your house.

What Equipment Do I Need for Moving Heavy Furniture?

As moving companies have figured out over the years, there are some types of equipment that can make any move easier. And you don’t need to hire a full-service moving company to access these items, as you can buy or rent them on your own.

The most popular piece of moving equipment is a dolly. This is a metal cart with wheels that you can strap a heavy item to and roll across the floor, like a fridge or dresser. Using a dolly will make it easy for you to move heavy items through your house, around corners, down the stairs, and right up the ramp of the moving truck!

Another type of moving equipment to try is moving straps- sometimes called Forearm Forklift or shoulder dolly moving straps. These straps can distribute the weight of heavy items across your whole body so your legs, arms, and back don’t have to do it all on their own. It would be best to put on some work gloves to give you a better grip on the furniture you’re moving, while also protecting your hands from sharp edges.

Finally, make sure you put on a good pair of tennis shoes or work boots before moving heavy furniture. There’s nothing worse than dropping a couch on your bare feet, or tripping over your own flip flops as you try to move your dresser out of the house!

What Can I Do To Make It Easier to Lift Heavy Furniture?

Now that you know how to slide or lift your furniture safely — and you have the right equipment to get started — you should find a few ways to lighten the load. This way, you won’t feel burnt out after moving one room’s worth of heavy furniture.

The first step is to look for ways to make your furniture as small and light as you can. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to disassemble it into tiny pieces that you’ll never be able to put back together. Instead, make sure there’s no unnecessary extra weight on it.

For instance, you can typically pull the back off your recliner so you have two lighter pieces to move, rather than one big chair. And if your couch has feet, you can remove them to make it easier to fit the couch through doorways.

You should also empty out all the drawers in your dresser, entertainment center, fridge, etc. Next, consider removing the empty drawers and shelves themselves if possible. This will further lighten the weight of the furniture. You can apply the same concept to your couch and bed, removing the cushions, mattress, and any items kept in storage areas in it.

Then use plastic shrink wrap to keep all the drawers and doors securely shut since it will make the move harder if they flap open as you’re carrying the furniture. Following these tips as you prepare for your move will make it easier for you to move furniture in and out of the moving truck.

How Can I Safely Go Up and Down Stairs with Heavy Furniture?

One of the biggest challenges of moving heavy furniture — and the best reason to hire furniture movers for this task — is getting items up and down the stairs. But you should be able to accomplish this if you’re willing to consider some tips.

First, make sure you have at least one person helping you, as this is a dangerous job to try on your own. Before you move any furniture down the stairs, ask your helper to stand a few stairs down from you and hold the heavy item from the bottom surface, while you stand on a higher step and hold on to the top part of the item. Then start the descent down the stairs, going very slowly and stopping as needed, even if it means pausing every few steps. You don’t want to rush through and end up dropping the item down the stairs, injuring yourself and your moving helpers while also damaging your property.

When moving heavy furniture up or down the stairs, keep in mind that it’s best for the stronger person — or even more than one person — to be on the lower steps. Also, try to move the heaviest items first and the lighter items last. After all, you’ll likely be exhausted by the end of the process, so you’ll be glad you already got the hardest part done at the beginning!

How Much Does It Cost to Move Heavy Items?

If you’re thinking of moving heavy furniture yourself, you’re likely trying to save money so you can stick to a budget. But you might find that it makes sense to pay for help moving your heaviest items.

After all, if you’re renting a truck for the move, you’re likely paying by the hour or day. This means the sooner you can get all your stuff loaded, the less you’ll pay — and moving helpers can assist in making your move speedy!

So, what does it cost to move heavy items? It depends where you live, how much furniture you need moved, and how long you'll need the movers. If you only need a few items lifted and the work could be done in a couple of hours, it could cost as little as $100 to $300. The cost can be even lower if you're only moving furniture in your existing home. But if you decide you want a full-service moving company to load your belongings and drive them to your new house, it could cost a few thousand dollars.

If you’re thinking of getting help moving some heavy items, feel free to hire moving helpers from MovingLabor.com. When you choose our furniture moving service, you’ll get assistance from reliable moving helpers who can load your furniture into the moving truck, unload it into your new home, take it up or down the stairs, or simply move heavy furniture from one room to another.