Everyone has at least one oversized furniture item that they dread moving. It could be a massive entertainment center, a couch, or a piano. If you’re moving appliances to a new home, you’d include a refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven in that conversation.

Although moving oversized furniture is tricky by yourself, it isn’t as challenging when you have help.

If you’re completing a DIY move instead of calling a professional team, try to have a couple of friends available to help you lift, spot, and carry the oversized items to the truck.

Here are some additional tips and techniques to help you have a successful experience.

Best Ways to Move Oversized Furniture In and Out

1. Plot out your trip before lifting.

lifting

When you need to move oversized pieces, it helps figure out where and how you’ll carry them. Try to get everyone involved with the lift to do a practice walkthrough without the piece to discuss the potential challenges you’ll face.

As you do the walkthrough, you’ll want to find the doorways, molding, and trim pieces that require protection while you work.

2. Use furniture sliders whenever possible.


You don’t need to lift most furniture until it is time to take the item out the door, down some stairs, or around obstacles. If you have furniture sliders positioned correctly on each corner (and on the mid-point for extra-large pieces), you’ll make things easier to move while protecting your carpet, hardwood, or tile surfaces.

3. Lift with your legs.

lifting legs

When you lift heavy items, your leg muscles can handle more torque than your lower back. Instead of bending over to lift upward, use a squat to get into the lifting position. As you coordinate your partner’s timing, push yourself upward from the feet while letting your knees and hips drive the momentum.

4. Use the “L” method for stubborn chairs and loveseats.

chair

You can usually hook chairs and loveseats (or small sofas and couches) through doorways by turning the furniture on their side once you have it in position, back the long end of the “L” shape through the opening first.

As the furniture passes through, you’ll rotate it to bring the other end out without causing any damage.

5. Wear personal protective equipment while moving.

masks

At Expo Movers, we use all of the current COVID-19 protocols to ensure your home and furniture remains as safe as possible.

When you complete a DIY move, your personal protective equipment should include heavy-duty work gloves, breathing protection, and footwear protection for most oversized furniture. As you lift the item out of its spot, you never know what kind of dust or foreign material might become airborne. That’s not stuff you want to breathe!

Some oversized items require safety goggles or glasses because of the potential threat of an eye injury.

6. Use a furniture dolly.

When you rent a truck for a DIY move, you have the option to rent a “standard” dolly and an “appliance” dolly. The first option works really well for transporting box stacks from your home to the truck. With the second choice, you can move some of your oversized furniture items.

The appliance dolly uses a strap (or two) that wraps around your furniture or appliance. You’ll fasten it like a belt to the equipment before locking it in place. This method lets one person move awkward items, such as a dryer because you get more leverage.

7. Use lifting straps and harnesses.


When you have a couch or another oversized furniture item that won’t fit on an appliance dolly, you and a partner can safely move the object using straps and harnesses.

You’ll affix the strap to the bottom of the furniture while using the lifting area to bring the item upward. When the piece has above-average weight, the harness lets you have more support to use your legs instead of your back.

This tool requires extensive communication and coordination because some items might require you to walk simultaneously at the same pace to stay safe.

What Else Can I Do to Move Oversize Furniture?

big white sofa

If you have oversized pieces that won’t fit through your doorways, the last technique to use is disassembly.

You can take the legs off of most chairs, tables, and sofas.

By removing those pieces, you can often get the extra inch, or two needed to fit through a narrow doorway.

When that option doesn’t work, you can take the item apart and reassemble it at your new home. If you need help with that step, our team can lend a helping hand if you need it!

Quality Starts Here

Trust Expo Movers for a hassle-free moving experience.

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By Published On: January 7, 2021Categories: Furniture Movers, Packing