When moving house, moving large and heavy items of furniture can be a tricky ordeal. This is especially true if your furniture is an antique or holds some important significance in your life.  You don’t want to turn up at your new house only to unpack and find that some of your prized possessions have been damaged during the move. This certainly won’t get your first few days in your new house off to the best possible start, so follow this foolproof advice to ensure that you and your furniture get to your new destination in one piece.

1. Plan and strategize.
Minimise the amount of work that you’ll have to do by planning well in advance of your move. Creating a moving checklist will help you to get things in order, so list the tasks that need doing in order of importance and then begin ticking them off and get to them one by one.

2. Take furniture apart or flat pack to create more space.
When you’re doing your research and are looking into booking a removal van for moving day, in order for the company to give you a price estimate, they’re going to have to know what you’re planning on taking with you. This will not only allow them to work out how much work is going to be required on moving day, but it will also enable them to decide how many house movers to send out to help you on the day. You’ll also need to know this if you plan on hiring your own van or a man and a van for example so that you know what size van to hire. If you have a lot of large, heavy items of furniture, it’s likely that they’ll be taking up a lot of space, so you’ll have to pay a little bit more to get a larger van. Taking apart any furniture that you can will reduce space, make it easier to carry and if you do this to enough of your items, could end up saving you some money.

3. Get help!
Don’t struggle and attempt to lift heavy items of furniture by yourself. Large, heavy items of furniture can be very awkward to move and if done incorrectly, you could not only end up damaging your furniture but you could also do some damage to yourself. So don’t take the risk. If you’re not planning on hiring a specialist company, call in some favours from friends or family and get them to give you a helping hand. Several hands will work better than a single pair, and will get the job done quicker, reducing your workload and the stress of moving.

4. Important advice.
There are several things that you should keep at the forefront of your mind when moving heavy items of furniture. Although the phrase ‘put your back into it’ is often thrown about, this is actually the worst possible thing that you could do. Bend and push off from your legs when lifting heavy items and never arch your back. If your back begins to arch, what you’re carrying is too heavy, so move the furniture by other means. Try sliding some old bed sheets under the item and begin pulling it along to where it needs to go. This will make it easier to move and will prevent any floors from getting scratched and damaged. But remember if you’re undergoing the move yourself and are getting help at one end, think about what you’re going to do when you reach your new house and plan accordingly.