Heavy Lifting Made Easy: The Insider’s Guide to Moving Bulky Furniture

Greetings, Chicago socialites! Need help with moving heavy furniture? Do you find yourself and that huge sectional sofa or antique armoire you just bought gawking at each other, contemplating how it will very likely be possible to get you out of the door? Don’t sweat it! For the uninitiated, there’s very little that’s straightforward about moving those large, unwieldy, and often very heavy pieces of furniture, not to mention the risk of injury or damage to the furniture in transit.

1. Plan Your Route

Lifting that couch, however, is going to take a lot of effort, so chart your course first! Take accurate measurements of your furniture and your doorways to prevent yourself from having to say, ‘Oh, this doesn’t fit.’ I swear to you, there is nothing worse than watching your grandma’s favorite china cabinet lodge itself halfway down the stairs. The Chicago Architecture Center has some good information on a regular Chicago house if you’re a newcomer.

2. Disassemble When Possible

Be the IKEA furniture lover you always wanted to be, with a limited capacity to reassemble and dismantle what you can. Take off legs in the tables, headboards in the bed frames, and any cushions in the sofas. This also has the effect of making pieces lighter and shielding fragile components. Tiny screws and other similar, albeit small, components should be placed in plastic bags marked with descriptions—believe it or not, in the future you will be glad you did so.

3. Slide, don’t lift

Why waste your energy when you can make the universe do the job for you? Placemats are important and should be used to protect the flooring. Use furniture sliders—big swinging pieces across the floor—you can get them at any Home Depot in Chicago. For carpet, you then switch the sliders over to the felt side. It is the perfect solution to giving your furniture the ride on the magic carpet it deserves.

4. The Art of Lifting Correct

When you do need to lift, remember: rise from your chair with your legs, not your back. Take your knees a little bit, and don’t bow; don’t arch your back, but use those legs. Oh, and in the name of Lou Malnati, never attempt to be a hero—ask for assistance with large furniture pieces.

5. How to Wrap Your Partner in a Blanket Like a Boss

Prevent scratching your furniture (and your walls) by covering them with moving blankets. These can be hired from most of the moving truck renting firms. Pro tip: tether the blankets using the stretch wrap that can be bought in any Ace Hardware store in Chicago. It is like bestowing upon your furniture a warm blanket, which will protect it from further damage.

6. Use the Right Tools

When it comes to heavy moving, a doll is your best friend. Tall furniture such as refrigerators is best moved using two-wheel dollies, while low furniture such as coffee tables requires four-wheel platforms. These can be rented from many of the U-Haul drop-offs in Chicago.

7. Mind the Weather

Chicago weather can be unpredictable. It could be said that the nature of the strategic management of the future is quite unpredictable, to say the least. If you are moving on a rainy or snowy day, then you ought to be more careful. Cover your blanket wrap with plastic for further safety, and be cautious or avoid slippery areas. IA: Before you make a move, glance at the NBC Chicago local weather forecast.

8. “Tip and Tilt” Technique

Quite useful for comparatively tall furniture items such as bookcases or dressers, the ‘tip and tilt’ technique is a lifesaver. Turn the item sideways, and place one of the wheels of the dolly on the base. This has made it easier to move through doorways as well as in halls and other areas of narrow passes.

9. Create a Ramp

Furniture does not mix well with stairs and, in fact, can be a thorn in the flesh. Use solid sheet plywood to fashion a ramp over the staircase. Only be certain that it is strong and will conveniently support the weight. As for the final touches that make some Chicago movers stand out from the others, they use stair climbing dollies—a truly useful invention to deal with heavily loaded moving vans in such appropriate Chicago areas as Lincoln Park, for example, with its old-fashioned houses and stairs to climb.

10. Consider Professional Help

There are times when it pays to summon the reinforcements. If you have items that are highly prized or large and cumbersome, then professional movers know how to deal with such items.When planning a major move that includes transporting vehicles, partnering with reliable Texas car shipping companies can streamline the process and ensure your car arrives safely at your destination. The Chicago Consumer Affairs department has some really good guidelines on how to pick a proper moving company.

11. Protect Your Floors

Another aspect that must not be left behind is the terrain on which the movements are made. They serve to protect the floor from getting scratched if the surface is hardwood or to shield the carpet from getting dented. It is obtained at any Menards store in the Chicago region. What is more, your landlord or future homebuyers will be grateful to you for maintaining their potential future home in good condition.

12. Have an Extra Glass of Water and Go for a Grounded Walk

Relocating can be a long-drawn process, but it is not always a rigorous one. Bring water to drink, seize frequent breaks, and if you can grab a few bottles of Italian lemonade from Mario’s on Taylor Street. If carefully thought through, it occurs that no piece of furniture being worthwhile would be worth an injury.

13. Reassemble with Care

Once you reach the location, make sure to take time and rearrange back to normalcy as much as you can. Check that all bolts and screws have been adequately secured and that all the furniture is not steady—unstable furniture is an irritation and a hazard. In the course of assembling the product, you may find yourself using screws. You may have misplaced some of the screws in the process, but the Ace Hardware stores in Chicago always stock good stocks of the products.

Please bear in mind it is not mandatory that you have to put your back to move heavy furniture. Using these tips, however, along with adequate planning, one will be comfortably occupying his or her new home in Chicago. And hey, once you’re done and your member is set for life, feast on Chicago’s best pizza, a proper slice, or the whole pie! Still, you deserve that which is well deserved in any case, have you not?