While moving can be an exciting time in your life, it can be a terrifying one. As with many large upheavals in your life, there are good parts and bad parts to moving house; you will be setting up a new chapter in your life, and can look forward to what your new area has to offer, but you will have to deal with the actual move first! One of the main annoyances in doing a move, whether you are using a removal company or doing the job yourselves, is getting furniture shifted. It can be so cumbersome and difficult that we thought that we’d provide you with a handy guide for efficient furniture moving to get you started on that not so long road towards being excited about your new place!

Firstly, make sure that whoever is going to move it is capable of doing so. If you are using a company, then their staff will be properly trained in moving large objects and dealing with extreme weight lifting. If you are doing the move yourself, then make sure that you have at least two people on hand who are capable of doing the appropriate lifting. If you are untrained but strong, then look up the proper techniques for the types of jobs that you will be doing on the internet. Tips like bending your knees, and keeping your back straight will save you some serious pain as you should avoid any injuries associated with moving heavy items.

Next, prepare your furniture for its journey. Putting card on the corners can save both the item as well as the walls it may come in to contact with. If you have expensive furniture to move, protect it as much as you can, as damages will reduce the value of such items dramatically. Removing the extremities of certain items, like handles and feet will both protect these parts as well as making the whole item much easier to maneuver. Make sure that you keep these parts in a place that you will remember them, as otherwise you may leave them behind and render your favorite furniture completely useless! If you have large mirrors to move, then coat the glass surfaces with a layer of card and or bubble wrap, to prevent any disasters in transit!

Consider the journey that the furniture will be making. This does not just mean how far it has to travel in a van or whatever, it is also the lifting part, from the room to the van. Are your doorways and corridors large enough to accommodate your furniture? If the items are particularly heavy, then getting things through tight spaces can be very strenuous on those who are doing the lifting, as when dealing with such weights, small movements can be very difficult to complete accurately. Keep a piece of cardboard or hard board handy to put between the wall and the item that is being moved, should you need to rest it against the wall. This wills save the paint in your old house, and will mean that you don’t have to do too much work on the place after you have moved out.

Is your furniture going to be safe in the van? When you are driving, make sure that you have strapped everything in to place, so that nothing can move. Avoid going too fast, especially round corners or over sleeping policemen.

If you follow our little guide then you should have no problems with your furniture during the move, remember, patience is the key, do not get stressed, or rush anything.