Are you moving home and looking to save money on professional removalists? Maybe you’re giving away an old couch or moving a desk to the other side of your home. No matter how far your furniture is moving, it’s important to plan and execute with precision. 

Well-planned furniture removals will save you money, limit the risk of injury, and prevent you from getting stuck halfway up the stairs. 
In this article, we’re going to give you 12 tips for easy DIY furniture removals. With these tips on your side, you’ll be moving furniture faster than you can say “PIVOT!” 

1.Measure Everything That’s Long, and Weigh Everything That’s Heavy

“Measure everything” is a common piece of advice for DIY furniture removals, but you don’t have to measure every item. However, you should measure the length, width, and height of every item that looks like it could give you trouble. As well as this, you should measure doorways, corridors, and any other gaps that furniture will have to fit through.  

Examining the weight of your furniture is also a good idea. You don’t have to weigh every heavy item, but you could look at manuals to determine the weight and recommended moving instructions. You could also visually inspect each item and decide in advance how many mates you’ll have to invite over to get the job done (and how many drinks you’ll have to buy them to say thank you!) 

2.Empty Closets and Drawers Before You Begin

You want to make every piece of furniture as lightweight as possible, so empty everything from your drawers, tallboys, and bedside tables before you start lifting and carrying.  

3.Pre-Plan Where Everything Will Land

If you’re moving furniture within your house, determine exactly where you want to position it and create a clear path. 

If you’re moving into a new house, you need to pre-plan a few landings. Plan where the furniture will sit when you first get it out of the house. Plan where it will go in the moving van or truck and plan its position in your new house. For each movement, take steps to make the process as easy as possible.

4.Wrap Up Delicate Items

When it comes to furniture removals, anything that is delicate, expensive, or sentimental should be wrapped in figurative cotton wool. This can take the form of an old sheet or blanket. Cover every surface to avoid scratching and bumping during every part of the move. You can cover items when you’re carrying them and when they’re in transit.

5.If It’s Too Big, Take It Apart

A lot of furniture is designed to be assembled and taken apart easily. This works in your favor when it comes to furniture removals. Any items that are too large can simply be divided into smaller pieces and reassembled later. You can take legs off chairs, cushions off couches, and much more!

For instance, resources like The Hairpin Leg Company provide useful guides on how to attach furniture legs, making disassembly and reassembly straightforward during moves or renovations.

6.Lift with Your Arms, Not with Your Back!

When you rely on your back to lift and carry items, you risk a serious injury. Instead, ensure your arms are used both to lift the furniture and to bear the brunt of its weight.

7.For Tall Items, High and Low Is the Way to Go

Some of the trickiest pieces of furniture to move are tall items such as filing cabinets or display units.  
To shift tall items, have one person carry from the bottom and the other person carry from the top. You should be holding the item diagonally so that one person is carrying it lower to the floor and the other is holding it higher. This helps you distribute weight and prevents swinging. It also mimics the angle of stairs or slopes, which makes it easier to navigate these obstacles. 

8.Stand It On End and Hook It Around the Door

A sofa chair might seem easy to move at first, but these items are often too bulky to fit through doors and around corners. To master these tricky items, simply carry them on their side in an L-shape and move them back-first through the gap. Once the back is through, you can usually curl the rest of the chair around easily. 

This trick also works with couches. Simply stand them on their end, slide them through the door, and hook the rest of the couch through. If the couch is too tall for the gap, you can position the top of the couch away from the opening. This provides clearance, allowing you to maneuver the couch at an angle and slip the top through the gap.  

9.Sliders and Soap Can Help You

To move heavier furniture, you can get little discs that sit under the feet and make it easier to push your furniture without damaging the floor. These items are often called furniture sliders or furniture gliders, and they make pushing and pulling heavy items a breeze. 
 On surfaces like marble and cement, soapy water on the floor can also make it easier to shift heavy items. Just be careful not to overdo the water, as this is an accident waiting to happen! 

 10.A Dolly Can Help You Master the Stairs

Multi-story furniture removals have never been easier thanks to the humble dolly. Simply load your furniture onto the dolly and carefully wheel it up or down the stairs one step at a time.

11.Run It Up the Ramp

Whenever there’s a step, gap, incline, or decline to navigate, consider using a ramp. You can create DIY ramps using lumber, scaffolding, or any other item that can breach the gap. Just make sure your ramp is secure and can handle the combined weight of the furniture and the people carrying it. 

12.Consider Professional Advice and Services

If you’re ever unsure how to move an item safely, do some research and try to find some advice. If the job is getting the better of you, consider hiring a professional for furniture removals. While professional furniture removals will come at a cost, they will also save you time, stress, and potential injuries. Most of all, they will ensure your furniture and your home remain undamaged. 

When hiring a professional for furniture removals, you can have your items professionally packed, transported, and moved into your new home, no matter how far you’re moving! If this sounds good to you, hire a professional furniture removalist today. If you think you can handle it yourself, follow the tips above to get started.