Loading and unloading furniture during your relocation process is generally the hardest part. If you’re planning on doing your move without professionals then it can become very physically demanding, but there are a few tips you can follow to make sure you approach the loading and unloading of your furniture in the most efficient and safest way.

Don’t tackle it alone

The first thing to take note of is to not try and lift anything very heavy alone. If you don’t think you can move a piece of furniture by yourself, then simply don’t . It’s not worth the risk of injury, which will only cause more problems for your removals process. Ideally, make sure you have at least 1 other person when attempting to lift a heavy item of furniture, or 4 if you are trying to move something like a bed or wardrobe.

How to Lift

Lifting the correct way will make sure that you don’t injure yourself, but also make carrying the item much easier. Essentially, you want to distribute the load evenly over your body, which will prevent putting too much strain on your back, legs and arms. The safest way to lift something heavy is as follows: To begin, crouch down bending your knees while trying to keep your back straight. Go down to the furniture, don’t lean over and try to lift it. Once you are level with the item, place your hands under and get them secure, then coordinate with your carrying partner on lifting. When lifting the item up, use your legs to push up and try and keep your end of the furniture as close to your chest as possible, while keeping your back straight.

Carrying

Again, while carrying any heavy piece of furniture, you want to do your best to keep your back straight and avoid any twisting from the waist if possible. Try to keep the item close to your chest area, as this distributes the weight better over your body and will be easier to carry. If you are feeling the strain or starting to lose your grip, tell your partner and place the furniture down for a moment or two. It’s better to take a breather if it’s getting too much, as you may drop and damage the furniture otherwise, or injure yourself.

Loading and placing down

It’s often better to not try and load directly into the van. Instead, get all your furniture out of the house first and placed near the van. This not only gives you a few minute to have a breather, but means you can think about how to load the van too, which might save on having to keep moving things around to make space etc. When placing an item down, simply reverse the process of lifting. Make sure to go down with the item by bending your knees with back straight at all times.

Injury

If you should hurt yourself in anyway while lifting heavy items of furniture, then stop immediately. Lifting and placing the correct way should help you avoid most injuries, but everyone is different, and sometimes accidents happen. Give yourself a few minutes and try lifting something lighter to see if the pain is still there. If so, then don’t try lifting anything else and consult a doctor.