How to Hoist Furniture When Moving

When it comes to moving heavy or bulky household items, people sometimes decide to leave them behind. That’s due to the expenses and the complexity of the process. But things look quite different when you have that perfect sofa for your home. Or antique chest of drawers that’s one or any other item that you must bring with you. In that case, you may be unable to carry the item out in the traditional way through the doors. So, you may be forced to look for alternative ways – like going through the window. Taking your furniture out through the window is a great solution if you do it properly, which is why you should take advice from professional Brooklyn movers. Carry on reading to find out how to hoist furniture when moving.

Prepare your furniture piece for moving

Before you hoist a specific item, you must prepare it for hoisting and moving. The first thing to do is to empty it completely. So, empty the content of the drawers, remove cushions, etc. Then you’ll want to measure the dimensions of the furniture, including its diagonals. The reason to measure diagonal dimensions is that sometimes you’ll have to tilt an item at a certain angle in order to manoeuver it through a tight space. If an item is too big and can’t fit through the doors, you’ll want to consider taking it out through the window. Although, this should be your last option. Of course, you’ll have to measure the window as well to make sure dimensions allow you to go this way.

Your next step is to disassemble furniture. Wondering how to disassemble furniture when moving? It’s easy. Remove drawers, doors, and any other detachable parts. Some items can’t be fully disassembled but in most cases, you’ll be able to remove at least some parts. For example, the legs of your bed or sofa. This will make furniture lighter, more compact, and the hoisting process easier.

You will then want to pack and protect your bulky item. If you’re struggling with finding a way to protect floors when moving, this will help you protect both floors and walls. Everybody knows these areas of the house often get damaged during the moving process. So go ahead and wrap your entire furniture piece in protective coverings. Use stretch tape and furniture blankets for this purpose and follow by using packing tape to secure everything in place. At this point, you can also protect walls, corners, window frames, balcony railing, and other areas of your property. That way you’ll make sure you’ll leave the house intact.

Strap up your furniture

Once your property and a furniture piece are prepared for moving, it’s time to use straps and fasten them tightly around an item you’re hoisting. You should create a loop that will hold the piece from all sides. You will use these loops to attach ropes for pulling your item. Then make the knots so the straps wouldn’t come undone and make them as tight as possible.

Attach ropes

The next step to hoisting furniture safely is to attach sturdy ropes to loops you just made. This will help you lift an item and navigate through the process. This step is pretty easy – just pass the ropes through the loops and make knots in the middle. Pay attention to the length of the rope – it should be at least twice the length you have from the ground to the window and it’s always a good idea to add some extra length just in case. You can use this technique for pulling up or lowering your furniture so it works for both moving in and moving out.

Also, keep in mind that you can’t move extremely heavy or large furniture this way. So, consider hiring specialized piano movers NYC, if you want to hoist and move bulky and sensitive items like a piano or a hot tub, or contact NYC art movers if you need to move an artwork, etc.

Hoist

So you’ve made it this far and it’s time to approach the actual hoisting process. Keep in mind that this is not a simple task and you must be extremely careful with hoisting furniture. Firstly, you must have enough helpers. You’ll need at least three people but it’s even better if you have extra helpers. Two persons will be pulling the ropes while the third person will stay on ground level and warn about obstacles or alert if the furniture seems to be out of balance or anything else really that seems odd. You and your helper should make sure you’re synchronized well. You should pull the ropes slowly in order to lower or lift the furniture without too much swinging or tilting.

Safety

When you decide to hoist furniture DIY, you must always keep everyone’s safety in mind. All helpers, including yourself, should wear protective gloves and closed-toe shoes. You must also make sure that there are no obstacles so nobody would trip. You should never try lifting more weight than you can – there’s nothing bad in getting more helping hands when you need them. Also, consider all the alternatives when you’re hoisting furniture. For example, furniture sliders or inclined planes should work just fine if you’re lifting an item to the first or second floor. In case you do have to use ropes, check their condition first – they should be sturdy and in good condition as damaged ropes can lead to damages and injuries.

Hopefully, after reading this guide you’ll be able to hoist your furniture safely and efficiently so you can move large items without trouble. As always, the best way to move your bulky or heavy household items is to hire professional movers, such as Dorothy and Martha Moving. Our moving crew has all the necessary equipment and experience needed to hoist your furniture. We’re available for any questions so don’t hesitate to contact us – we’ll be happy to chat about your relocation and give you a free moving quote.