Moving heavy furniture without hurting yourself

Slide it, roll it or lever it. Lifting is the last resort.

Almost everything heavy in a house can be moved without being carried. Furniture sliders under the corners turn a wardrobe into something you push. A four-wheel dolly turns a washing machine into something you steer. A simple lever and a block will lift a corner far enough to get either underneath.

When you do lift, get the load against your body, keep your back straight and let your legs do it, and above all plan the whole route before you start. Most injuries happen in the awkward part, which is a doorway, a turn on a stair or the moment someone realizes the sofa will not fit and tries to adjust mid-lift.

Measure doorways, tight turns and stair headroom first. Remove doors from hinges if it buys the inch you need. Take drawers and shelves out, tape doors shut, and protect the load and the walls with blankets.

Where a wheeled aid or a ramp carries a load, take any stated capacity seriously and leave margin. A figure quoted for a static, evenly distributed load is not what you get when the same weight is bouncing over a threshold on two wheels.

Part of the Stalwart guides. See all guides.