Even with someone to help, expect to have a tough time moving heavy furniture through 
narrow hallways, around doors, or down stairwells. One wrong move and that bulky dresser or sofa might crash into a wall. Or worse still, you might lift it only to end up with an injured your back. To avoid either, use the following tips to move large furniture easily and safely.
Dismantle
The lighter you can make an item, the easier it will be to carry and to maneuver through doors, down stairwells, and around corners. So, dismantle all heavy items. Remove the legs from sofas and tables, the backs from recliners and chairs, and drawers from cabinets and dressers. Also, empty items that cannot be dismantled, such as bookshelves.
Lift High and Low
If you can lift a dresser or sofa, use the high-low method. First, tilt the furniture, and then carry it with one person lifting the top and the other, the bottom. This way, you avoid lifting furniture all the way up. In addition, the tilted item travels down the stairs more easily and safely.
Strap Up
Attached to your shoulders or forearms and to furniture, adjustable lifting straps transfer the weight to the large muscles in your upper body and legs. Better still, they leave your hands free to maneuver the furniture. However, use the straps on level surfaces only. On stairs or slopes, they shift the weight to the person on the lower level.
Lift with the Legs, not the Back
As you lift, don’t bend your waist and lift with your back as most people do. This only injures your back muscles. Instead, bend your knees and lift with your thigh muscles, which are stronger and less prone to injury than your back muscles.
Slide, not Drag
If you cannot lift an item, use plastic disks called sliders. Slip them under the legs of furniture with the smooth side facing the floor and then push the heavy item across the room. But exercise caution when sliding tilted furniture. Always pull the lower section, not the top, to minimize the risk of tipping.
Use Moving Dollies
These are moving equipment onto which you place your furniture. One is a furniture truck or utility dolly, which has two wheels, a metal frame, and handles. Its lower frame goes under furniture, which you then lean towards you and carry.
Use it to carry lighter objects, for it transfers all the weight to you. This is unlike the other moving equipment, the furniture or moving dolly. As it has a flatbed and four wheels, it bears all the weight, making it easier to push around.
Roll on Ramps and Rollers
On stairwells, use ramps or rollers to slide down heavy objects. But as a precaution, have another person to help you guide the objects. Otherwise, their weight can pull them down faster than you can control them.
Conclusion
Moving heavy items without damaging them or injuring yourself is possible. But this is only if you make the items as light as possible and then use the right equipment and technique.
