The Best Way To Move A Sofa By Yourself
Couches are large, bulky and heavy so they can be tricky to move if you don’t know what to do. Once you have a helping hand, some key moving equipment and solid advice from our couch moving experts, you will be offering to help move your friends and family couches in your spare time!
What you will need:
- Shrink wrap
- Furniture straps
- Furniture blankets
- Tape
- Furniture dolly
- Truck, van or ute
1. Measure the couch and surrounding areas.
Before you even grab your tools and start dismantling your couch, you want to measure everything before you start the moving process. Using a measuring tape, measure the dimensions of the couch and the areas the couch will have to go through in order to get to its new destination. This includes any door frames, hallways and driveways the couch will be carried through. You also want to measure your vehicle of choice, whether that’s a truck, van or ute, to make sure it can accommodate the size of the couch.
2. Dismantle the couch.
To prep the couch for the move, you need to dismantle it down as much as you can. By disassembling the couch, this will prevent any protruding parts from damaging any door frames or hallways when it is on the move.
For any easy move, you want the base of the couch to be one whole piece by itself. Remove any cushions, covers, arm rests, legs and any other detachable part from the base of the couch. The legs are usually screwed into the base of the couch and should be very simple to unscrew. Wrap all the legs together with shrink wrap and place the legs in a small cardboard box and clearly label the box. If you are unsure if the legs of your couch detach, don’t try and force it off if you are having some difficulty. Whilst you are taking apart the couch, store any small parts such as nails, screws and bolts in a zip lock bag and put them in the same box as the couch legs.
If your couch is a sectional, detach each section of the couch from one another until each section is its own piece.
If your couch is a sofa bed, you also want to remove the mattress from the couch and place it in a mattress bag.
3. Protect the couch.
Place any cushions and covers in a large cardboard box or in a moving bag so they are all kept together in one place. If the cushions don’t fit it in a moving box or bag, cover them with shrink wrap and place them in a large garbage bag.
You also want to wrap your couch with shrink wrap and furniture blankets to protect it and to prevent any damage occurring to it during the move. The furniture blanket is thick and well padded so it will help protect your sofa from getting torn, scuffed up or scratched. Wrap the sofa with the furniture blanket first and then secure the furniture blanket in place with shrink wrap.
If you have a lightly coloured sofa and you are unsure if the furniture blanket is clean or not, Use a layer of shrink wrap first then proceed with the furniture blanket and more shrink wrap. This will ensure there is no colour or dirt transfer from the furniture blanket onto your sofa.
You can also place extra padding on the armrests and on the corners of the sofa by using pieces of cardboard or additional furniture blankets.
If your sofa is in separate parts, wrap each piece individually so it is easier to move.
4. Move the couch.
With the assistance of another person, you want to place the couch on its end so it is standing up vertically. Moving your couch in a vertical position makes it easier to maneuver through narrow hallways and tight corners.
The easiest way to move a couch is with a furniture dolly. Furniture dollies sit low to the ground and have four durable castors so it is perfect for moving household furniture. Have one person tilt the couch to one side so the second person can carefully slide the furniture dolly underneath the couch. Once the couch is on the dolly, secure the couch to the dolly using furniture straps.
Now you can slowly push and steer the couch and dolly to the vehicle. When you are moving the couch, be sure to keep an eye out of low hanging lights, tight corners and narrow doorways.
If you need to move the couch up or downstairs, then you won’t be able to use the furniture dolly and will have to do some heavy lifting. Consider the weight of the couch and think about how many people you will need to assist. You also need to consider how big your staircase is and if the couch can fit through it. You always want to make sure the strongest person is at the bottom of the staircase as they will be holding most of the weight.
If your staircase is too narrow or is a spiral staircase and can’t accommodate the size of the sofa, then you may have to move your couch through the window or over the balcony. It is best to leave difficult moves such as these to expert furniture removalists as it can be quite dangerous if not executed correctly.
5. Load and unload the couch.
Now you have moved the couch out of your home or office, it is time to load it into your truck, van or ute.
If you have a truck, then it will be easy for you. Most trucks come with ramps or hydraulic lifts so you can wheel the sofa straight into the truck or onto the hydraulic lift. If you are hiring a truck from a rental facility, make sure to ask if the truck comes with a ramp or a hydraulic lift.
If you have a van or ute, then you will need to hoist the couch into the back of the van or in the tray of the ute. Take the couch off the dolly and place it near the back of the vehicle. Carefully lift the bottom of the couch so the top of the couch tilts towards the vehicle and you can carefully push the couch inside the vehicle. Make sure you are bending from your knees when you lift the couch so you don’t hurt yourself.
Use the furniture straps to tie down the couch inside the vehicle so it doesn’t move around during transit.
When you have reached your new destination, repeat the process in reverse until the couch is placed in its new home.
