Moving House – Things You Think You Can Carry Yourself But Will Need Assistance With

by Grace Bailey
(UK, London)

Regardless of whether you've hired a removals (London) van or not, there will always be certain items that need moving down stairs, around corners, through narrow corridors and even out windows before your handy men arrive. You probably think you can move many of these items yourself. Sure, certain things are no trouble, but there are some common exceptions.

With the interests of your health spearheading this particular article, it pays to be mindful of what you are and aren't quite capable of shifting on moving day. While we all vary in strength, it's nonetheless worth noting that certain items of furniture can undermine even the strongest among us.

Put simply, while the more capable among you may see little harm in moving something like a mattress single-handedly, a quick reminder of the item's physical weight distribution and subsequent behavioral tendencies are important ahead of moving day.

The following is a list of items that you should always seek assistance with, some of which wouldn't appear that heavy at all:

*For the purposes of highlighting items that seem light and easy to move individually, the list below excludes obvious large items like pianos, tables and desks.

1. Mattresses
Having already mentioned mattresses, let's now expand upon the difficulty they pose. Mattresses are really heavy and anything less in terms of weight would render them uncomfortable to lie on at night. A typical mattress doesn't have a handle which makes transportation very difficult. The mistake people usually make is trying to grip tightly and lift at the same time which only serves in doubling the chance of putting one's back out.

Call upon the assistance of someone willing to help out. Both parties should bend at the knees before placing

one end of the mattress against their biceps. There's no need to 'grip lift' with two people, and it makes all the difference.

2. Large mirrors
This one is a little more obvious since brittle glass is at issue, but is often ignored since mirrors appear so light. Carry all body-length mirrors, or those of similar proportion, between two people. Always. Simply hold the item horizontally in order to protect the glass at the best possible angle.

3. Bags or boxes of clothing
While individual pieces of clothing are light, garments stacked up or chucked carelessly into a bag will be very heavy.

While the broad-shouldered among you probably don't see how moving clothing bags like these is challenging, it's more like the handle is going to snap off. Sure, a select few of you will be willing enough to split the load across a series of bags but, for the most part, people don't want to have to muck around in transporting belongings to the removals van or designated vehicle.

In neglecting the handle, the obvious alternative is to lift the bulky bag via the 'cradle' technique. Should you bend at the knees properly, this is safe in regards to posture, only you won't be able to see where you're going properly.

Because large clothing bags tend to be so wide, they obscure the view of anyone hurriedly moving down a stairway, or through a narrow corridor. This is why you need assistance. In enlisting the help of another, simply ask them to perform a 'reverse cradle' technique – arms behind the back and palms cupped openly – while keeping their eyes firmly on the road. This same safety-conscious technique should also be deployed across such items as desks and tables.

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