There may be plenty of things to be excited about when moving into a new apartment – starting your independent life (if you’re moving out of your parents’ house), starting your family life (if you’re moving in with your spouse/partner), living closer to work, living in a better neighborhood, having a fantastic view of the city, etc. There is, however, one thing you definitely won’t be excited about – getting your furniture into your new high-rise home.
Large and heavy, furniture is quite difficult to move – especially to an upstairs apartment. Maneuvering bulky furniture pieces into a tight elevator or up several flights of stairs is awkward and laborious and downright dangerous. To avoid personal injuries and damage to your items, you need to know how to move furniture into an apartment safely and efficiently – and you need to have reliable help.
Here are some tips for moving furniture into an apartment that will make your job easier and less risky:
Use the elevator
Most high-rise buildings have a service elevator (or a freight elevator) designed to hold more stuff and carry heavier loads than a passenger elevator. It is larger than an ordinary elevator and has larger doors, so it can accommodate large items like furniture pieces.
So, if there is a freight elevator in your new apartment building, it will be relatively easy to get your furniture to your high-floor home. You must contact the building manager ahead of time to reserve the elevator for the day of your move, ask about weight and time restrictions, and discuss any other relevant details. Once all is settled, you should plan your move accordingly, so you can use the service elevator and take your goods to your new flat without any problems:
- Make sure your furniture will fit into the elevator – measure the height of the elevator doors and the inside of the unit in advance and compare the measurements with the dimensions of your large furniture pieces to see if they will fit in. If not, you may need to disassemble the furniture (or at least remove legs, arms, etc.) in order to make your items fit;
- Arrange for your goods to arrive at the pre-agreed move-in time;
- Use a moving dolly so you can quickly and efficiently load and unload your belongings on and off the elevator (by stacking boxes and furniture pieces on a dolly, you’ll be able to transport more stuff at once and save time);
- For maximum safety and efficiency, make sure there is one person at the moving truck overseeing your belongings at all times and at least two people taking your items up to your new apartment.
If, however, there isn’t a freight elevator available in your new high-rise building, you will have to use the main elevator in the lobby. It will be smaller (so larger items won’t fit in) and you may not be able to reserve it (as other building residents will need to use it too), so getting your furniture upstairs will be much more complicated.
You will have to disassemble all larger pieces and take extra precautions as to not scratch or damage the elevator (wrap your furniture in moving blankets, make sure there are no protruding parts that could scratch the walls, etc.). You may also need to wait to use the elevator – and if you’re using professional moving services, you will be charged an extra elevator fee for the wasted time.
Take your furniture up the stairs
There is no doubt that the best way to move heavy furniture upstairs is to use an elevator. Yet, sometimes you may not have access to an elevator – it may be out of service on moving day or the building may not have an elevator at all.
What then? How to move furniture into a high-rise if you can’t use an elevator? There is little choice but to take the stairs. (See also: How to move into a building with no elevator)
Moving furniture up stairs is not an easy task, but with a little knowledge, a lot of careful planning, and enough manpower, you can achieve success.
1. Disassemble and protect your furniture
Before the move, disassemble your larger furniture items to make them safer and easier to get up the stairs.
Wrap the pieces in thick moving blankets and provide some extra padding around the corners and edges to reduce the risk of damage to your furniture (when maneuvering a bulky piece up the stairs and around tight corners, you can easily hit a wall and scratch, chip, or dent your furniture).
Use bubble wrap and foam padding to protect fragile parts, protruding parts, and delicate elements and provide additional cushioning. Then, use stretch wrap to keep the protective and cushioning materials in place.
Must-read: How to pack furniture for moving
2. Get reliable help
Getting furniture up stairs is not a one-man job – furniture items are large and heavy and need to be carried by two people. If you try to haul a bulky piece up the stairs on your own, you risk hurting yourself and damaging the item – you need help moving furniture upstairs.
You have two viable options:
- Ask several reliable friends to give you a hand – The more people you have to help, the safer and easier it will be to take your furniture into your upstairs apartment – two people will be carrying a piece; a third person will be giving directions, keeping an eye out for people coming down the stairs, helping to balance things, and easing the load when going around corners; a fourth person will be overseeing your belongings, etc. For particularly heavy items, it will be best to have two people lifting on the “downhill” side (where most of the weight is) for added support and stability.
- Use professional moving assistance – If you’re using a professional moving company, your hired movers can unload your household items and take them into your new high-rise apartment for an extra fee (full-service movers will do the job as part of their service). If you’re using partial moving services or performing a self-move, you can hire moving labor to unload your furniture and get it into your upstairs apartment.
Bonus tip: If you’re moving furniture to the 3rd floor or higher, you should definitely get professional moving help – the job requires too much physical labor and technical know-how to be handled by non-professionals.
3. Use appropriate moving equipment
There are some tools that are extremely helpful when moving heavy items up stairs and can make the job safer, easier, and more efficient – make sure you use them when moving large furniture into an upstairs apartment:
- A hand truck (or an appliance dolly) – this 2-wheeled dolly provides the leverage you need to move a bulky item, easily rolls up and down stairs, and can be safely maneuvered around tight corners. You can secure a furniture piece on the dolly (tie it with bungee cords or straps) and back your way up the stairs with it – stand on a step, lean the dolly toward you, and pull it up. Have someone on the other side, supporting the furniture and helping to lift it from step to step;
- A shoulder dolly (or moving straps) – this two-person lifting system consists of one moving strap and two harnesses and allows two people to effectively lift and carry heavy items by using leg strength and upper-body stability. Loop the straps under the furniture, secure it, and lift it using your shoulder and leg muscles. You will be able to efficiently carry the heavy piece up the stairs, remain upright all the time, and safely maneuver around tight corners.
See also: Essential moving equipment and tools to have when moving by yourself
4. Use safe lifting and carrying techniques
Even if you have enough help and proper moving equipment, getting furniture into an upstairs apartment is a laborious and dangerous task. You need to be extremely careful during the entire process – and to know how to lift and carry heavy furniture without hurting yourself or causing damage to your items:
- Before lifting a heavy furniture piece, make sure you have a stable base with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight, bend your knees, get a firm grip on the furniture, and lift with your legs;
- Lift the furniture from one side and have another person lift it from the opposite side. Continually check in with one another while carrying the piece, especially as you go up the stairs;
- Use the high and low technique – a specific way to move furniture up stairs that gives you more control and keeps your piece safer. One person (the one who walks first and is higher on the steps) holds the furniture from the top and the other (the person lower on the steps) – from the bottom. This method keeps the item better balanced and more stable and makes turning easier and less risky;
- Walk slowly and watch your step – especially the person higher up who has to walk up the stairs backward;
- Be extra careful when you have to turn to go up the next flight of stairs. If you’re moving a very large piece (or a very long one, such as a couch), you may not have enough clearance to make the turn while keeping the furniture horizontal. You may need to tip the piece, turn it sideways, or lift it up enough to clear a railing in order to get around a corner. In such cases, make sure there are two people on the downhill side to support the furniture;
- Take frequent breaks – do not try to take the furniture all the way up to your new apartment in one go. Stop for a rest every few flights of stairs, so you don’t strain your joints and muscles or get too exhausted and inadvertently hurt yourself or drop the furniture.
Bonus tip: When carrying furniture up stairs, be sure to wear comfortable close-toed shoes with ankle-support and anti-slip soles – to ensure good traction and flexibility and reduce the risk of slipping on the stairs. Put on high-quality work gloves that will provide a good grip and will protect your hands and fingers.
Additional useful information: 10 proper lifting techniques for moving heavy furniture
All in all, there’s no easy way to move furniture up stairs – just take it one step at a time and be careful and resolute.
Use hoisting services
If your furniture can’t be disassembled and doesn’t fit through the doors or along the staircases and hallways of your new apartment building, then you have only one way to get the piece into your high-floor home – through a window.
Professional apartment movers can set up a rope-and-pulley rigging system to hoist your furniture to the window and then squeeze the piece through the pane into your upstairs apartment. This procedure is very difficult and requires specialized equipment (hoisting crane, moving platform, etc.) and great expertise, so it will cost you dearly.
See also: Additional services movers offer
Now that you know how to move furniture into an upstairs apartment, you’ll be able to plan your move appropriately and ensure a safe, smooth, and hassle-free relocation. Happy apartment living!
