Moving household, as well as office items, is not a job that can be done willy-nilly. You have to have a proper plan and the necessary tools and also ways to execute this plan properly. One of the first things you need to plan for is how you will move your items from one place to another safely.
Here is a list of 10 moving safety tips we have compiled so that your move is a safe one.
One of the very first things you have to ensure while moving is whether you have packed your items safely. You also have to keep yourself safe by not picking up too much weight, and using lifting and moving equipment like a dolly. Next, you have to ensure the safety of your children and pets as well.
Let’s take a deeper look at the tips you need to follow while moving.
10 best house moving safety tips
While you are moving your office or your home, there is a lot of stress involved in the process. You have to pack the items, make sure to hire a proper moving service according to your items and budget, and also ensure the items have been moved to the new destination safely.
During the rush of ensuring all of this, it is very easy to forget about the safety of the items as well as yourself before the move.
If you don’t follow the necessary safety protocols during your move, you might end up with more on your plate than you already had. So, here are a few house and office moving safety tips for you to follow so that you as well as your items are completely safe.
1. Pack things properly
One of the most important pieces of advice to ensure safety on the move is to pack your items properly. You have to acquire sturdy boxes to fit all of your items inside. While packing, you shouldn’t fit everything inside one box just because it has space.
You should also double-tape your packing boxes around the corners and the edges so that the items don’t start falling off once you have started lifting them. Some items are fit to be packed inside the boxes and some are not.
Find out which items you can not pack inside the boxes and also how to pack things properly in our article packing materials for moving.
Additionally, if you have sharp objects, you should wrap them in some clothes or at least newspaper. This will ensure not only will the boxes will be protected from tearing and breaking, but you will also be protected when you are moving the boxes or unpacking them.
2. Not lifting too heavy boxes
The definition of the word ‘heavy’ is different for different people. When you go to lift the box and find them to be too heavy for you, then it is too heavy for you indeed.
Don’t overexert yourself while lifting boxes, because lifting boxes that are too heavy will put a lot of stress on your lower back and legs.
If the weight of the boxes is too heavy for you to handle, then the stress put on your body by them will cause serious injuries. Moving homes are by no means worth getting injured. Just because a box might not be heavy for someone else, doesn’t mean it won’t be heavy for you.
3. Dress accordingly
One of the moving and packing safety tips people tend to forget most often is to dress accordingly. There is a difference between the appropriate clothes for regular times and that for moving.
The best type of clothing for moving is light and breathable clothes. This will allow you to be comfortable and not get too constricted by them.
Sometimes people get confused between wearing comfortable clothes and wearing baggy clothes. Yes, baggy clothes might be comfortable for you under normal circumstances, but it is not a proper way of dressing when moving.
Because baggy clothes can easily get hooked to something, causing the boxes to fall down on the floor or worse, on you!
4. Use proper lifting techniques
Once you pack your boxes and wear proper clothes for moving them, it is now the time to move them. When you lift these boxes, you always have to maintain the proper techniques of lifting. Some people think that lifting techniques only apply to weight lifters, but it is not true at all.
When you are lifting heavy boxes, you always have to keep your back straight, which will allow the weight of the boxes to be evenly distributed all over your back, and not put too much pressure on the lower back only.
Next, you need to always maintain a firm grip on the boxes, so that they don’t slip and fall on your feet.
In addition to that, always keep the boxes centered on your body, otherwise one of your sides will experience extreme pressure. If you need to turn while carrying heavy boxes, don’t try to turn as you normally do, rather try to do it in smaller steps.
5. Use lifting equipment
Now you know how to move boxes that you can lift and move. But what about those that you can’t? There is furniture in your home that are too heavy, which can not be lifted via traditional lifting methods and loaded onto the moving trucks.
One of the best furniture moving safety tips we can offer you is to use proper lifting equipment for this purpose.
There is a lot of lifting equipment you can use for moving heavy boxes and furniture in your home. You can use a dolly (either a 4-wheel or a 2-wheel one) or furniture sliders to lift and move your furniture smoothly.
6. Ensure children and pets are at a safe distance
If you have children in your home, you will know that they always want to be at the center of the action. This also applies when you are moving homes. Sometimes they get too eager and can crash into you while you are moving.
But as the boxes can block your view, you can’t do anything about it. Sometimes these can cause serious accidents, especially if you are moving heavy items.
Also, if you have pets in your home, especially dogs, they will want to be with you when you move homes. A similar kind of accident can happen if you crash into your pets and the boxes fall on them.
To avoid that, you need to keep your pets and children as far away from the moving procedure as possible.
Read out this article if you want to move house with pets.
7. Ensure you keep exits clear
When you move your household or office items, you need to make sure you have planned which paths around your house you will take. Once you have a plan in mind, make sure that you keep that path clear so that you don’t face any obstacles while moving in and out.
Every time you face any obstruction in your path, it will be increasingly difficult to move boxes and furniture.
8. Eat, drink, and sleep well
The next thing on the moving safety checklist is your health. Before the day of the move, you need to have proper meals and get enough sleep, so that you don’t feel weak or sleepy while working, which can have catastrophic consequences.
You also need to stay hydrated and well-fed throughout the day to keep healthy.
9. Listen to what your body says
No matter how much we tell you to do this or not to do that, at the end of the day it is you who will move your items. If you feel sick or if anything seems to be wrong with your body, don’t overexert yourself too much, and stop putting too much pressure on yourself.
Take a breather and if that doesn’t help, ask someone else, like a friend or family member to help you out.
10. Hire a professional
If lifting heavy boxes and moving them is not possible for you, then you can easily hire professional moving services to move and load your boxes onto the truck. We, at Easy Way Removals, provide moving and loading services for you if you are unable to load your items onto your truck.
Final Words
There are a lot of things you have to get right to make your move a smooth and safe one. One of the ways to make moving your items easier and safer is to follow the moving safety tips we have mentioned above. Once you have figured out how to lift and move your items to the truck, call us to book our removal services NOW!
FAQ‘s
1. Can you give three safety rules for handling moving objects?
There are a lot of rules for handling moving objects safely. Among them, the three most important are lifting objects safely, proper usage of techniques and equipment, and refraining from putting too much stress on one’s body.
2. What precautions should you take when moving objects?
When you move your household or office objects, there are a few precautions you have to take. First, you should avoid lifting heavy items over your head.
Next, always keep your grip on the objects firm and keep your feet as stable as possible. Also, you need to keep the objects you have lifted, closer to your body.
3. What should you not do when moving?
There are some big no-nos when you move your home. First, you must not choose a removal service without proper research. Next, you must not prioritize DIY when you can’t do everything yourself.
Then, you must not keep things postponed until the day before the move.