Once moving day arrives, you might be dreading having to lift your heavy furniture and appliances into a removal van. If you’re dealing with the move yourself, or with a man and a van, then chances are you will have to do some heavy lifting yourself. It can be very easy to cause injury when doing so, so whether your packing these items into a van from your old home or unpacking at your new Enfield property, the below tips can help make sure you do so in the safest and most efficient way, helping to make your whole move to the EN area a bit easier.

Don’t tackle very heavy items alone

This is perhaps obvious, but sometimes it’s easy to think you can manage something heavy on your own, when in fact it can be quite dangerous. Not only that, but any large piece of furniture or heavy item will be a lot easier to move with a few people. Certain things will definitely require more than one person to lift and load safely, so make sure you have help on hand. Removal companies, if you are using one will handle the packing and especially the bigger items, so it’s often better to let them get on with the heavy lifting. If you’re doing the move yourself or with a man and van, then make sure to get some extra help from family or friends if you need it.

The best way to lift something heavy

The first thing to do is check how heavy an item is, and whether you think you are able to lift it. Simply giving the item a nudge with your foot, or lifting a corner should be a good indication of its weight. If you can’t move it at all when testing in this way, don’t try it alone. To safely lift an item, bend your knees and squat. Try and get the object as close as possible to your body, and when lifting be sure to keep your back straight, lifting slowly with your head up.

Carrying

Now you have the item secure, keep it as close to your body as possible, as this distributes the load more evenly. If you try and hold something heavy away from your body, for example, it will put a lot of stress on your arms legs and back, and can lead to strains or injury. When walking, try to make sure that you lead with your feet when turning corners. Generally, try not to move your waist too much while keeping your body straight as possible overall.

Loading and placing

Things will be slightly easier if loading into a van than a car for example, as you won’t need to squat down etc. Even so, if loading into a van, pace yourself and make as many trips as you need to up to the house and back, getting everything in place outside by the van first. If you feel tired, then take a short break before continuing. When placing an item on the ground, reverse the process you used to pick it. Squat down with knees bent, holding the item close to your body, and keep your back straight.

Injury

In the unfortunate event of an injury, then stop immediately – you can cause serious damage to an injured area if you continue to try loading and carrying heavy items. Some slight strains and muscle pain is likely to be present after any lifting you‘re not used to, but if the pain persists for a long time after your move or happens during the lifting itself, stop at once and consult a doctor as soon as you can.