Very few people look forward to a house move – particularly when there are bulky and heavy (or easy to break ones like glasses) items of furniture involved. One of the trickiest items to move is a bed or a sofa as these are not only an unwieldy size and shape but, in many cases, also have to be moved down stairs. In this article, we’re sharing our tips for moving your bed safely. 

What’s the problem ?

Every year in the UK, 300,000 people suffer back injuries from manual handling accidents and a considerable number of these occur during a house move. Unsafe moving methods can lead to injury; including back pain which at best can be extremely uncomfortable and, at worst, debilitating – sometimes requiring medical intervention. 

Because of this it’s incredibly important to take great care when moving heavy or bulky items of furniture such as beds during your house move. 

Tips for moving your bed safely

First things first

Before you even think about moving and transporting beds, there are a few things you should do: 

Taking things apart

Check to see if your bed can be dismantled as this can make it distinctly easier to move. If you’re not sure, look up the make / model of your bed to find information online. If this is the case, follow the instructions carefully and make sure that you keep all the parts such as screws for reassembling at the other end. 

Measure your bed

If your bed cannot be disassembled then it will, alas, need to be moved and transported as a whole unit. Before you begin to attempt this, you need to measure the length, width and depth of your bed – and then do the same with your staircase. You will also need to compare these measurements with the interior of the van which will be transporting the bed to ensure that there will be enough room. 

Carrying and moving your bed safely

Trying to move your bed – including downstairs and upstairs – without taking care can result in damage to your bed but, more importantly, can risk causing serious injury to yourself and others. In this article, we’re running through some tips for carrying your bed safely: 

It takes two (at least)

If time and budgets are tight, you might be tempted to try to move your bed by yourself. Don’t. This really is the easiest and quickest way to damage both yourself and your bed. If you can’t afford to have a professional move your furniture, you should enlist a friend or relative to help. As well as being heavy, moving a bed often involves some tricky maneuvering so this is really not something that you want to attempt on your own. 

Getting started

Whether you’re having to carry your bed downstairs or through doorways, your best bet is to lift the bed frame and position it upright on its longest side (i.e. the bit you lie on!). This will allow the greatest amount of flexibility and maneuverability when moving your bed within narrow spaces. 

When moving your bed from room to room, down stairs and through doorways, communication is key. In most cases, one person will be moving backwards and, so, it’s up to the second carrier to warn him or her of any hazards or obstacles.

Take things slowly and stop for breaks if necessary.

How to transport beds safely

Once you’ve made it as far as getting your bed into the removal van, well done – but there’s still work to do!

Once you have your bed inside the van, it’s really important that you secure it properly. Where possible, your bed should be strapped to hooks within the van to stop it from moving around while in transit – and to stop it falling onto other, more fragile items. 

When you reach the other end (i.e. your new home), you will most likely have to then follow the bed moving procedure in reverse. You should take extra care here as you will almost certainly be tired and stressed and therefore more vulnerable to accidents. 

Making sure your bed move doesn’t lead to nightmares

Moving and transporting beds (and other heavy and unwieldy items of furniture) can be frustrating and stressful. For this reason, moving forward, it’s best to look for items which can be taken apart and reassembled as this really does make the moving process an awful lot easier. 

If this isn’t possible, always take care when moving and transporting beds and never attempt to do so by yourself as this is likely to result in your being transported to a hospital bed instead of your new home. 

If you want to move somehere but can’t find a place for yourself check out some of the best places to live in London for young professionals!