Moving can bring up some unexpected surprises. The longer you’ve lived in a place, the higher the chances that you’ve collected a lot more stuff than you realize. Sometimes, when we’re expecting visitors, we start to shove the clutter we’ve collected into drawers, in closets, under the beds, and under the dresser.
When packing to move, moving furniture away from the walls can give us a surprise, when we find a mess of paperwork or knick-knacks shoved behind heavy furniture.
While you may have already decided to hire a local Plano moving company to do the heavy lifting on moving day, you may find yourself needing to lift heavy objects or move a heavy box into another room. Here are steps to take to ensure that you don’t injure yourself. Even the most fit of people can hurt themselves while lifting! Here are a few of our tips for lifting items:
1. Know Your Limits
If you’re still recovering from an injury, have an old injury that didn’t heal properly, or the heaviest thing you lift is your coffee cup in the morning (we know, that can feel really heavy after a restless night’s sleep!) don’t put undue strain on your body. One wrong move and you could pull a muscle, slip and break a bone-or worse. Enlist help! Some moving companies, like us at Wildcat Movers, offer full-service moving-that includes packing!
2. Lift With Your Legs
We’ve all heard -but it bears repeating. Bend at the knees and stabilize yourself before you lift the object. No matter how heavy or light the object is-if you lift it the wrong way you can injure yourself.
3. Count Down to Take Off
Lift heavy items with a partner. The Pros here at Wildcat Movers always take a couple extra seconds to make sure the other mover is ready to lift. Then a quick 3-2-1 by the Lead Mover, and up we go with the furniture.
4. Turn With Your Feet
Although your first instinct may to be to turn your body from your hips. Especially if you are holding an object fairly close to your body. If you need to turn, turn with your feet. This will ensure you keep your balance.
5. Have a Plan
If you need to move your solid wood dresser to clean behind it, know where you’re going to set it down before lifting. Clear a space so you’re not tripping over boxes or yet-to-be-packed items. Thinking one step ahead while lifting heavy objects can keep injuries at bay.
6. ENLIST HELP!
If you have a lot of heavy items, don’t be afraid to enlist help-some moving companies, like us at Wildcat Movers, offer full-service moving-that includes packing!