The lead-up to moving day—not to mention the big day itself—can be a whirlwind of logistical planning and the source of a few headaches. Figuring out what to do with your bulky items is a big decision. Furniture is large but can be surprisingly delicate and is sometimes damaged easily.
Here at Prime Storage, we’ve helped our fair share of families and individuals with their big moves. Whether you’re moving directly to your new home or are temporarily transporting your belongings into a self storage unit near you in the meantime, we’ve got your back with furniture storage and moving tips.
How to Transport Large Furniture
Transporting lamps and other small pieces of furniture is relatively simple: make sure it fits in your moving vehicle and doesn’t break! Of course, that can be easier said than done. As such, these tips for how to transport large furniture are quite important and can be applied to furniture of all sizes. Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks:
- Take out drawers and disassemble legs and feet—Yes, you’ll end up with more individual pieces to move. But, by disassembling your furniture, you’ll be better able to protect each piece and make your furniture lighter and easier to maneuver.
- Slide heavy furniture when you can—Dragging a heavy piece of furniture can ruin flooring. Put a blanket, towel, or furniture sliders below and get moving!
- Get help—Many hands make light work. Even if you can move something like a bulky TV by yourself, another set of hands will help you move faster. You can also consider lifting straps or harnesses.
- Plan your route and order of operations—Few things on moving day are worse than having to move things out of the truck or van to accommodate other items.
Furniture Covers for Moving
Even if you’re careful, furniture can move and jostle during the moving process, and hard surfaces can scratch against each other. To help ensure that doesn’t happen, get some furniture covers for moving. But you don’t have to buy anything special—even large blankets will do in a pinch. Just be sure to wrap your furniture for extra protection.
Choosing a Moving Vehicle
Once you’ve wrapped up your furniture, it’s time to transport your furniture to its new location. Of course, that’s easier said than done. A lot of furniture is difficult to transport thanks to bulky dimensions and heavy weight. Choosing a moving vehicle is a big deal, and each vehicle has its advantages and considerations.
Types of Moving Vehicles
If you’ve decided to hire a moving company to help you with your move, you won’t have to decide on choosing a moving vehicle. But if you’re doing it on your own, you’ll have to pick yourself. There are three main kinds of moving vehicles that you can rent:
- Pickup trucks—Pickups are a classic tool in any mover’s arsenal. The largest pickup trucks come with beds up to about eight feet in length.
- Cargo vans—Not quite as bulky as box trucks, your standard 9’ cargo van has an interior storage length of nine feet, an interior storage width of five and a half feet, and a height of about four feet.
- Box Trucks—The traditional moving truck, box trucks come in lengths up to 26 feet. They’re tall and ideal for larger, long-haul transportation needs.
How big of a moving vehicle, as well as what kind of moving vehicle, you need is dependent on how much you’re moving and how far you’re moving it. If you’re unsure of what size truck to rent, contact your local Prime Storage facility and our helpful staff can help you with your needs.
Can I Transport Furniture in a Rideshare?
If you’ve found that you can’t quite fit your furniture in your vehicle, you have probably thought through a few alternate solutions. For those who have used rideshares, like Uber and Lyft, you may wonder if you can’t simply bring your furniture with you on your ride. In short, the answer to the question “can I transport furniture in a rideshare?” is: yes, with two somewhat major caveats.
The first such caveat is that you are not guaranteed to get a vehicle that is big enough to fit your furniture with a standard Uber or Lyft order. Only by paying for an UberXL or Lyft XL are you guaranteed to get a vehicle large enough to seat five passengers, and even then, you may not get a large enough vehicle.
The second caveat is that, because Uber and Lyft drivers are classified as independent contractors, they can simply refuse to provide service as long as they aren’t engaging in wrongful discriminatory practices. In other words, it’s entirely up to each individual driver if they’ll help you with your move.
Convenient and Affordable Furniture Storage
When your moving day is here, there’s no need to fear—thanks to your friends at Prime Storage. Our convenient and affordable self storage units come in month-to-month leases for maximum flexibility. We even sell moving and packing supplies onsite at many of our storage facilities.
Storing furniture at your local Prime Storage facility is a breeze. To get started, find self storage near you and contact one of our storage facilities today!
