How to Move Difficult and Bulky Items When Your Business Moves Premises
Moving your business to a new location can be challenging. If not managed properly, a move could affect the smooth running of your business. Moving to new business promises can often involve moving many bulky, irregular-shaped, and heavy items, including furniture, electrical equipment and appliances, among other items.
While smaller items are easy to move, more significant and more sensitive pieces need special care. However, proper knowledge of the intricacies involved and the correct planning, tools, and management to address them can make this an easy job. Here are a few tips to move your business’ bulky and difficult items with minimal fuss while keeping them safe.
Plan your Space
The first thing you need to do is assess your new space is essential. Measure the interior dimensions of your business’ new premises and ensure it is spacious enough to accommodate all your large pieces of furniture and other bulky items.
Plan out where everything will go and how you’ll move it in – moving pieces in the most logical order can make a big difference. It’s also important to consider your entryways – measure the doorways of your new location to check that they’re wide enough for your items. You can remove doors temporarily if necessary.
Wrap Everything
You can wrap smaller items up in bubble wrap to keep them safe and prevent breakages. However, for larger items, you’ll need special packaging. For example, if you run a small hotel, you’ll have to relocate many large furniture, beds, and mattresses.
It’s essential to protect your items during the move using special protective covering, such as thick cartons or pallets for furniture and dust-and-moisture-proof mattress bags.
Break Items into Pieces if Possible
Many bulky items can be transported much more quickly if broken down into components. Beds, desks, and other furniture can often be dismantled to minimize their volume when packed up. These pieces are also much easier to move, load into and unload from the moving van, and manoeuvre through doors and up and down stairs.
You can move items as separate pieces so that the weight will be considerably reduced. Even if you don’t have to disassemble some items fully, you may have to remove some protruding parts to manoeuvre the items easily around corners.
Minimize Friction
Friction can be disastrous while moving large and bulky objects. When you’re faced with moving large and/or heavy pieces, it can be tempting to push or pull them across the floor. However, this can damage your furniture and equipment and the floors.
Instead, use a forklift if possible. If this is not possible, try to reduce friction by using rollers for pushing or a piece of carpet for pulling. Wherever possible, apply to push instead of pulling because it is better for your body as it gives you less strain. You can also use other tools such as lifting straps, glides, and stair rollers to move heavy and bulky pieces without any kind of damage.
Manage the Space in your Truck
Along with heavy and bulky items, you will also have smaller items to move. It’s important not to fill the truck with all your small pieces first because they may take up all the space, and you won’t be left with any room to stash your more oversized items.
Instead, load the more significant objects first, then fill the remaining space with smaller objects. It’s also essential to take irregular and awkwardly-shaped items and prioritize loading these in or fit everything in as quickly as possible.
Pay Attention to Items that Need
Difficult items to move to include bulky items and items needing special handling. For example, if your business deals with chemicals and other hazardous substances, ensure only trained and expert professionals handle these materials and supervise the move. Always follow the manufacturer’s specifications and special instructions while handling or moving hazardous substances.
Use Experts if Necessary
You can handle your move yourself, especially if you have previous experience in moving premises, especially moving large objects and furniture, and feel confident to do so. However, if you have any doubts, it is always a good idea to consult professionals. This may involve spending a little more, but your property will arrive at your new premises in top condition, so you’ll save money in the long run.
Key Takeaways
Failure to have a proper plan or follow specific processes can make moving difficult, bulky items challenging and unsafe. Moving bulky items can cause injuries and damage your pieces if not done correctly. On the other hand, with proper planning, safety precautions, and the right tools, you’ll soon be all moved into your new premises with your equipment intact.
