Using a Furniture Dolly
Using a furniture dolly can help you move heavy appliances and furniture easily. There's 3 different types of dollies that you shouldn't be without on moving day.
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The most common type of moving dolly is a hand truck. This has a tall (about 3 or 4 foot) backrest handle that is adjustable in size and a flat piece that sticks out on the bottom. The wheels are on the back edge of the bottom piece. You use it by sticking the flat piece under the item to be moved and tilting the item back to rest on the backrest handle then simply wheeling the item around to load it in the truck. This moving dolly is best for pieces that are under 6 feet in length and have a flat edge that you can rest on the dolly and works great for washers, dryers, refrigerators and bureaus.
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Hand trucks are usually made out of metal so it is sometimes a good idea to wrap the backrest and handle in blankets or bubble wrap to protect your furniture and appliances from getting scratched.
Another type of furniture dolly is a simple rectangle - usually wood - that is low to the ground and has wheels on all 4 corners. You lift up the piece you need to move and place it on the dolly and wheel it to the destination. You need to make sure you place the dolly in the center of the piece, otherwise it will keep tipping over and falling off, but once you have it situated right this kind of tool works great. This is good for sofas with a flat bottom and other odd sized items that don't work on a hand truck.
Sometimes you might not want to wheel a dolly or hand truck over your carpet, so there is a third type of furniture dolly that you can use to slide heavy pieces along. These Furniture Coasters are particularly good for sofas with legs and may even be a bit easier in the long run then trying to balance a sofa on a flat dolly. This is a simple device but effective and consists of large coasters with ropes on either edge. You lift up the piece to be moved about an inch and slide the coaster under - repeat for 2 or 4 corners. Then you simply grab the ropes and slide it along. Of course this takes a couple of people but works surprisingly well. You will eventually have to lift the item up to bring it outside but it saves a few steps anyway!
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