Large sofas and couches are some of the most cumbersome items to move when you are relocating to a new place. While you can take your bed apart and carry individual pieces one at a time, most couches come as a single unit that must be carried as a whole.
Things can get even more difficult when you try to take the couch through a narrow hallway or a single door. Many people find it a nightmare as they clumsily skirt around, shuffling and wiggling through the hallways to move the couch. However, moving the couch doesn’t need to be that difficult.
In this blog, we go over several steps with regards to how to get a couch through a narrow hallway, to make it easier to move.
What You Will Need
Here are some of the things that can make the job of moving the couch through the hallway much easier.
Measuring Tape
Assembly/Disassembly Toolkit
How to Get a Couch through a Narrow Hallway in 5 Steps
Step 1 – Measure and Know the Size of the couch
The first thing you should do is to note down the measurements of your couch. Make sure to get a good idea about its length, width and height. Usually, the dimensions of your couch are listed on the product page where you bought it from.
You need the measurements so that you can compare it against the height and width of your door and hallways to figure out the best way to take it through.
Some couches are wider than they are high, while some are taller than they are wide. When you understand the dimensions of your couch, you will be able to carry it through in the best possible way.
Also the weight of your couch is something to take into account. In the past, couches used to be really heavy. Most couches are lightweight these days and it shouldn’t be too difficult for two people to lift them up and carry them.
Step 2 – Measure the Hallway and Door Width
If you’re moving the couch through the hallways for the first time, it is highly recommended to measure the width and height of the hallway before you take the couch inside. You should also measure the width of the doorway to know if the couch will even fit through it or not.
Take the measuring tape out and size up the width of the door frame, and the hallway. If you will be taking the couch up the stairs and have to turn through halfway up the steps, then you will probably need to lift the couch and flip it on the other side. Do you have enough room to do that?
Measuring the area will give you a good insight and plan how you will move the couch through. If you are new to moving furniture, then the measuring tape is your best bet. More experienced movers are able to tell if the couch will fit or not just by looking at the hallway. But you will need a little practice to get a hang of how to move the couch through the hallway.
Step 3 – Keep Any Clutter Out Of the Way
Moving the couch through a narrow hallway is difficult enough without bumping into clutter lying about. Make sure to remove and clean all obstacles from the path you will take to move the couch.
Pets, as adorable as they are, can be real nuisance while you are moving furniture. It is best to put them in a separate room and keep the doors closed while you are moving the couch through the door and hallway.
Not only will this make your job easier, it will also prevent you from accidentally kicking or bumping into them while moving.
Step 4 – Protect the Frame and Fabric
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Be extra careful as you move while holding the couch. If the couch fabric or upholstery gets stuck in the railing or any protruding handlebars of your railing, it can tear up in a matter of seconds.
One thing you can do to keep this from happening is to protect your couch with some kind of plastic or bubble wrap. You can also use bubble wrap to protect the delicate, wooden parts of the couch such as the legs and base.
Carrying the couch over some distance may cause you some strain and you may drop it if you get tired. That is why it is advised to lift the couch, move it a few steps and then put it down to take a breather. This will help you stay focused and also prevent any accidental drops.
Step 5 – Disassemble the Couch
Some modern couches can be disassembled. For example, you may have a large three seater that can be disassembled into smaller, single seating pieces. Some sofas have detachable armrests and legs that can be taken apart with screws.
Check the product manual to find out if this is possible with your couch. Not only will it make your job easier to get the couch through a narrow hallway, it will also protect any delicate parts from accidentally breaking while you carry the couch.
Our Final Thoughts
In this blog, we covered some useful tips on how to get a couch through a narrow hallway. The process should be easy when you are well prepared and take the necessary steps, such as measuring the width and height of the hallway and doorway or disassembling parts of the couch to keep them safe.
