Sofa, So Good: How to Move a Sleeper Sofa

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If you’re a fan of the TV show Friends, then maybe you’ve seen the episode where Ross and Rachel try to move Ross’ new sofa into his apartment. They struggle to carry the heavy behemoth while Ross yells, “pivot!” to maneuver the stairs. If you’re planning on moving a sofa bed, then you know how true it is that art can imitate life. Here’s how to move a sleeper sofa to your new home, minus the screaming and pivoting.

What Type of Pull Out Sofa Bed Do You Have?

The first step in moving your sleeper sofa is to determine what type of sleeper sofa you have. The mattress and bed frame add additional weight to an already heavy and bulky piece of furniture, so if you are able to remove them, then it’s definitely worth the effort to do so. Here’s how you can take out the extra pieces:

  1. Lay the couch on its back so that the legs are parallel to the ground.
  2. Remove the dust cover from the bottom of the couch so that you can have access to the bed frame mechanism.
  3. There should be at least two bolts on each side of the bed frame that attaches it to the sofa frame. Loosen those.
  4. Tie the folding stand located at the foot of the bed to the frame with heavy duty rope or bungee cords.
  5. Lift the bed frame up and out of the couch frame.

Confused? Check out this YouTube video to help you step-by-step.

If you are unable to remove the bed frame or just choose not to, be sure to tie the bedframe to the front of the sofa’s kickboard (the bottom frame of your sofa that doesn’t move) so that the bed doesn’t pop open while you’re moving it.

Maneuvering Stairs with Your Sleeper Sofa

If you live in an apartment or are using your sofa bed somewhere other than a main floor, you may very well need to move your sleeper sofa up and down some stairs. Here’s how to move a couch up flights of stairs without breaking your back and denting the walls along the way.

  1. Couches and other types of furniture are really heavy and only get more difficult to hold the longer you have to carry them. Fortunately, moving sliders like EZ Moves furniture slides or Body-n-Home Heavy Furniture & Appliance Moving Slides can be placed on the bottom corners of your furniture and make pushing it across your carpet or hardwood floor a breeze without causing damage to your floors. These are also perfect for when you move into your new home and are deciding where to place all of your furniture. You can slide your pieces around with minimal effort to determine just the right arrangement.
  2. Make sure that the path is clear. Move boxes, stray toys and anything else that will cause a trip hazard or will make the path too narrow for the couch to fit through.
  3. Remove extra pillows and cushions that add weight to the couch or that will fall off and get dirty, or cause the mover to trip. You might consider removing the feet of your couch if you have narrow doorways and need every inch of space that you can get to squeeze the couch through the opening.
  4. Walk the route to the moving vehicle without the sofa to plan out how you will maneuver the bulky piece of furniture. For example, you may have to walk past the stairs to the longer part of a hallway in order to angle the couch down the stairs or perhaps you’ll need to raise the couch higher to avoid hitting stair rails. It’s better to plan out this route ahead of time with whomever is carrying the couch with you rather than discussing your options (by loudly screaming “PIVOT!” a la Ross Geller) while carrying the heavy object.

Move It to the New Place…Or Let it Go?

Source: Favefaves

It’s a lot of work to move a pull out couch, especially if you’re moving a far distance or if you need to carry it upstairs at the new home. It’s even worse if you decide a week or a month down the road that you really don’t want it anymore because it looks shabby, you don’t have the space for it, or it doesn’t fit in with your new decor. Consider donating your used furniture before you move to avoid the cost or work of transporting it. You also might want to think about selling your used pull out sofa bed. Think about posting on sites like Craigslist or OfferUp, or you could go the traditional route and visit your local consignment shop.

Still not looking forward to moving a couch? After all, do you really want to exacerbate that old football injury or fight with your partner on how this should (or shouldn’t) be done? For your health and for your relationship, leave it to the professionals. Dolly Helpers have the experience and muscle to perform this difficult move for you. Organizing a move is hard enough without lifting heavy furniture and boxes, so don’t. Book a Dolly today.