Moving Tips

What Services Do Moving Companies Offer

Posted on 07/09/202506/08/2026 by BigApple

In order to alleviate the challenges associated with relocating, a majority of individuals opt to enlist the services of professional movers. Undoubtedly, a moving specialist will mitigate the stress associated with the process.

However, it is imperative to ascertain the specific measures they will undertake and the extent of coverage provided by the moving invoice. Continue perusing to gain insight into the array of services proffered by moving firms.

Packing Services

The majority of relocation experts provide packing services to accompany your residential move. To furnish you with an estimate, the movers will conduct an assessment of your residence. This entails verifying the number of bedrooms and the quantity of items you intend to transport.

Based on this information, they will determine the duration required to pack your entire household and the number of personnel necessary for the task. Moving firms typically offer a complete or partial packing service, allowing you to entrust them with the packing of all your possessions or only a portion thereof. Alternatively, if you prefer to pack your belongings yourself, you may opt for the removal service only.

Removal Services

House Removals

One may economize and undertake a portion of their relocation independently. Specifically, one may opt to pack their belongings themselves and enlist the services of movers solely for transportation. Moving companies possess their own fleet of vehicles and drivers, thereby ensuring the secure conveyance of one’s possessions to their new abode.

This is the most prevalent service offered by movers, sparing one the inconvenience of driving and the expense of professional packing services. The cost of this service is typically determined by the size of the shipment or the duration of the task.

Distance also plays an important role. Local movers NYC usually charge an hourly rate while long-distance movers NYC form a price based on the overall size or weight of your shipment. If you’re planning an overseas move, international movers NYC typically offer custom quotes based on destination, volume, and services required. Keep in mind that packing is the most time-consuming part of any relocation. It can also be downright boring.

So, many people prefer to pay for the full service moving than lose time packing. However, if you have enough time and you decide to pack by yourself, moving companies also offer packing materials for moving house.

Office Removals

Besides helping you move house, movers can usually help you move your office too, or any other type of business. To complete the job safely and efficiently, they use specialized moving vehicles. They also have certain procedures and practices for transporting fragile items or confidential documents.

They will likely be able to prepare and transport your electronic equipment and other office equipment safely. So if you’re planning commercial relocation, it’s a good idea to reach out to several movers in your area and inquire about the price of office removal.

Providing Packing Materials

Go ahead and check some of the best places to find packing supplies and use them to make sure your items are well-protected. Your local mover will likely be able to provide packing materials such as moving boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, packing tape, etc. But maybe the most important thing is that movers also have professional moving equipment for rent which is greatly beneficial. Consider asking about a moving dolly, furniture sliders, furniture straps, etc.

Additional Services

Moving companies offer special services for heavy, bulky, fragile, or valuable items. If you need to move a piano, bathtub, or pool table, you will need to pay extra for these services. Some items may need to be taken apart and put back together, which will also cost more.

If movers have to carry items up or down stairs or over long distances, there will be additional charges. Movers will also charge extra to disconnect and reconnect appliances. There are many other additional services available, but they all cost more money. It’s important to ask questions and understand the costs before agreeing to any services.

Storage Services

Sometimes, your move-out date is a bit earlier than your move-in date, so you have to wait for a while until you move into your new home, having nowhere to store your household items. Other times, you’ll decide to downsize and you’ll wonder what to do with all the things you’re not ready to get rid of yet.

Or there may be a completely different reason why you can’t move our items to your new home so you’ll need a safe place to keep your things. Whatever the reason may be, storage units will be a solution.

Moving companies offer storage services too so go ahead and find an affordable moving and storage company. These facilities let you keep your belongings for any length of time and they can be of the traditional type or more advanced, such as a climate-controlled storage unit.

This is, of course, charged additionally, so don’t expect this service to be included in your standard removal cost. The price is calculated depending on the size and type of storage you need, and also the length of time you plan to store your items.

As a licensed and insured moving company NYC, Big Apple provides professional service, top-quality materials, and efficient removals. Our moving crew has the experience and skills necessary to complete the job safely and have your possessions handled with the utmost care. Make sure you get your free moving quotes Brooklyn while planning a house move. Reach out to us to create a personalized moving plan together!

Top 5 Benefits of Renting A Moving Van

Posted on 08/16/202204/20/2026 by BigApple

Moving can be an exhilarating experience, but it is also an undeniable source of stress and time consumption. The process of packing an entire household into boxes can be a lengthy one, and the realization of the sheer volume of possessions can be overwhelming.

The transportation of these items from one location to another on moving day can also be a cause for concern. Renting a moving van from a nearby storage facility is a simple solution that can streamline the transfer process.

A successful relocation requires extensive preparation, as even minor oversights can result in significant costs. Therefore, the decision to hire a truck or handle the move independently should be made with careful consideration. It is advisable to familiarize oneself with all available options before making a final decision, and renting a moving truck is no exception.

When it comes to making your decision, this article will be helpful. If you’re already considering contacting cheap movers NYC and renting an affordable moving van for your planned relocation, you should take into account its benefits.

Minimize the Stress that Comes with Moving Day

Moving day is one of the most stressful days of the process, and it rarely goes according to plan. Things will only become more difficult if you have to wait around for a moving company or worry about the traffic for all of your driving trips. Fortunately, hiring a van for a move couldn’t be simpler, and the entire process is simple and hassle-free.

There are no time limitations to worry about because you may choose the precise duration of your van rental, whether it be one day or a full week. The entire day will be considerably less stressful if you rent a van.

Save You from Numerous Trips

When contemplating a relocation, it may be tempting to utilize one’s personal vehicle for transportation purposes. However, it is important to note that this approach can lead to a multitude of unnecessary complications. Despite the size of one’s car, it is unlikely that it will be able to accommodate a significant amount of belongings, necessitating multiple trips between the two locations throughout the day.

This process can be laborious and time-consuming, requiring the loading and unloading of one or two cars multiple times. Alternatively, a moving truck can facilitate the relocation process with a single trip, contingent upon the size of the move.

By saving yourself and your friends the trouble of loading and unloading several vehicles, you’ll have more time on moving day to relax. You will have plenty of room for all of your boxes when you rent a van for a move. As a result, you won’t need to continue packing for the entire day and can concentrate on unpacking. Of course, doing so can also result in significant fuel cost savings.

Reduces the Cost of Moving

A moving company’s services are often far more expensive than renting a moving vehicle. The only additional cost is fuel; the rental itself is not so expensive and includes insurance. You pay a moving service for their labor, use of their truck, and, if necessary, packing. You might decrease moving costs in half or more by packing your possessions and employing a moving truck.

Furthermore, you will be allowed to select the truck according to your needs. It might often be expensive to leave all of your moving-related tasks to moving companies. For instance, if you just need to carry a few items from one location to another, you might prefer to use a smaller van rather than a larger truck.

You will undoubtedly be able to save a sizable sum of money. You won’t overspend money or deal with a truck that is either too tiny or too huge by selecting the ideal truck for your relocation.

Make Sure Everything Gets to Your New House Safely

Transporting your belongings can be a daunting task, particularly when attempting to fit all of your boxes into the limited space of your personal vehicle. This can be especially concerning when dealing with fragile items, as there is a high likelihood of damage occurring during the relocation process. To mitigate this risk, it is advisable to rent a van, as it provides more convenient space for properly loading and securing your belongings.

Additionally, renting a van allows you to maintain control over the loading and unloading process, ensuring that your items are treated with care and packed securely. This approach is preferable to employing a removal company, as it affords you greater oversight and peace of mind.

Save a Lot of Money on Moving Services

You already know how pricey removal companies can be if you’ve looked into them. The cost of moving is already high, so the last thing you need is to spend more money on the day of the move for some help. Instead of employing a professional company to relocate their belongings, lots of folks decide to rent a cargo van and do it themselves. All you have to do is rent a van and invite a few buddies to help you out.

Irrespective of the distance of transportation, significant cost reduction can be achieved by opting for van rental services. In comparison to professional removal services, renting a van is a more economical option. By availing the assistance of friends and family and renting a van, one can ensure that the moving process is affordable and does not incur exorbitant expenses while relocating to a new residence.

Final Words

Overall, it is true to say that renting a moving truck or van of the right size is really helpful when moving house, and you can be sure that you will be grateful that you rented it to transport all of your moving boxes. Considering all the advantages, you won’t regret investing a little money in it. You may handle your preparation very easily if you hire a vehicle rather than leaving all moving duties to the NYC moving company.

How to Move a Fridge Without Wrecking It: The Numbers Nobody Agrees On

Posted on 08/09/202209/15/2026 by BigApple

Ask how long a refrigerator has to stand upright before you plug it back in and published answers run from 3 hours to 24 — because most guides skip the variable that decides it. Manufacturers tie the wait to whether the fridge traveled on its side: GE says stand it upright for at least as long as it lay flat, one major retailer doubles that to be safe, and a full day flat means a full day standing. Travel it upright — which is the rule in the first place — and a couple of hours of caution covers you. The part almost nobody mentions: whether your model may lie down at all depends on the door configuration, and French-door, bottom-freezer, compact and built-in units should never travel on their side, period.

The disputed numbers

The Two Numbers Every Guide Disagrees On

Seven authorities publish instructions for moving a refrigerator — two appliance manufacturers, three home-improvement and marketplace guides, and national movers. On the two figures that actually matter, they contradict each other, and in two cases a single page contradicts itself between its body copy and its own FAQ.

The question	Manufacturers say	Movers and retailers say	The defensible rule
Standing time if it traveled upright	No mandated wait	2 to 4 hours common, one says 3 minimum	Give it 2–4 hours; nothing requires more
Standing time if it lay on its side	At least as long as it lay flat (GE); 8 hours (Whirlpool)	Up to 24 hours, or twice the time it lay flat	Match or double the flat time; 24 hours after a day flat
Defrost lead time	A couple of hours for the evaporator (GE)	Overnight to 24 hours	Overnight — the extra margin costs nothing and the drip pan needs it
Can it lie down at all?	Depends entirely on the model type	Often a blanket yes or a blanket no	See the type table below

By fridge type

Which Refrigerators Can Lie Down — and Which Never Should

This is the single most useful thing an appliance manufacturer publishes about moving day, and no moving guide repeats it. GE’s transport guidance splits the answer by door configuration.

Top-freezer

May travel on its side if it must: lay it on the side opposite the door hinges, so the door stays pressed shut.

Side-by-side

May lie down on the freezer side only. Never the fresh-food side, never front or back.

French-door

Upright only. Never lay a French-door unit down. Tilting on a dolly to move it is fine; transporting it flat is not.

Bottom-freezer and compact

Same rule: upright always. The smaller the unit, the more tempting the back seat — resist it.

Built-in

Upright only, and at 600 pounds and up for many built-in models this is not a two-person job under any method.

If it must lie down

Choose the side per the rules above. One retailer adds: keep the compressor lines up, laying the unit on the opposite side. Whatever the type — dolly from the side, tilt 45° maximum, never tip forward.

The procedure

The Move Itself, In Order

1
The night before: empty and defrost

Food out, shelves and drawers out and wrapped separately, freezer defrosting overnight with towels down. The ice maker goes off before anything else — switching it off first protects the water valve when the line comes out.

2
Disconnect the water line

Close the shutoff valve — it lives behind the fridge, under the sink, or in the basement — then drain the line into a towel. Tape the cord and the water line to the cabinet so nothing swings.

3
Doors, handles, and the measuring tape

A standard fridge runs 29 to 36 inches wide; interior doors run 24 to 36. On one published spec sheet, removing the handles buys about two and a half inches and removing the doors about seven — check your own model’s sheet, and take the doors off before you fight the frame.

4
Strap, tilt, roll, load

Blanket-wrap and strap the doors shut, dolly in from the side, tilt to 45 degrees maximum, one stair at a time with a second person below. In the truck it rides upright, strapped to the wall — and stairs are a three-to-four-person job, not a favor to ask of one friend. At the other end: stand it for the settle time from the table above, and give it two hours of running before the food goes back in.

NYC reality

Getting a Fridge Through a New York Apartment

The doorway math matters more here than anywhere, because pre-war interior doors are commonly at the narrow end of the 24-to-36-inch range while a modern French-door unit sits at the wide end of 29 to 36. The building code’s 32-inch clear-width standard applies to egress doors — nothing guarantees it inside an apartment built in 1928.

So run the numbers before the truck is booked: the fridge’s spec-sheet width and depth with handles, without handles, and without doors, against the narrowest door and tightest stair turn on the route out. When the case-without-doors number still loses to the doorway, the move needs a different plan than pushing harder — and moving the rest of your appliances raises its own set of questions, from washer hardware to who may touch a gas line, which we cover separately in our guide to moving heavy appliances.

For a walk-up, weight decides the crew. A standard unit at 200 to 400 pounds needs three to four people on stairs; a built-in at 600-plus pounds is a specialty carry. Big Apple Moving has hauled refrigerators up and down New York walk-ups since 1979 — if the stairwell worries you, that is exactly the part to leave to us.

Questions

Moving a Refrigerator — Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a refrigerator stand before plugging it in after a move?+

It depends on how it traveled, which is why published answers range from 3 to 24 hours. If it stayed upright the whole way, two to four hours is ample and no manufacturer requires more. If it lay on its side, follow the manufacturer formulas: stand it at least as long as it lay flat, doubled if you want a margin, and a full 24 hours if it was flat for a day or more.

Can you lay a refrigerator down to move it?+

Only some models, and only on the correct side. A top-freezer can lie on the side opposite its hinges and a side-by-side on its freezer side, but French-door, bottom-freezer, compact and built-in units should travel upright, always. Tilting any model on a dolly is fine; that is not the same as transporting it flat.

How long before moving should I unplug and defrost the fridge?+

Defrost overnight with towels down. One manufacturer says the evaporator needs only a couple of hours, but the drip pan, the cleanout and dry-time argue for the longer runway — and a wet freezer in a moving blanket is how mildew comes free with your move.

Do I need to disconnect the water line myself?+

Manufacturers treat it as a homeowner-level task: switch the ice maker off first, close the shutoff valve behind the fridge, under the sink or in the basement, and drain the line into a towel. Turning the ice maker off before the water stops protects the valve. Agree in advance whether you or your mover handles it on the day.

How heavy is a refrigerator?+

Published spec sheets put a 36-inch French-door unit at roughly 260 to 335 pounds, standard fridges at 200 to 400, and built-ins at 600 and up. On stairs that is a three-to-four-person carry with a strapped dolly, one step at a time, spotter below.

Will my fridge fit through the door?+

Measure three numbers from the spec sheet — width and depth with handles, without handles, and the case without doors — against the narrowest doorway on the route. On one published example, handles cost about two and a half inches and doors about seven. Interior doors run 24 to 36 inches; pre-war apartments sit at the narrow end.

How soon can food go back in after the move?+

Give it about two hours of running once the settle time is over. The cabinet needs to pull back down to temperature before it can hold food safely, and loading it warm just makes the compressor fight harder on day one.

Should the doors be taped or strapped shut?+

Strapped or wrapped, not bare-taped — tape on painted or stainless surfaces can lift the finish on a hot day. Blanket-wrap the cabinet, strap over the blanket, and leave the doors propped open once it is parked at the new place until it is running again, so the interior airs out.

Bad weather conditions

The first problem people often face when moving is bad weather. Regardless of whether you’re dealing with extreme cold, snow, and ice, or heavy rain, you won’t be too happy about it because it will make your relocation much difficult. Sometimes, your move can even get delayed because of the weather. Of course, you can’t affect bad weather. But, you can learn how to prepare for moving to a cold climate and make it easier for yourself. For example, prepare rain gear and furniture covers if it’s raining. Clean your pathway if it’s full of snow. Rent a climate-controlled moving truck if it’s too hot for your sensitive items, etc.

The next issue is how to avoid property damage when moving out? Whether it’s your current home or the one you’re moving to, property damage can bring unnecessary costs and stress. To prevent damage, protect the most affected areas of your home, including floors, walls, doors, and stairs. Use cardboard to cover your floors, wrap items in moving blankets so they wouldn’t damage your walls, use a moving dolly so you wouldn’t scratch hardwood floors, etc.

Running late

One of the pretty common problems when moving is realizing there’s not enough time for you to prepare everything and meet your movers ready to go. Sometimes, you’ll learn about your move last minute, perhaps it will be a change of job, a sudden opportunity, or maybe you just won’t think there are so many things to do and you’ll find yourself running late. Not being on time and not packing everything before moving day can cause you many issues.

So, how can you prevent this? More often than not, lack of time is a direct result of poor organization, so make sure you start packing well in advance. Book your movers a few months before the move (if possible), download a moving checklist, and don’t delay your planning. Start making a moving plan as soon as you learn about the move. In case you have to move on short notice and there’s not enough time for you to pack, check out professional packers because they’ll be able to pack your entire household in a day.

Movers are late or unreliable

Another problem that can totally ruin your experience when moving house, is dealing with unreliable movers. Unfortunately, this happens more often than we’d like to believe – your moving crew may be running late, they could be rude or unprofessional, etc. To prevent this problem from happening, make sure to do research beforehand and hire the best service your budget allows. Do your homework, read reviews, check license numbers, speak to a representative, and always get at least three different quotes from reliable movers in your area. Only by reaching out to several movers, you’ll be able to compare their prices and level of customer service.

Dealing with a scam

This problem can happen to anyone, especially with so many scammers operating nowadays. However, don’t rely on your luck when it comes to picking a mover, but protect yourself from fraudulent companies. There are many useful tips for spotting moving scams, so make sure to find out more about them. For a start, check their USDOT number. Also, check if they have a physical address you can visit. Fraudulent movers will often provide a quote without inspecting your home. They will also request a large cash deposit in advance, so don’t ignore any of these red flags.

Poor packing or overpacking

Another common problem when moving is packing poorly or packing too much. Your movers charge based on the overall weight of the shipment or the space the shipment takes up in the moving truck, so you must understand how to pack properly in order to spend less. Also, packing too many things, especially those you don’t use leads to overcrowding your new space and unnecessary clutter.

Furniture is too bulky

When you’re moving bulky or oddly shaped items, you may come across one common problem – furniture is too big to fit through the doors. Instead of removing doors on moving day and slowing down the entire process, it’s better to prevent this. In order to do so, measure your doors, corridors, and other spaces from your home to do a moving truck, then measure the piece of furniture you want to move.

Damaged goods

Another common example of problems when moving house is finding your items slightly damaged or even totally broken. Only a few things can ruin your move like opening a box and finding broken goods inside. To prevent this and transport your items safely, pack properly, use professional packing materials, or consider hiring NYC professional packers (packing/unpacking services). Of course, a certificate of insurance for moving is a must.

Injuries

Back strains, muscle injuries, hurting toes or hands, are all common examples of personal injuries that are among the top 10 problems when moving house. To avoid injuries while relocating, take all measures of precaution, including safe lifting techniques, using moving equipment, wearing closed-toe shoes, etc. You can also hire full-service movers and skip lifting and carrying entirely.

Spending too much

The last in the list of the problems when moving house is overspending. Every little thing counts when you’re moving and it all adds up, so be careful not to overspend. The best way to do so is to plan a budget and set a limit on it before you start planning. Then you can use it as a guideline when booking moving services, buying moving supplies, etc.

The best way to avoid all these problems is to hire professional Brooklyn movers and let them take care of everything for you. Here, at Big Apple, we offer a great experience with moving a house. We are always glad to help, so contact us for any help with relocating your household.

Hand Truck vs Dolly: Which Moves What (and How Crews Choose)

Posted on 09/20/202109/22/2026 by BigApple

Two wheels or four is the whole question. A hand truck — the upright, two-wheeled L — is for loads that stack and ride tilted: boxes, crates, small appliances, wheeled through doorways and narrow halls. A dolly — the flat, four-wheeled platform — is for what’s bulky and better kept flat: dressers, washers, sofas on end, with mover-grade platforms rated to 1,500 pounds. Stairs belong to neither; on stairs the trade switches to shoulder straps and stair-climber appliance trucks, and in a walk-up city that switch is most of the job. A professional crew arrives with all three classes on the truck — which is the quiet math against buying equipment you’ll use twice.

The equipment aisle answers a different question than moving day asks. Retailers can tell you a hand truck’s frame material and a dolly’s caster spec; what matters at the top of a brownstone staircase is which tool the load actually wants — and every wrong guess is paid for in time, backs, or banisters.

This is the field version: what each tool is for, how to use it without hurting the floor or yourself, where straps replace wheels entirely — and the honest buy-rent-book arithmetic. For the lifting technique itself — grips, the high-low carry, what one person can safely take — see how to move heavy furniture.

The decision

Hand Truck vs Dolly: One Table

Four tool classes cover every household carry. Match the load, not the habit.

Tool	Built for	Where it wins	Where it fails
Upright hand truck (2 wheels)	Stacked boxes, crates, small appliances	Doorways, narrow halls, curbs — anything that clears while tilted	Wide flat furniture; loads that block your sightline
Appliance hand truck (2 wheels, strapped)	Washers, fridges, ranges	Locking straps hold the load; stair-climber models walk treads	Delicate-faced furniture without padding between load and frame
Furniture dolly (4 wheels, flat)	Dressers, sofas on end, stacked cases	Long flat runs; mover-grade decks carry up to 1,500 lbs	Stairs, thresholds, soft carpet; needs turning room
Shoulder/lifting straps	Stairs and anything wheels can’t cross	Two carriers, weight on the frame not the fingers	Solo use; loads that shift — technique lives in our heavy-furniture guide

Equipment-industry standard classes; capacities are published mover-grade specs, not a promise about any single unit.

Using wheels well

How to Use a Dolly and Hand Truck Without Damage

1Load low, heavy first

On a hand truck the heaviest box rides on the blade, lightest on top, stack below chin height so you can see. On a dolly the weight sits centered, never overhanging the deck edge.

2Tilt to the balance point

A hand truck carries the load when it’s tilted back to its balance point — you steer, it holds. Muscling a half-tilted truck is how wrists and door frames get hurt.

3Push flats, don’t pull

A loaded dolly is pushed from behind at walking pace, never pulled toward your heels. Thresholds and doorway saddles are taken slow and square, both wheels together.

4Protect the path first

Hard casters and wood floors are a bad marriage: rigid board down before the dolly rolls. The full materials list is in floor protection for moving.

When wheels stop

Moving Straps: The Stairs Answer

Every wheel dies at a staircase. That’s where the trade switches to straps — shoulder-harness or forearm systems that put the load’s weight on two carriers’ frames instead of their grip, keeping both pairs of hands free for balance and both sets of eyes on the treads. Straps also win in pre-war halls too tight for a loaded dolly to turn, and at truck lips where a hand truck’s blade catches.

The rules that matter: straps are a two-person tool, the taller carrier takes the downhill side, and the load rides tilted into the carriers, never balanced on faith. The step-by-step stair technique — including what one flight does to a moving bill — is covered in how to move heavy furniture; the strap’s job here is simply to be the right tool where wheels are the wrong one.

Where it goes wrong

Six Equipment Mistakes

The over-tall stack

Boxes above chin height turn a hand truck into a blindfold on wheels. Two trips beat one collision with a door frame — or a neighbor.

The dolly on the staircase

Four casters have no business on treads. The load comes off, the straps come out; anything else is a controlled fall waiting for its moment.

The unstrapped appliance

An appliance truck’s locking strap is the tool. A fridge riding loose on a two-wheeler is steering itself the moment the angle changes.

Bare casters on finished wood

A loaded dolly concentrates hundreds of pounds onto four small contact patches. Board first — the floor-protection rule that catches most people after the first scratch.

The couch dragged onto a too-small deck

A sofa overhanging a furniture dolly tips at the first turn. Sofas ride on end, centered — and the wrapping that survives the ride is its own craft: how to wrap and move a couch.

Buying the whole aisle for one Saturday

An appliance truck, a mover-grade dolly and a strap set cost real money to use once. Rent for a single DIY day — or book the crew that arrives with all of it and the hands trained on it.

The crew’s kit

What Comes Off the Truck Before Your Furniture Does

Watch a professional crew set up and the equipment question answers itself: dollies, appliance trucks, straps and blankets come off the truck first, matched to the building on the way in — straps forward for the walk-up, dollies for the elevator building’s long corridors, board down where floors need it. Tool selection is most of what experience means in this trade.

At Big Apple Moving that kit rides on every truck as part of the job — wrapping, blankets and basic disassembly are included on every move, not rented back to you as extras. Since 1979 the answer to “hand truck or dolly” on our jobs has been: whichever the carry needs, and it’s already on the truck. See what a residential move includes.

Big Apple Moving crew moving wrapped furniture with professional equipment

Questions

Moving Equipment — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a hand truck and a dolly?+

Wheels and posture. A hand truck stands upright on two wheels and carries loads tilted against an L-shaped frame — right for boxes and anything that stacks. A dolly is a flat platform on four swivel casters that carries loads level — right for furniture and appliances on smooth, flat runs. The names get swapped in conversation; the tools don’t swap on the job.

Can you move a couch with a dolly?+

Yes — on end, centered on a furniture dolly, held by a second person, across flat ground only. The sofa never overhangs the deck, and it comes off the wheels at any stair or threshold. Wrapping it so the ride doesn’t cost you the upholstery is its own step; our couch guide covers that half.

How do you use a dolly on stairs?+

You don’t — that’s the honest answer. Casters on treads is a fall with extra steps. On stairs the load transfers to shoulder straps or a stair-climber appliance truck, with two carriers and the technique covered in our heavy-furniture guide. Wheels resume at the landing.

What kind of dolly do I need for a refrigerator or washer?+

An appliance hand truck — the steel two-wheeler with a locking strap that cinches the appliance to the frame, ideally with padded uprights and a stair-climber option. A flat furniture dolly can carry the weight but not the height; a tall appliance riding unstrapped is the classic tip-over.

How do moving straps work?+

Shoulder-harness and forearm systems loop under the load and transfer its weight to two carriers’ torsos, freeing hands for balance and doorknobs. They’re a two-person tool by design: taller carrier downhill on stairs, load tilted into the carriers, and communication doing half the lifting.

Do movers bring dollies and equipment, or do I need my own?+

A professional crew brings its own — dollies, appliance trucks, straps, blankets — as part of the job, matched to your building on arrival. If you’re comparing quotes, confirm equipment and wrapping are included rather than billed as extras; on our moves they are.

What’s the difference between a furniture dolly and an appliance dolly?+

A furniture dolly is the flat four-wheeled platform for level carries. An appliance dolly is really an appliance hand truck — two wheels, tall steel frame, locking strap — built for tall, heavy, tippy machines. Different geometry for different loads; the names blur in stores, not on trucks.

Should I rent or buy moving equipment?+

For one DIY day, rent — an appliance truck, mover-grade dolly and strap set bought new cost real money to use once and store forever. Moving more than a studio’s worth, up or down stairs, the arithmetic usually lands on booking a crew that arrives with the equipment and the practice — priced by the hour with no minimum on our jobs.

Packing Services

Removal Services

House Removals

Office Removals

Providing Packing Materials

Additional Services

Storage Services

Minimize the Stress that Comes with Moving Day

Save You from Numerous Trips

Reduces the Cost of Moving

Make Sure Everything Gets to Your New House Safely

Save a Lot of Money on Moving Services

Final Words

The Two Numbers Every Guide Disagrees On

Which Refrigerators Can Lie Down — and Which Never Should

Top-freezer

Side-by-side

French-door

Bottom-freezer and compact

Built-in

If it must lie down

The Move Itself, In Order

Getting a Fridge Through a New York Apartment

One Fridge or the Whole Kitchen?

Moving a Refrigerator — Frequently Asked Questions

Bad weather conditions

Running late

Movers are late or unreliable

Dealing with a scam

Poor packing or overpacking

Furniture is too bulky

Damaged goods

Injuries

Spending too much

Hand Truck vs Dolly: One Table

How to Use a Dolly and Hand Truck Without Damage

Moving Straps: The Stairs Answer

Six Equipment Mistakes

The over-tall stack

The dolly on the staircase

The unstrapped appliance

Bare casters on finished wood

The couch dragged onto a too-small deck

Buying the whole aisle for one Saturday

What Comes Off the Truck Before Your Furniture Does

Moving Equipment — Frequently Asked Questions

The Right Tool Is Already on the Truck