How To Move A Mattress With A Dolly In 3 Easy Steps

You can learn how to move a mattress with a dolly in three easy steps. It’s a useful technique to add to your knowledge bank, especially if you want to move the bed independently. We will talk about some tricks to make it even more comfortable and safer. 

What is a dolly? A dolly is another term of hand truck, making it a versatile device for mattresses. You’ll eliminate the stress on your back, and you can do the moving process much quicker. 

how to move a mattress with a dolly

 

How To Move A Mattress With A Dolly The Quickest Way

 

Step #1. Cover the mattress

Before using the dolly, you need to cover your mattress or put it inside its bag to protect it from dirt and damages. Think of it like what you’ll do when transferring, shipping, or even storing your mattress. The easiest way to bag a bed is by leaning it to a wall and then place the bag on top. 

You’ll then just slide it down to completely cover the mattress. Lay it flat on the ground and zip the opening to seal the bed. However, make sure that there is no excess air inside the bag, and you’ll tape the ends as reinforcement. 

Some even tape their covered mattress completely as additional protection. This way, the bed is ready to store or transport once you’ve arrived to point B with the dolly. Depending on your mattress’s size and type, select the appropriate dolly and prepare it for loading. 

 

Step #2. Load the dolly

It will be easier to move if you select the right dolly according to how heavy your mattress is. Starting from the basic to the most heavy-duty, dollies come in utility, appliance, and furniture varieties. Appliance dollies have their own straps, while furniture dollies have four wheels, which are excellent for heavy loads.

What about the straps you can use? We all know the usefulness of ratchet straps when moving mattresses and even for keeping them compressed. You can use them to secure the bed in the dolly, but nylon ropes, hook straps, tie-down straps, or bungee cables will also work. 

To load in the bed, position the dolly underneath it and wrap the straps around the mattress and the dolly’s vertical supports. Cinch the straps tightly, and apply our maneuvering tips that you can read later on. But before you go ahead and move, don’t miss the final step!

 

Step #3. Clear the path

Before we teach you some tricks and tips to make dolly moving comfortable, the final step is to make sure that your path is clear. This way, you can do the trip yourself, even without someone signaling you. Know what to assume with the maneuverability around the house to your final location to avoid issues. 

 

What Is The Easiest Way To Move A Mattress?

Using a dolly makes it more comfortable moving a mattress because the hand truck helps you hold the bed. However, you’ll still exert effort to push, so to keep yourself from getting out of breath, remember that pushing is for flat grounds and pulling is for elevations. You’ll also take advantage of momentum if you put your weight behind the dolly while pulling it behind you if you’re climbing uphill. 

Remembering this essential positioning will make the moving more manageable and safer. But what if you’re moving the mattress onto a flight of stairs? The trick is to be two steps ahead of your cargo and lift it per step. 

If you’re going downward, you can gently push the wheels over the edge of each step below. However, navigating the stairs is not something you should do alone. Have someone assist you even just during this part because the wheels could miss the step, or the mattress might be too heavy for hoisting with the dolly. 

 

How Do You Move A Heavy Mattress By Yourself?

You can move a heavy mattress by yourself using the maneuvering techniques we just discussed. However, be mindful if you have to go up or down the stairs by yourself. Once you arrived to point B with the dolly, unload the mattress from it by sliding it off. 

Tip the mattress forward with one hand and use the other to push the top of the dolly forward. Pull the base of the dolly and have your foot under the axel simultaneously, and unloading should be smooth. You can use any technique to remove the mattress, whichever way you find the easiest. 

Since the mattress is heavy, you’ll also lean it to your vehicle, so you’ll just lift the other end to put it inside. The best orientation to keep the bed inside the vehicle is horizontally flat without any items over it. However, you can put it in an upright position if you have no more space inside. 

 

Conclusion

Having a hand truck will make transporting heavy objects easier. If you’re curious about how to move a mattress with a dolly, you can simplify it into three steps. Start by packing the bag, loading the bed into the dolly, and clearing the path before you move. 

After these three steps, apply the maneuvering tricks we mentioned to help you move on a flat surface or hills. You can do all of this yourself, but carrying a mattress in a dolly through stairs is better if you have someone to assist you.