Constable: How 2 men move stuff up 4 flights of stairs when it's 93

On the hottest day of the year (so far), my wife and I are helping our son Ben move out of his dorm and into his college internship digs for the summer. I'm dripping sweat just bending over to tie my shoes, so I'm thinking that we might want to wrap his belongings in waterproof plastic before I lug them down four flights of stairs in a building without an elevator or air conditioning.

How do movers do this for a living?

“On an extraordinarily hot day as compared to a regular hot day, you need to pace yourself,” says Ethan Hartowicz, 21, a three-year-veteran mover with the Two Men and a Truck franchise in Des Plaines.

I don't think my pace of step/rest, step/rest, rest/sit, rest/rest-in-the-air-conditioned-car would fly at Two Men and a Truck, the nation's largest moving franchise, with local offices in Schaumburg, Wheeling, Mundelein, Wheaton, North Aurora, Elgin, Crystal Lake, Carol Stream, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Plainfield and Des Plaines. Maybe an inspirational poster could motivate me.

“We have a poster that says, 'Work Hard and Work Smart.'” Hartowicz says, noting that he's been trained in ways to make sure the heat doesn't make him soft and stupid.

“A lot of it is being prepared. We take a look at the weather for the upcoming week,” he says.

Then they pack their moving truck with everything they need to defeat the heat.

“We guarantee that we have a pallet of water bottles this week,” Hartowicz says, noting the forecast calls for a hot and humid week with temperatures in the 90s.

Hartowicz prepares his body, too.

“I always make sure I drink water the day before,” Hartowicz says, noting that it is easier to keep dehydration at bay than to deal with it. “Make sure you have a hat. Some people don't need much sunscreen, but I do.”

Making good decisions in the heat of the moment is key.

“We could have the option of carrying a heavy dresser down the stairs, out the door and into the truck, or we could use a dolly,” Hartowicz says.

Versed in the symptoms of dehydration, Hartowicz and his crew are on the lookout for headaches, dry lips or lightheadedness.

“(Regardless of the weather conditions), we talk to each other to make sure we are all right,” he says. “We work 365 days a year, in the hot and the cold. I'll take the 100-degree day because the cold freezes up your fingers.”

I know what he means. I once moved a refrigerator on a winter day when the temperature hovered around zero. The dolly had a rough time traversing the ruts in the snow and ice, so the trip took longer than we thought. At one point, I stuck my hands in the freezer section just to warm up.

“Believe it or not, refrigerators aren't that heavy,” Hartowicz says.

Elliptical machines and gun safes are a bigger pain to move. His most difficult move didn't even involve a change of address.

”We moved this 8-foot-tall armoire. It was a beast,” Hartowicz remembers. “We moved it out of the basement, into the backyard, and up the stairs.”

An electric keyboard is the biggest thing we move on Monday. I wear a hat and sunscreen, drink lots of water and follow all of Hartowicz's tips.

Oh, and one final tip I picked up from talking to Hartowicz and watching our son Ben handle most of the moving duties: If possible, try to make sure you are a fit 21-year-old.