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Best way to pack fragile items for moving
Moving can be stressful. There’s loads to remember, endless things to do, and so many things that could go wrong. When you finally move into your new home, you’ll want to take a seat in your living room and pour yourself a glass of wine. The last thing you’ll want is to open up the box of glasses and find a mess of broken glass. But trying to pack fragile items doesn’t have to be tricky or time consuming. It can be difficult to make sure that your things are actually protected though. You don’t want to waste time or materials being over-cautious. Follow these six tips to pack fragile items safely and securely!
1. Choose your boxes wisely
If you pack your treasured fragile items in flimsy old cardboard boxes, they’re much more likely to end up in pieces. If a box has any give, don’t use it for heavy or fragile items. The thicker and sturdier the box, the better.
It’s also better to pack fragile items in several smaller boxes too, rather than squeezing them all into one large box. This is especially true for heavy fragile things. Smaller boxes will ensure your possessions have less room to slide around or rattle against each other.
If you’re running short on quality boxes, don’t risk your possessions. Visit our box shop for quality boxes and packing materials.
2. When you pack fragile items, wrap everything
Bubble wrap and packing paper are your second line of defence when you pack fragile items. Other packing materials like styrofoam peanuts – or even tea towels – can help too.
Line the bottom of each box with packing materials for cushioning and to fill some empty space in the box. Empty space should be avoided as much as possible, so you should fill up any other gaps with crumpled packing paper or foam peanuts.
Everything from mugs and plates to ceramic knick knacks should be individually wrapped. The most delicate items should be wrapped in bubble wrap, but plates will be okay just wrapped in paper. Items with loose pieces like lids should be wrapped in parts rather than together. Glasses and jars and any other hollow items can be filled up with packing paper too. This helps soften the vibrations and keep them in one piece.
Make sure that packing materials separate each fragile piece to stop them chipping against each other. Cardboard dividers are a great tool here for separating glasses. You can also buy purpose made boxes for stemware.
3. Go nuts with the packing tape
Packing tape is your best friend. It’s really got your back through this whole moving ordeal.
Use it to reinforce the bottom of your boxes to save you from the nightmare moment where the bottom of the box gives way. Even the sturdiest boxes can bow underneath when you lift them. Reinforcing them with multiple strips of tape will help.
Secure the wrappings on each item with tape. This will stop them from shifting so much and stop the packing paper or bubble wrap from unwrapping.
Anything that moves, tape it down!
If you’re conscious of your eco-impact, try paper tape instead of duct tape or sellotape. It’s both recycled and recyclable. Much greener than covering everything in plastic tape!
4. Pack fragile items with clear labels
Whether you hire a moving company or not, every box with fragile items in it should have an unmissable ‘fragile’ label. In the hustle and bustle of moving day it’s easy to forget which boxes contain which items, even if you packed every single box.
Place fragile boxes in a separate area, away from all the other boxes. This means they can be loaded into the moving van last. This way, they won’t get squashed by heavy boxes of books or pans.
If you hire movers, ensure they have instructions on dealing with fragile cargo. If you’re moving your own stuff, make sure when you pack your fragile boxes in your vehicle they don’t have room to fly around. Pack them in nice and tight, but not so tight they’ll be crushed.
5. Take your time
When you’re moving, it can be easy to rush through the job to try to get it all done. But if you’ve got a lot of items you want to take a little extra care of, taking your time helps. Slowing down will help you from cutting corners or making mistakes that will cost you.
The best way to slow down is to start early and only pack a little a day. This helps you to pack methodically and carefully instead of madly flinging everything into random boxes the night before the move!
Utilising self storage whilst moving home can help give you the extra space and time to move stress free – and safely too! Here at Currie Easy Self Storage, we’ve got the self storage solution for you. Whether you want to store clutter or boxes you packed nice and early whilst showing your house or store fragile items so you can move them at a later date, we’re here to help. Get in touch today to find out how we can help your move go smoothly!