A man taping a fragile tape on a package overlay
Posted in How-to, Moving Tips&Tricks on February 19, 2021
Jane Davis

Apart from being a freelance writer and moving expert, Jane is also an art and museum lover.

Best Tips on How to Pack Fragile Items for Moving

Glasses, plates, mirrors, pictures, and artwork are among the objects that most frequently get damaged when relocating. Knowing how to pack fragile items properly and effectively might be a lifesaver since breakable objects are very tricky when it comes to cross country moving. If you’re doing the packing yourself, you will need a good guide to keep all of your breakables in one piece. Check out the following steps to the safe transportation of all delicate belongings.

Why Is it Important to Know How to Pack Fragile Items?

Many people think that packing is easy and that you can just place all the stuff in packages and load them on the truck. If you wish to have a successful relocation, then that type of packing is out of the question.

Regardless of whether you’re moving to another state alone or with your family. Or what your reasons to move are, carrying your breakable belongings with you asks for special protection and care.

Without that, you’ll arrive at your destination with a bunch of broken pieces. If you wish to keep your shipment untacked, it’s time to learn how to pack fragile items for moving.

Open packages with ceramic pieces inside
Your favorite ceramics will arrive whole only if you know how to pack fragile objects

What to Use to Pack Fragile Items?

Before you start, make sure you have the best packing material for fragile items. Why is this so important? If you use any kind of worn-out material, you risk damaging all glass and ceramic pieces. Get all the supplies from the following list, and make sure you have more than enough (just in case):

  • Cardboard boxes – smaller and sturdier ones,
  • Packing paper – as many rolls as you can get,
  • Bubble wrap,
  • Moving blankets,
  • Packing tape,
  • “Fragile” and “This side up” stickers.

In case high-quality supplies don’t meet your budget, there are some alternatives. Cheaper flimsy boxes can be secured with lots of tape and more cardboard that you can put on the bottom and the walls. While packing paper can be replaced with any soft materials you have, such as cotton shirts, sweaters, towels, or blankets.

Newspaper isn’t a good alternative since the print can leave stains on your clean breakable belongings. And you don’t need any dirty dishes on your new apartment checklist. Think of the box you’ll use for packaging your breakables as armor – resistant to all types of potential damage.

Packaging materials
Get plenty of each packaging material from the list

Start Packing Fragile Items for Moving With the Things You Use the Least

Objects that you don’t use regularly can be packed even months before the day of the move. That can be your china or some pictures on the walls. You might be wondering how do you pack fragile figurines since they are also on this list. All of the valuable antiques or expensive breakables that you plan to ship are best packed by cross country movers, but you can do it yourself as well with the right guide.

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How Do You Wrap a Fragile Object or Irregular Shape?

Stuff like figurines, porcelain pieces, ceramics fountains, grandfather clocks, and alike, can be difficult to relocate because of their shape and delicacy. Try this trick on them:

  • Put the item on hard but pliable cardboard,
  • Leave two to three inches from the perimeter of the item and mark it,
  • Cut the cardboard and make sure that it covers the whole object when it’s rolled up,
  • Get the bubble wrap and cover the item on all sides with the smooth side facing the object,
  • If there are any hollow parts, fill them with crumpled packing papers or with bubble wrap,
  • Take the cut-out cardboard and wrap it around the object,
  • Seal it well with lots of tape,
  • Place it in a package and fill out the extra space with more crumpled papers.

Follow these steps, and your breakable items will be safe at the bottom of the box.

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Essential Tips on How to Wrap Fragile Items That You Use Every Day

We will focus on breakable stuff since learning how to pack pots and pans doesn’t take up special skills. They are hard and heavy, so just make sure you place them away from all delicate things. On the other hand, learning how to pack dishes for moving is what we’re here for, and here’s how to treat each type of commonly used objects in your home that are prone to breaking.

How to Keep Your Plates Safe When Relocating?

Are you interested in learning more about how to pack plates for moving? Try these tips: sort your plates by size and pack similar sizes together. Get a box that is the most similar to the diameter of your plate and check if it’s firm enough to hold all the plates you plan to pack inside.

Pad the bottom of the package, and leave enough paper for padding on the top. Cover each plate with papers and bubble wrap, and then tape it. Place plates vertically and fill the extra space with more paper.

Pack Your Glasses in a Box With Dividers

The best way of learning how to pack glasses for moving is to get a box with dividers inside. Maybe some of the local stores around have some that they don’t need anymore. The principle of packaging is similar to plates.

The only difference is that glasses have a hollow space that has to be filled with crumpled papers. Cover it from the outside as well, and with bubble wrap for extra protection. If you’re shipping wine or champagne glasses that have a thin stem, put some crumpled paper around it as well.

Mugs and Bowls Can Also Be Delicate

Big and hard ceramics that have thick walls aren’t as risky for long-distance moving as are wine glasses, but they can still be chipped or damaged in some way. There are also bowls with thinner walls that are as breakable as plates.

The trick with them is to get the similar-sized ones, cover each in the paper, and place them on one another. As for the mugs, it’s similar to glasses. Fill the hollow space with crumpled papers or with some soft material such as socks or underwear, and cover them with papers and bubble wrap from the outside.

If you’re stacking them in a box with more layers, create a firm barrier between them and put heavier ones on the bottom – it’s one of the crucial packing tips for moving.

Use Moving Blankets for Packing Large Picture Frames, TVs, and Mirrors

A moving blanket is a perfect material for big but delicate objects. Ensure that they’re thick enough to prevent any damage but thin enough to fold and reach all the parts of an object. Get enough blankets for all bigger flat pieces such as mirrors or TVs, and tape the blanket once you cover an item with it. Objects like these should be plastic wrapped and shipped in separate boxes.

Take Your Time When Doing This

When it comes to packing up your home belongings, one of the essential moving hacks is to start early so that you don’t have to rush and do things at the last minute. With enough time, you’ll feel more comfortable with all the tasks you have to do. Rushing is the biggest enemy of all sorts of packing.

You have to leave enough days for packaging, especially the delicate items. If you leave one side unprotected or if you don’t fill all the extra space inside of a package, you might end up with a box full of shattered glass. To avoid all of this, prepare in advance and get all the supplies you’ll need in abundance.

A man and a woman at home packaging an object before calling a relocation company
Ensure you reached every side of an item and don’t save on materials

How Do I Protect My Fragile Packages? Keep Your Cardboard Box Safe During Transportation

It’s not enough to know how to package fragile items for shipping, but also how to keep the package safe during transit. As soon as you finish packaging fragile items, shake the package lightly to see if anything moves inside. If everything’s nice and tightly put, tape the box with more tape on all sides.

Regardless of whether you’re planning to contact long distance movers or you’re having friends coming over to help out with carrying packages, you should label visibly each box containing anything breakable and mark which side should be up.

One of the Crucial Tips on How to Pack Fragile Items Is to Load Them Last

Another important thing is to know how to load the boxes inside of your car or a moving truck. Leave the packages with breakables last, so that the weight of other items don’t crush them.

Once all the furniture and other heavy household things have been loaded, get your boxes with breakables and put them somewhere safe where the packages can’t move during the trip. Even though relocation trucks go on bumpy roads sometimes, your boxes will be safe if you’ve secured them right.

A man at home taping a package that has a label for kitchen things
Correctly labeled packages are always being taken care of

If You Choose to Get Long-Distance Moving Services, You Will Also Have Storage to Leave Your Items In

Moving fragile items can be a nightmare for people with no experience, which makes it a job for a professional cross-country moving company. You don’t need additional stress while worrying about how to get a job in a new city, or what do you need to rent an apartment, and creating a moving to another state checklist.

Getting help from experts will mean so much for you in these times – a reputable long-distance moving company will not only provide you with long-distance moving. Also, with auto transport services, a storage unit, and moving insurance for all the delicate but expensive things you’re shipping.

They know everything from how to pack shoes for moving to how to move a piano. You can get standard packing service or full and partial pack, and make your relocation so much easier. Check out which long-distance movers near me have the best high-quality boxes and packing supplies. When you do, you’ll find out that Long Distance Movers are the answer. Give us a call, and book your move. And the rest is up to us.

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