10 Safety Tips for Packing Fragile Items

You may not realize how many delicate items you have in your home until you start packing them. For starters, don’t you just adore the exquisite chinaware in your kitchen or the antique table lamp in your bedroom or the one-of-its’-kind canvas in your living area? Yes, you love them all. All of these priceless and precious décor pieces absolutely transform your home from the ordinary. And trust me, the right ones are not easy to find, let alone replaced, if damaged in transit. Broken, damaged or crushed items are definitely not what you want to unpack in your new home.

Moving is an exhilarating adventure, or at least, it should be, provided your valuables survive the move. It’s important you get the packing right and protect your fragile and flimsy articles against damage. For a smooth move, you require a lot of pre-planning and a well reputed packers and movers, for sure. Another piece of advice, avoid last-minute packing hauls and hurried decisions on the go that includes updating your USPS address change fee of cost.

So sit down with a cup of coffee, armed with pen and paper, and make a list of all fragile items in your home. Whilst you prepare the list, we bring forth some interesting tips on how to pack your delicate belongings so they reach your new home unharmed and in one piece.

Tip 1: Gather all your Breakables in Low-traffic Area of your House

Your chinaware, lamp sets, glass-topped centerpieces, wine glasses, decorative vases, and other delicates are the most fragile and vulnerable. You shall start gathering them in one place in a very low-traffic area of your home. This way, you will be able to identify which items to keep and which ones to discard away.

Tip2. Keep away from Kids and Pets

That beautiful vase on your center table is worth a few dollars. However, it would mean nothing when crumbled into pieces. So, if you have kids or pets, especially canines, make sure you keep your exclusive collection away from their reach. Place each item carefully on the floor and avoid bumps.

Tip 3: Arrange in Small Boxes

Next thing, you shall arrange a few small boxes and put each of these items inside carefully, one by one. Start with glassware, porcelain, wine glasses, etc. This will ensure that they don’t break under the pressure of heavier objects or collide into one another.

Tip 4: Bubble Wrap each item individually

Anything from flimsy floor lamps to fancy wine glasses should be wrapped separately. Also, you must wrap each item according to its size and weight. Remove all loose pieces and attachments, if any and secure your breakables using bubble wrap. This way, you will guard them against damage and keep the shine intact.

Tip 5: Apply tape at the Bottom of the Box for Extra Strength

What if your favorite bone china cutlery set just fell down from a box and shatters into pieces? Your heart would just skip a beat. In order to minimize the risk of having broken pieces, you shall strengthen the base of every box using good quality tape. Double wrap the tape for higher security. This way, you will ensure that no item falls through the bottom of the box during the transit or when the team from movers and packers load and unload your belongings.

Tip 6: Stuff Hollow Items with Paper

It takes years and years to gather all those classy vases, jars and even bowls. To have them securely relocated you must stuff them up with paper balls or packing paper to prevent unnecessary damages. Since they are hollow from inside, the paper provides cushioning and adds weight to them. This way, your hollow items stay intact.

Tip 7: Label your Boxes

Suppose you forgot to put Christmas bulbs in the box labeled as 'Christmas stuff'. Now would take the pain of going through each box separately looking for those bulbs until you find the right one. What a waste of time. However, labeling each of your boxes would just do the trick. Also, you shall share the labels and description with the movers and packers. Also, make sure to communicate upon boxes requiring extra care during the move.

Tip 8: Take your Time

Any day, moving is a stressful process. Hence, it’s easy to get annoyed and try to pack all items as quickly as possible. So, when it comes to fragile items, it’s worth taking the time to wrap each item properly. This will pay off in the end when you adorn your new home with all your favorite decorations.

Tip 9: Use Solid Boxes

Nothing is more upsetting than losing fragile items because a box was too withered to transport properly. Forget the worn out boxes and use new, sturdy ones without holes or damage. Also put soft materials, like a towel or packing paper at the bottom of all boxes containing fragile items. This will help fortify the box and provide padding for the items.

Tip 10: Pack Heaviest Items at the Bottom

The order in which you pack your fragile items is an important part of the process. To ensure that nothing is crushed or broken, pack the heaviest, largest items at the bottom of the box.

Sagar Seo-Passionate about writing on travel tips.