7 Tips to Pack Fragile Items When Moving

Moving to a new home is often stressful and requires considerable packing. Fragile items can easily break if you don't pack them well. Discover tips to help you pack and successfully transport fragile items.

1. Identify and Make a List of Fragile Items

The first step is to know items in your home that can break easily. The following items require extra care:

• Drinking glasses, such as pint glasses, mugs, and wine glasses, can break during the moving chaos.
• Plates, especially those made from delicate glassware, can chip and get damaged. 
• Artwork can have holes or scratches during moving. 
• Lampshades can break, dent, or bend during moving. 
• Liquid cleaners can spill and damage other items.
• Electronics such as televisions and gaming systems can fall down and get damaged. 

Other common fragile items include books, glass picture frames, and mirrors.

2. Get the Right Supplies

Each fragile item requires specific packing supplies. You have to get the right packing supplies to prevent breaking and damaging fragile items. Consider the following packing supplies for your fragile items:

• Paper. People often use newspapers to pack glassware and other fragile items, but this can cause stains on the glassware. The solution is to use packaging paper to pack glassware and other fragile things. 
• Packaging peanuts. Vibrations and shocks can damage items inside the boxes. If the boxes have empty spaces, use packaging peanuts to absorb the vibrations and shocks. 
• Bubble wrap. The material is available in multiple sizes and can help protect various fragile items.
• Furniture pads. If you have large or oversized fragile items, like furniture or artwork, use furniture items to secure the items in place. 

You can get the supplies from your local store or buy them online. The mover may also come with their packing supplies.

3. Consider the Weight

You may have several fragile items of the same type. Even if you have the correct packaging materials, avoid putting all the fragile items in the same box. Items on top of the box can easily damage items below them. Movers may also need help carrying large boxes, which can easily trip and fall, damaging the fragile items inside the box.

4. Reuse Original Packaging

If you bought the fragile items a long time ago, you might not have the original packaging materials. If you still have them, use the original packaging to pack your items. Original packaging has a custom design to protect and support the items. Once you have put the items in the original packaging, you can then put them in a larger box.

5. Prepare in Advance

If you use movers, they are likely to pack fragile items for you. But if you plan to pack the fragile items on your own, don't rush. Glassware and porcelain materials can easily break if you don't handle them with care. Once you confirm the moving date, start to pack the fragile items immediately. That way, you won't rush and damage some items.

6. Label Items

Since you already have a list of fragile items, label the items as you pack them. Proper labeling helps you to identify fragile items and handle them with care. Labeling also helps during unpacking the items when you arrive at your destination. To label, get a marker pen and write on the boxes or buy customized labels.

7. Wrap Each Item Individually

Even if some fragile items can fit inside other fragile items, don't wrap them together. Instead, wrap each item or piece individually. Once you have wrapped the items, store them according to their shape and size. Also, wrap loose items, such as lids, separately.

Fragile items can easily break during the moving process. The best strategy is to let a professional mover, such as Baker Moving & Supplies, pack and transport your fragile items for you. Contact us today for more information.