Moving house is stressful enough without the thought of your fragile and ancient family heirlooms arriving at your new place damaged beyond repair. China, ornaments and glassware are among some of the items most at risk on moving day. That’s why we’ve prepared this handy, step-by-step guide to help you pack your delicate items so they’re shock-proof, knock-proof and have the best possible chance of making it to your new home in one piece. All good removals companies take every step to ensure that packages marked ‘FRAGILE’ are treated with the necessary care and attention but it’s always a good idea to go out of your way to make sure that accidents don’t mean you loosing items you care about dearly. So without further ado:
1. Taking care of your glassware
Don’t bother with packing paper, newspaper is the best way to save you money as you’re going to need a lot of it when wrapping your glassware. You need to make sure each item is wrapped and lined individually as this will combat breakages. It’s a time costly effort that is worth it as just a single knock at the wrong angle can easily shatter glass.
2. Nifty Kitchen Packing
The trick with packing up your kitchen is to ensure that all breakable plates are packed vertically. Bubble wrap is the best material to use for kitchen ceramics and you should again, wrap everything individually. If you don’t have any bubble wrap to hand, you can kill two birds with one stone and pack your towel collection around your plates. Any soft material, tea towels or bed sheets for instance, can do the trick – even clothes! Saving money requires an inventive mind!
3. Handling your collectables
Solent Removals adds “These are the most difficult to pack as they come in virtually any shape or size depending on what they are. It requires some advanced planning and custom-tailored craft work. If you’ve got awkward shaped items, you can always fashion ways to keep them packed still and protected by using bubble wrap, brown tape and pieces of cardboard to wedge between different pieces. Bespoke packing systems are always the best at keeping your awkward collectables safe!”
4. Be organised
It’s easy to leave packing to the last minute but when it comes to your beloved, fragile items, this is how things get broken! Items packed in a rush are often not given the care and attention they require and when time is of the essence, it’s tempting to cut corners. So plan in advanced and make sure you’re not rushing round, throwing things in boxes on the morning of your move. Begin packing your house weeks in advance, starting with the items you use the least and working your way up to the everyday essentials you require on a daily basis. Use a trusty black marker to ensure everything is labeled efficiently as this will come in handy when you’re unpacking and sorting boxes out in your new place.