Packing Fragile Items: What are some tips for moving breakable

• Posted by Maria Thomson September 17, 2020 Filed in Family & Home #packingtools  #breakableitems  131 views
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  Carefully packing your breakable items during a move is a must since you don’t want those beloved porcelain antiques to end up in shards, right? You’ve been taking care of them for years and risking them breaking during a move is a big no no as it will surely break your heart too.

   

  We had several potted houseplants we had been nurturing for years that didn’t make it back from our last move due to inadequate packaging materials. They shattered into a million pieces in the box, so that was fun sorting out in the middle of trying to get settled into our new home. To help you avoid such headaches, I put together a few tips for helping you safely move your porcelain or terra cotta pots, or anything fragile for that matter. So, let’s get started: 

   

  

   

  Below are some important tips to help you ensure the safety of your porcelain, antique glass and other fragile friends.

   

  Give packing enough time. Prepare in advance

  You need to give enough time and patience to securely pack valuable crystal, porcelain and other breakables. Don’t rush.  If you are not hiring movers, and will do the move on your own, prepare in advance.

   

  Have the Right Tools

   Here are the tools you should have on-hand during packing:

   

  1. Quality boxes in various sizes

  2. Packing paper

  3. Bubble wrap

  4. Pliable cardboard

  5. Scissors

  6. Packing Tape

  7. Bold felt marker

  8. A nice large table to work on

   

  It’s also important not to use old cardboard boxes as they become flimsy over the years.

   

  

  Don’t overpack.

  Don’t overpack each box. Applying extra packing tape will not keep it covered. Bulging boxes make it much harder for you and your movers. It’s actually so much better to get more boxes than over stuffing them.

  For odd-shaped items, be generous with the boxes. And when it comes to those particularly fragile, irreplaceable heirlooms deserve a box to themselves.

   

  Pillow-Top Packing

  Placing a blanket at the bottom and a pillow on top of each boxes that contains breakable items is strongly advised.

   

  Over communicate

  Properly seal up each box and label it with “FRAGILE”. On the top, sides, bottom — everywhere. Over communication is the key.

   

  Complete wrapping

  Completely wrap each glasses, cups and mugs. For extra fragile items like wine glasses, pack it with 2 layers of packing paper. Make sure that everything is packed snugly to prevent jiggling. 

  Lastly, only trust a professional mover if you’re hiring one. And if you do happen to find chipped or broken glass keepsakes, don’t immediately throw them out! There are a lot of custom glass shops that repair antique mirrors and glass like the professional crew at Oak Mountain Glass. Give them a call if you need help repairing those items for use in your new home.