Glass kitchenware is one of the most common fragile items to break on a move. Usually, most of the breakable items in your home will come from the kitchen, so be sure to take your time when packing these.
If you’re trying to move on a budget, a few layers of packing paper around the glasses in addition to some crumpled packing paper will keep the glasses from colliding in the box. If that’s all you decide to use, take extra care when moving and loading these boxes as you won’t have much packing material to absorb shock.
Plates and bowls require a little extra care because of the way they stack in boxes. You’ll want to do everything you can to keep stacks upright and provide padding between individual items in the stack. Place a plate down, then a layer of foam or thin bubble wrap down, and place another dish. After you have a stack of five or six plates, start a new stack. While it’s tempting to stack higher and save space, you don’t want to overcrowd the box and risk any falling stacks.
Here are some go-to packing essentials for keeping glass kitchenware safe and secure:
- Bubble wrap
- Cardboard dividers
- Clothing (it helps fill space in boxes—and it’s free!)
- Foam inserts
While most wall art won’t fit in your standard moving boxes, there are still ways to protect items like family portraits. The issues you want to watch out for here are drops, frame scratches, and cracked glass. Eliminate drop risks by taking down and putting up wall art with a partner. It’s also a good idea to have a partner when moving it to the truck so that you don’t clip any door frames on the way out.
For most wall art and TVs, bubble wrap, a moving blanket, moving tape, and plastic wrap will do the job:
- Start by spreading out your moving blanket on the ground.
- Wrap a few layers of bubble wrap vertically and horizontally across each piece.
- Gently lay the art face down on the center of the blanket. Fold the moving blanket around the piece and apply some tape so that the moving blanket won’t come undone.
- Finally, apply a few rounds of plastic wrap. Be sure that there isn’t a lot of tension in the plastic wrap as you’re wrapping so that you don’t risk cracking any glass on the front of the piece.
If you have the original packaging for your TV or any other wall art or get speciality moving boxes, you can use that instead of this method. Before you tape it up, ensure the item is secure in the box and won’t slide around too much.
While it may be a stretch to call furniture “fragile,” you’ll want to treat finished and antique furniture as fragile for the sake of your move.
The main issues you’ll see with these pieces are scratches and breaks on the more delicate parts of the piece (think about how wobbly some antique furniture can be). Here, you’ll want to opt for a light moving blanket, tape, and bubble wrap where you need it. If you try to drape a heavy moving blanket on a lightweight antique chair, you’ll risk a break.
If there are any glass pieces, apply some bubble wrap before placing your moving blanket. After that, tape the blanket so it stays secure, but not so tight that you could damage the furniture. Plastic wrap can be used to finish, but again, lighter pieces might not hold up well to a tight squeeze under the plastic.
For tips on packing smaller one-of-a-kind treasures, check out our guide on packing antiques.
You can pack lamps in a variety of ways because of their non-uniform shape. It’s a great idea to place each lamp in a separate box with the lampshade removed. If the lamp is metal or plastic, you may be able to fit several, but try not to crowd the box too much.
You’ll definitely need bubble wrap for ceramic or glass lamps, with plenty of padding in the box to keep it upright. Because you’ll likely be packing more than one lamp, you can set aside a couple of boxes specifically for lampshades.
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