Are you packing for a move and want to make sure everything gets there in one piece? Well, take out your boxes, tape and packing paper — it’s time to level up your packing skills!
Fragile items are probably one of the biggest stresses of any move. Packing fragile items can be a very delicate situation, requiring lots of care and precision. Here are our top 10 tips for packing your fragile items and ensuring a successful move!
But first things first, let’s clear up what fragile items are.
Fragile items are any items that can be easily damaged or broken, often due to their delicate or brittle materials or even irregular shapes. This includes items like:
For your fragile items, you definitely want nothing less than good-quality boxes. The thicker and sturdier, the better.
You also want to choose the right size box for your items. As you want there to be as little extra space within the box as possible to prevent your item from moving, try to find the smallest box you can that will fit what you need it to.
Additionally, you can get special boxes for specific items:
Adding an extra layer of cushioning to the bottom of your box helps to prevent your fragile items from moving or shifting while being handled. Plus it acts as an extra defence in case the boxes are bumped or jostled.
Materials you can for padding the base of your box include packing paper, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, foam or even a towel.
The last thing you want is your items falling through the bottom of your box. Especially for heavier items, it’s important to give your box that extra support by adding extra layers of tape to the bottom of your box. This helps prevents it from bowing under the weight of your items.
You want to use some heavy-duty tape, placing the tape in both directions for extra support as well as on all edges just to be safe.
Every fragile item in the box should be wrapped in either bubble wrap or packing paper. This is so that in the case that the items do shift around a bit, they don’t end up bumping into each other or the walls of the box and causing damage. You can even add multiple layers of wrapping — the more padding, the better.
To best protect your fragile items, you need to fill the inside of any hollow item. This works to soften the vibrations your items experience while the box is handled or transported. This is especially important for items made from delicate or brittle materials that shatter or crack easily, such as glass, porcelain and china. You can use normal packaging supplies to do this, such as packing paper, tissue paper, newspaper or bubble wrap.
This is why it’s important to keep the boxes of all your appliances, no matter how annoying that constantly overflowing box cupboard can be. Because what better box to transport an appliance than the one it came in?
Appliances often come in weird shapes and sizes and are also often quite heavy. The original boxes are not only the perfect size, but they often also contain packing materials such as dividers, styrofoam or packing paper that make sure your appliance fits just right, ensuring little to no movement and lots of padding. This includes items like TVs, furniture, kettles, consoles, etc.
Layer items in your box from heaviest to lightest, biggest to smallest. This ensures that your box has a well-support base and that it isn’t top-heavy which could lead to toppling. It also protects smaller items from being crushed by heavier items above. It’s the same reason you never put a carton of eggs at the bottom of a shopping bag.
But remember to make sure that you’re box isn’t too heavy overall, as the heavier it is, the more likely it is to be dropped when carried or moved around.
It’s pretty clear — the more empty space is in your box, the more your items can move around and the higher the chances of them bumping into something and getting damaged. So you want to try to layer your items and take up as much space as possible in the box.
Any space that can’t be filled by items can be filled by extra padding with bubble wrap, packing paper, foam or packing peanuts. You can even tape your stacked and wrapped items together to further prevent any shifting during the move.
The last thing you want after putting in all the effort to make sure your fragile items are packed correctly is to then forget which boxes contain fragile items. With every box looking alike, it’s a simple, but crucial, step to remember to label your fragile boxes, with a marker, sticker, or tape labelled fragile. You should also label each box with the correct orientation.
This ensures that your boxes containing fragile objects are not only handled with extra care but are also handled the right way around.
While you can do it yourself, why not hire a professional trained to go the extra mile to move boxes with care? Your fragile items simply just aren’t worth the risk!
You can hire a professional moving service to handle, load, transport and unload your boxes, saving you both time and stress — two in-demand commodities when planning a move.
Fragile items tend to also be the more valuable items, so it’s important to treat them with the utmost care during your move. Now you know the basics on how to pack fragile items for your move and get them all there in pristine condition.
Looking for a professional moving company to give you a hand? Wise Move is an affordable, door-to-door moving service that will treat your possessions as if they’re their own. Find the best movers from across the country near you with Wise Move. Your fragile items will thank you later!
Wise Move is South Africa’s leading moving service, helping thousands of customers with home moves, furniture removals, car and motorcycle transport, and more. Since 2017, we’ve been delivering reliable, affordable, and well-reviewed moving services in just a few simple steps. Our focus has always been on making moving as simple and effortless as possible for our customers.
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