It’s well-known that packaging fragile things is one of the most stressful parts of relocating. We’re never really sure where to start with wrapping glasses or how to pack plates for moving, which is why getting help from professionals is usually the preferred option. However, if you prefer to handle all the delicate stuff by yourself, you can follow some simple tips for boxing up dishes.
Tips for Properly Packing Dishes
Whether you’re relocating for the first time or not, you should always have certain supplies at your disposal and take some necessary steps for preparation. Your inventory has to contain things that make packaging easier, such as boxes, duct tape, paper, bubble wrap, and alike. Most of this stuff wouldn’t take long to find.
Besides having the essentials, you should also make a list of all the dishware that needs boxing up. Ensuring everything is itemized and listed will help you organize better and avoid some frequent moving mistakes. Apart from this, knowing the capacity of the boxes and your transport vehicle is a great addition. This is one of the tips any long-distance moving company would give you. It’s best not to move in a hurry when packaging delicate things.
Say you have a large container full of delicate dishware wrapped and stacked correctly. If the box is too large and the items inside have wiggle room, they are bound to break. Or, let’s say you have a small package full of delicate things all snug tight in there, but the transportation truck is enormous. The box could have a dance in the back of the vehicle, and you come up with shattered cargo at the end of your move.
The Essentials Supplies
Without the essentials, there’s virtually no way to box your stuff safely. When hiring expert cross-country movers, you can be sure that they’d bring everything necessary along with them, so you don’t have to invest in anything new. If you’re doing the move yourself, then there are options for spending as little money as possible on moving.
On Cleaning Day, Look for Items Around Your Home
You can browse around your house before or after cleaning. When you’re boxing up delicate things, it’s understandable that protecting them well is important. Professional long-distance movers use packing paper by the bunch, but you can take shortcuts with stuff at home. If you have enough t-shirts, towels, and kitchen rags, try them. Find any moving hacks that’ll help you use things around your house more.
Another option you might have is the newspaper. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve seen a fresh print of newspapers, but you might just find old publications sitting around your spare room or garage while you’re move-out cleaning. Newspapers are quite close to packing paper, but the ink on them poses the risk of staining the dishes.
A big question for you could be – how do you pack dishes without papers? Well, the good news is there might be some disposable plates left over from a party you had a while ago. We tend to stock up on more of those than we need, and they can now come in handy for relocating. Try going with coffee filters, too. Just make sure they’re clean, of course. These are great alternatives to piles of paper.
Tips On The Quality of Boxes
You might have moved before and kept some old boxes tucked away somewhere. Even if you’ve dismantled them, they can be easily put together again. For this, you should make sure you have lots of sturdy duct tape. Cardboard is recyclable, so it can wear out over time, but you can test the containers you have before actually using them. It’s recommended to seal the bottom tightly with duct tape, and maybe even inside the box, too.
You can also do this with new boxes you’ve never used since some that are sold online may not be the best in quality. If you order them online, it’s good to check which cardboard they were made from. There is a considerable difference between solid and corrugated cardboard. With professional long-distance moving services, you wouldn’t need to worry about the quality of materials you have at home.
Purchase Packing Paper or Bubble Wrap for Moving
Remember that packing paper is the best choice for wrapping, and it’s the long-distance moving experts’ recommendation, so if you want to do it like a pro, that’s an excellent place to start. It’s fundamentally different from newspapers by being ink-free and, additionally, acid-free. You can scour the Internet for cheap prices in the phase of stocking up on essential materials or just let the experts bring their equipment.
Aside from paper, you can invest in the almighty bubble wrap, also an essential thing experts have at their disposal. It’s the safest option for breakable items but also one that’s on the expensive side. In case there are many things for you to pack, you can do just fine with paper. If there aren’t too many, consider investing in new bubble wrap.
How to Pack Plates for Moving Like a Professional Would
After discussing the essential materials for boxing up, the most important part is packing plates for moving. This can be done without a hitch if done right, so pay attention to some dos and don’ts, read the tips, and you’ll surely avoid any potential mistakes. Also, maybe don’t throw a packing party when it comes to packaging breakable stuff.
You should lay out the wrapping materials on a flat surface. Whether a towel, t-shirt, or paper of any kind, stack them on top of each other. Firstly, put a plate in the middle of the top layer and wrap it. Add another dish to the top, fold the second layer from below, and then repeat the same for the rest, finally wrapping them all together. You can also put a disposable plate between each dish.
It’s a good idea to pad the bottom of the container with extra layers before putting anything inside. Assuming it’s now tightened with duct tape, you can go crazy on layering the bottom with anything from crumpled paper to towels, rags, clothes, and alike. After this step, it’s safe to put the precious dishware in since bottom padding reduces damage to a minimum.
Arrange the stuff in the package, so it doesn’t collide or stay too far apart. This makes everything fit together much better. Finally, add extra padding to the top, too. You can use the same materials as in the bottom, or lighter ones if possible, to avoid pressure from above. Once you’ve mastered the wrapping, use duct tape to seal the top firmly. Label the containers as fragile with pens or stickers, which is vital for having all your stuff handled with care.
How do you pack dishes for moving with bubble wrap? Take a look at the video below.
What Not to Do When Packing Plates
The question that can also be on many people’s minds is what should you not pack when moving? Mainly, don’t bring anything you know you won’t need in your new house. This is no time to get sentimental about that weird bowl you once bought at a garage sale because it was cheap, so prioritize. You can always donate stuff you don’t need. You should avoid a few things when boxing up that might not seem that important at first but actually really are.
Don’t Use Boxes That Are Too Big or Too Small
As mentioned before, big boxes have that dreaded “wiggle room,” which could cause kitchenware to collide during transport. If the capacity of the container is bigger than the contents inside, you’d also be wasting precious materials when adding that crucial extra padding. Running out of materials during a move is stress you would rather not encounter, for sure.
Just as a big box can cause headaches, so could one that’s too small. That means you’d have to have multiple with the same type of cargo, which creates unnecessary clutter in the transport truck— being efficient matters as much as being safe. Avoid creating more cargo than needed when placing stuff in the truck because the chances of losing it during transport become higher.
Don’t Stack Dish Bundles Horizontally
Long-distance moving experts know that boxing up dishware vertically rather than horizontally means more safety for each dish. Let’s put it in perspective – you’ve successfully padded the inside, and you’re happy with putting all the stuff in so it’s laid out horizontally. If somebody accidentally dropped that package on the ground, which could happen, the contents would sustain quite a lot of damage.
When dishware falls flat on the ground, it can break more easily, but it can handle the pressure of the fall a lot better when it falls on its edge, and you might not lose everything you’ve packed. The more broken pieces in the box, the easier it is to get cut or hurt when opening it, and that’s a whole other nightmare. The checklist of things to do after your relocation would just grow larger.
Another reason why vertical stacking makes a big difference is that it saves quite a lot of space. If you’re unsure how to do that safely, we recommend hiring expert cross-country movers for packing services.
Don’t Pack too Many Dishes at Once
Stacking too much dishware together is another potential situation for breakage. This makes the boxes heavier, which brings their structure into question, too. The heavier pieces inside are, the harder they can be to handle. The best option is to bundle up to five things at once. If you have a lot of dishware and feel like you’ll need a bunch of storage space just for that, carefully and methodically arranging things in the box creates more space than stacking them on top of each other. In addition, the inventory list you’ve made at the start could help you know exactly how many types of things you have and which ones could be packaged together.
Don’t Put Heavier Items on Top of Lighter Ones
This kind of boxing up is another situation that could cause breakage of at least one dish, if not all. Heavier, bigger items should always be put in place at the bottom, while smaller and lighter ones should always go on top. This creates a balance in the container itself but also makes carrying and lifting a bit easier.
Professional Help is Sometimes the Best Option
While all these tips can help you box up your more delicate dishware and prevent damage, you can also simply hire people trained to do this. Long-distance movers know how to take care of items of all shapes and sizes, and good companies offer insurance in case of damage and storage for safe-keeping. You can rest assured that all your precious dishes will stay intact, which reduces the stress of long-distance moving by a lot.
Even if you are only traveling locally, the stress of relocating can hit hard. Handling that situation is easier with the proper professional help, and you only have to consider tipping the movers upon successfully relocating. The final thing you’ll have to worry about is unpacking your stuff when it arrives safe and sound at your new place.
