Moving house is a slow process, not to mention stress-inducing. It takes up to three months of preparation (unless you’re aiming for a disaster on moving day). Packing your belongings takes up a lot of time. There are professional services that can do this for you, but if you know how to pack brilliantly, you might not need them.
The Fantastic Services team has made this handy guide on packing the most problematic items you may have at home – namely, the fragile glassware.
How to Generally Pack Effectively
No matter the item you’re about to pack, there are a few general rules to follow. Knowing these would make any packing day easy going and maybe even fun.
Packing supplies
Shop for your packing supplies as if you are moving an entire army. Dedicate a day on just gathering what you need. It may sound like a time-waster, but our main objective is to reduce stress on the big day as much as possible. You will need double-wall, small boxes. That’s right, small. You’ll find out why in a bit. However, make sure they are bigger than the radius of your largest glassware. Additionally, you’ll need cell dividers for glasses, packing tape, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, packing paper, a marker or a stack of sticky labels. Or both.
Physics
Now, why do you need small boxes? Well, the experience of many people who moved properties has proven that if the item you are transporting is heavy, the box needs to be small. Dishes, glassware and anything ceramic or porcelain is heavy. If you put them in a large box, they will have space to jiggle and might break on the way resulting in a disaster.
Box limit
Even if you’re using small boxes, this doesn’t mean you can go overboard with overpacking the heaviest items. Every box has a limit, and it’s usually around 30 pounds. Have a scale nearby to measure your boxes before closing them. Never exceed the box limit. It’s not just bad for the box, but it’s going to be hard on your back as well.
Empty gaps
Once a box is full, it would most probably have some empty gaps around the edges. During transportation, your glassware might be unstable, thus increasing the chances for damage. To avoid this, fill the gaps with whatever you have. You might use your packing supplies such as packing paper, or bubble wrap. From your household items, you can use crunched newspaper or an old piece of fabric.
Labels are crucial
Labels are important not just for your plate and glassware boxes, but for all of your belongings. Once you close the box, you can quickly forget what is where, and unpacking would turn disorganized. That’s where labels come in. You can use a permanent marker to write on the box, or you can label by room and by item. If you have too many boxes, you can even use a colour code system. And, of course, don’t forget to label everything FRAGILE.
Boxes arrangement
When it’s time to load the packed boxes in the moving van, it’s tempting to pile them up one over the other to conserve space. The general rule is to place the heavier boxes on the bottom and the lighter boxes on top. However, boxes loaded with glassware are better left without anything stacked on top of them. They shouldn’t be placed on top of anything either since they might fall off and break.
How to Pack Plates when Moving
Here is the easiest way to pack plates by using nothing more than packing paper. If you don’t have packing paper, old newspapers would do the same job.
- Prepare the box. Prepare the chosen box ahead of time. Leave it open and ready. Wrap its bottom and walls with several sheets of crumpled packing paper. You can also use a soft cloth for additional protection. Just make sure it’s not too thick so your plates would be able to fit.
- Prepare a flat surface. Clear out your table and put the plates and packing supplies on it. If they’re too much, remove the plates from the table and leave the packing paper only.
- Open a sheet of paper. The sheet of packing paper should be bigger than the largest radius of your plates, in order to fully cover them. Have all sheets stacked one over the other so they don’t take up too much space.
- Wrap a plate. Place the plate in the centre of the unfolded sheet of paper. Then, gently fold the corners of the sheet around the plate. The sheet should be big enough to cover the whole plate, not just the ridges.
- Pack a plate. Pick up the plate you just wrapped and place it in the prepared box on its side. This way, it will be protected during transportation.
- Repeat. Do the same with all other plates of similar size, until your cardboard box is completely full. If you chose a box with the right size, there shouldn’t be any wide gaps inside. If not, fill the gaps with soft cloths, before you seal and label the box.
How To Pack Cups and Bowls for Moving
Cups and bowls have different shapes, so logically, the packing technique will be also individual. Coffee cups usually come in a cardboard box with cups separator inside. If you have kept that box, you can use it for your move. If not, here is how to pack them:
- Prepare the box. Just like with the plates, prepare the box ahead of time, by laying several sheets of crumpled packing paper, or soft cloth on the bottom and walls. The box should be wide enough to contain about three rows of coffee cups and two rows of small bowls. Or, one large bowl.
- Pack a cup. Use the same flat surface you used for the plates and wrap each cup with a sheet of packing paper until the ridges are covered completely. Don’t shove too much paper on the inside of the cup, since other cups will be stacked into a bundle. For that, you might have to cut a smaller piece of paper.
- Pack a bowl. Same as with the cups, no matter if it’s a small or a large bowl, wrap it with packing paper, and keep the inside empty.
- Place in the box. Both cups and bowls should be placed upright and stacked together one over the other. Don’t stack any more than 3 or 4 dishes at a time. Three rows of cups, two rows of bowls, or one large bowl should be easy enough to fit in a single box.
- Seal box. Since you’re packing dishes of different shapes and sizes in one box, there might be more gaps than with the plates. Make sure to fill them up with crumpled paper, or other unusable soft cloths. Seal with packing tape and label.
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How to Pack Juice Glasses for Moving
Juice glasses come in different varieties, but all in all, they don’t differ that much in relation to the space they would take up in a box. They’re easy to pack, in fact, the most specific thing about them is that you’ll have to count a bit.
- Prepare the box. Lay a soft cloth on the bottom to act as a cushion. Juice glasses are tall so you won’t be able to stack them like coffee cups.
- Wrap the glasses. Wrap each glass individually in packing paper. Feel free to shove as much packing paper inside it as you wish, since you won’t be putting anything on top.
- Place in the box. Place the wrapped glasses in no more than four rows. Any more and it might become too heavy and dangerous. They should fit just right along with the soft cloth inside.
- Fill the free space. You don’t have to worry about gaps between the juice glasses since their shape leaves minimal free space. However, it’s very possible that the box is taller than the height of the glasses. If you have a separator, place it on top and stack something light over it so you can close the box securely. Things like folded cloths would bring some additional stability.
- Seal the box. Wrap it with packing tape. Don’t forget to label and state that the box is carrying something fragile.
If you have a tall box with a separator, refrain from placing another four rows of juice glasses on top of the first ones. Not only would it become too heavy, but also unstable during transportation. Wine glasses are tricky since their shape is extremely fragile. They often get broken during transportation. You would benefit a lot if you saved the original box they came in. It’s just the right size and has the right cells, keeping them stable and secure. If you didn’t save it, here is how you can wrap wine glasses with the packing supplies you have. When wrapping with tape, be careful not to wrap the glass too tightly, or it might break in your hand. Beer mugs are heavier than standard glassware, which poses a problem for cardboard boxes. If you have more than two beer mugs, we suggest that you use a plastic box instead. In today’s modern age, moving house is considered one of the most stress-inducing experiences in a person’s life. With this guide, we hope that we might help alleviate your stress at least a little. The Fantastic Services team wishes you luck on your next endeavour. And, remember, we’re always here if you’re having difficulties. Image source: antoniodiaz/shutterstock.comHow to Pack Wine Glasses for Moving
How to Pack Beer Mugs When Moving
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