Before you decide to pack all fragile and breakable items when moving out, do consider the responsibilities. Sure, packing takes a lot of time, but it can be a real money-saver even if you’re paying for professional mover services. You can still opt to pack all breakable items on your own and trim down on the price.
If you decide to pack your own stuff, you need to be extremely careful when it comes to packing fragile stuff. Even if the mover service is smooth as a jet airliner, there’s always a risk of breaking and damaging important equipment when transporting them to another location. Here’s what experts have to say:
Materials Needed
To pack all your breakable items, you need proper packing materials. This includes high quality cardboard boxes and barrels. Look up in your garage or pay a visit to your nearest hardware store and be on a lookout for a wide variety of boxes and containers. Other materials include:
- Several bundles of packing paper (including clean and unprinted newsprint)
- Rolls of PVC tape (try not to use cellophane tape or masking tape)
- Tissue paper, towels, woolen fabrics and bubble wrap for delicate items
- Proper tape dispensers and broad-tipped markers for labeling purposes
- Scissors, sharp knife, box cutters (find them on safetycutters.net) or any other sharp instrument for unpacking the boxes
- A notebook to list down all the contents of cartons as and when they are packed
- Stickers and labels for identifying the boxes
Wrapping Up
Before packing cartons, you will need to wrap all fragile items carefully to prevent them from scratching or breaking. You can use bubble pack, tissue or foam peanuts for this purpose. However, most of the professional packers rely on clean and unprinted newsprint for packing delicate items.
Place a small stack of paper on an uncluttered, flat countertop or table. Round jars and glasses can easily be wrapped up and rolled in two to three sheets of paper. Start wrapping up items from the corner of the sheet and neatly fold the sides as you roll further.
If you have large and odd-shaped delicate equipment, they need to be packed in a similar manner. Place them on the center of the clean sheet and roll and fold around all corners neatly. You may have to flip the item over to ensure that it’s safely packed. Whenever in doubt, remember to use more papers. As the corners come together, secure them with a proper tape. If you’re not so fond of doing this or simply don’t have the time to do so, call in professionals from somewhere similar to Atlanta Home Movers.
Storing In
Once you have packed all the items, it is necessary to store them properly. Ideally speaking, all similar items should be stored together. This means that you should not pack delicate chinaware with cast-iron frying pans!
For cushioning purposes, use unprinted papers only, since the ink on printed papers is likely to rub off on to the delicate material. Similarly, use 2-3 inches of crushed papers at the bottom of each carton for cushioning purposes.
Make sure all cardboard boxes are firmly sealed. Each breakable item should be separately packed. No two delicate items should be placed right next to each other. A piece of wool or towel should be placed between each breakable item to prevent them from coming into contact with each other.
Take all these steps and rest assured that your breakable items will be safely transported!
Tips provided by Tom @Walkmove