For me, the hugest pain of moving is not attaining boxes and packing all of my worldly possessions, but more so packing delicate items, specifically dishware; those china plates are fragile and will break easily. In order to protect your fragile items, I would suggest:
- Individually wrapping each plate like a present with a thick layer of bubble wrap
- Lining your boxes with a towel or a soft material to cushion your items
- If you do not have a soft towel or soft material, try using wads of crumbled newspaper instead
- Always place cups and glasses rim down
- When wrapping glasses, do not only wrap the outside of the glass but the interior as well; you want full protection
- Place dishes on their side and place smaller items inside of larger items for more storage space within your box
- Make sure your box is packed evenly and tightly, i.e. no large unfilled spaces within the box, no loose space for your items to slide everywhere
- Leave an inch or two of space towards the top of the box and then fill in this extra space with more padding (newspaper, foam, bubble wrap, a towel)
- For extra protection, you can also invest in Dish Pack Dividers. Dish Pack Dividers are exactly that, dividers with multiple columns and rows to isolate your dishes to protect them more. However, please wrap your items even if you’re using a Dish Pack Divider. You can find Dish Pack Dividers online or at your local hardware store.
Furthermore, once you do move your boxes of fragile items into storage, make sure to:
- Properly mark your boxes; I suggest using a different colored permanent marker for each type of dishware (red for cups, blue for plates, yellow for bowls)
- Be sure to move boxes you do not need access to, to the back of your unit and place your boxes with fragile items towards the front. If there is not enough space, place the boxes of fragile items on top of other boxes you know you will not need access to anytime soon.
Follow the tips above to successfully store your breakables. Happy wrapping!