Packing Fragile Items

Fragile items such as glassware, crockery or china require special care when packing.  Make sure you use the right packing material and pack them the right way.  To avoid breakages there are 3 things to remember:

1. None of the items packed should touch each other.
2. Nothing should be loose in the box.
3. The box must be sealed.

Material you will need
 
Fragile items require a lot of cushioning.  So before you start, make sure you have the following items at hand:

• Small and medium boxes only
• Padding material such as crumpled butcher paper, bubble wrap or packing peanuts
• Butcher paper or bubble wrap to wrap things in
• Packing tape
• Marker or Fragile Tape

Let’s start packing
 
Padding is crucial to ensure there’s no movement when the box is carried around.  All your items should be cocooned in padding in the box.  There should be padding at the bottom, sides and top of the box.

• Choose the right box for the items you want to pack.  You do not want to overfill the box and pack lots of items together.  The more you pack together, the less room you have for cushioning, and the more likely you are to have breakages.  So it is better to have 1 or 2 more boxes to pack.
• Securely tape the bottom of the box.
• Line the base of the box with bubble wrap or crumpled butcher paper to create a comfy cushion for your items to sit on.
• Wrap every item separately with butcher paper.  Add more paper around thin areas such as glass stems, teapot spouts, etc.  Secure with tape if required.  If packing glasses, fill each glass with crumpled butcher paper.
• Place your items in the box and fill ALL empty spaces with crumpled butcher paper or bubble wrap.  You do not want anything to move in that box!
• Do not pack right against the side of the box.  Instead, create a layer of protection between your items and the side with padding.
• Do not pack the box to full capacity.  Instead, end the process by placing another layer of padding on top.
• Gently shake the box, if you fill movement, add more padding.
• Securely tape the top of the box.
• Mark the box as ‘Fragile’.

Let’s store
 
Make sure all fragile boxes are stacked properly in the moving vehicle as well as in your storage unit.
 
All fragile boxes are best placed together in your storage unit. But remember:

• Don’t stack too many boxes.
• Don’t stack heavy boxes on top.
• Using a shelf may be a very good idea!

 
General advice
 
If packing plates, put a layer of bubble wrap in between each plate for cushioning.
If wrapping Grandma’s porcelain china, then use acid free tissue paper for wrapping.