Moving Tips for Large, Fragile, or Specialty Items

Moving can be tedious when packing special, fragile items for safe transportation. There’s a fine line between insulating your fragile items carefully and having dozens of extra boxes because you wrapped each glass in multiple unnecessary layers of bubble wrap.

Here are some tips for ensuring your valuables reach their new destination unharmed.

Gather the Right Supplies

You must have the right supplies to ensure your valuables are safe during relocation. Having a variety of supplies helps find the right fit for each fragile item.

• Original packaging: This is the best method for keeping your fragile items safe. The manufacturer would have carefully selected the best packaging to keep the item from breaking, so it’s your best bet in relocation.
• Blank newspaper: Keep in mind that the newspaper ink may rub off on certain items, especially if exposed to heat during the move. It’s best not to wrap antiques, white valuables, or other important valuables in printed newspapers. Blank newspaper is available for purchase and will keep your valuables clean during the move.
• Packing peanuts: Available in various colors, biodegradability, and sizes, packing peanuts absorb shock, keep items from shifting, fill hollow areas, and cushion valuables.
• Packing foam: Packing foam is available in various thicknesses. You can purchase it as a large roll or in pre-cut sheets.
• Honeycomb packing paper: Perhaps the newest to the moving scene, honeycomb packing paper has honeycomb-shaped cuts in the paper that allow it to conform better to the object’s shape. Honeycomb paper is generally better than plain packing paper because of its shock absorbency.
• Bubble wrap: Available in a variety of sizes and thicknesses, bubble wrap is a classic for moving and storing fragile items.
• Boxes: Have a variety of box sizes to prevent boxes from getting too heavy.

While you don’t need all of these supplies, it’s good to have a variety of loose materials (like packing peanuts), packing paper or foam, and bubble wrap.

Fill Hollow Items With Crumpled Paper

It might seem like wrapping a fragile item around the outside is sufficient. However, movers have greater success with keeping valuables safe when they stuff the inside with crumpled paper. This is because items shift during moving, and one object falling inside another could result in one or both items breaking. Stuffing hollow items (even if the hollow items themselves aren’t breakable) protects your valuables best during the inevitable jostling of moving.

Fill Hollow Spaces and Gaps Between Items

As stated above, items are more prone to breaking from shifting during relocation. As you wrap and stuff your items, fill the gaps between these items with some form of packing material. This might be more crumpled paper, packing peanuts, or soft items like blankets, towels, or small pillows. Filling the gaps between items will prevent them from shifting during the move, which decreases the chance of breakage.

Be sure to fill the boxes all the way to the top with packing materials, as items don’t just shift side to side, but also up and down.

Properly Seal and Mark the Boxes

After filling the boxes to the top with packing material, use the “H” taping method to seal the boxes. Tape along the center seam and then tape the edges. You can also tape perpendicular to your center seam to keep the center seam from buckling.

Thoroughly mark the boxes with terms like “Fragile” or “This Side Up.” Mark all around the boxes so that no matter what side faces the mover, they know fragile items are inside.

Don’t Make the Boxes Too Heavy

If a box is too heavy, a mover may sling the box around or drop the boxes a few inches as they set it down. This can happen even when boxes are marked as fragile and increases the chance of breakage.

Lift the box occasionally as you pack to be sure it’s not too heavy. Lifting the box will also help you determine if items are shifting. You can then place or pack them differently in the box.

Additionally, use smaller boxes for heavy or large fragile items. This prevents excessive movement, squishing of the items, or loading the box too heavily.

Use a Professional Moving Service

There are a lot of moving parts (no pun intended!) when it comes to moving. You have a dozen things on your to-do list, and properly packing your valuables may be too time-consuming. From gathering the supplies to testing each box for shifting and weight, packing for a move may be too stressful.

That’s where a professional moving service like Peavler Moving & Storage comes in! We have all the right materials and boxes, plus the experience to move valuable and large items correctly. Our customers are consistently satisfied with the care we take in moving valuable and fragile items. In fact, we treat your items just as we would treat our own! Our movers are trained in best practices for packing, lifting, and relocating your possessions so they arrive in their original condition.

Ready to get started with Peavler? Contact us today!