When it comes to packing fragile items such as dishes, you don’t want to skip any steps. Whether it’s your everyday drinkware and plates, or a special collection of family heirlooms, how you pack your dishes should be the same as the other items throughout your house. You need to gather necessary supplies in order to keep them secure. Then it’s just a matter of wrapping them up the right way.
What You’ll Need to Start Packing
Even a short-distance move can be a little bumpy, and you don’t want to open up a box of broken dishes when you’re ready to organize the kitchen. The right packing materials and a little organization will help protect your glassware and dishes throughout the move.
Before you start packing, make sure you have all the necessary supplies on hand. You’ll need sturdy cardboard boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, packing tape, and a marker to label your boxes. You’ll also need extra material to fill up any empty spaces in your boxes. Crumpled packing paper or bubble wrap will help keep your dishes in place. This helps prevent your dishes from shifting and breaking during transport during the drive, and even just while picking them up and setting them down. Once you have what you need, you’re ready to get packing!
Quick Tips for Moving Dishes
Packing your dishes might take a little more time, but it’s definitely worth it. The key to packing dishes for a move is to wrap each dish individually. It will typically only take one sheet of packing paper per dish, and perhaps two for drinkware. Fold the corners of the paper up and over the dish, and then tuck the excess paper into the center of the dish or glassware. Then you can take some extra precaution by wrapping the dish in a layer of bubble wrap and securing it with packing tape.
Next, to keep your dishes from touching and potentially breaking, use cardboard dividers inside the box. You can purchase these dividers at a home improvement store, or make them yourself using cardboard or foam board. Place a divider in the box and then stand your wrapped dishes upright in the section created by the divider.
Most people are in the habit of stacking their dishes one on top of the other, like in their cabinets. But it’s actually better to pack them vertically. Place a sheet of packing paper or bubble wrap on the bottom of the box, and then stand the plates on their sides in the box. You can even place a layer of cardboard or foam board between each plate for added protection.
Packing plates vertically helps to distribute the weight of the plates evenly and reduces the risk of them breaking. As an added bonus, packing plates vertically allows you to fit more plates in each box. Once it’s full, label each box with its contents and the room where it needs to go. This will make it easier for you and your movers to know where everything should get placed. The more time and energy you can save when unpacking, the better.
With these strategies in mind, you can reduce the worries you have about cracked dishes, because you’ll know that boxes are packed correctly. Then it’s just a matter about enjoying the excitement of the move and getting settled into your new home!