How To Pack Dishes for a Move
Packing dishes for a move can be one of the most stressful parts of relocating; no one wants to open a box of broken plates at their new home. In this guide, we’ll share practical tips and techniques to help you pack your dishes safely and securely, so everything arrives in one piece.
Get the Right Materials
Packing your dishes properly starts with sourcing the right materials. For the box, we recommend using dish barrels; they’re generally much thicker than your standard moving box and are designed to be able to take lots of impact and shock.
We’ll also recommend wrapping your dishes in paper. While it may be tempting to use newspaper, you also run the risk of having the print stain your dishes, especially if they’ll be in the box for a while. Keep this in mind when selecting your packing paper.
When it comes to the tape itself, we recommend using packing tape to seal your boxes; it will be the easiest to remove when at your final destination. Also, make sure that you pick up a tape gun to protect your hands in the process of packing/unpacking.
Use Packing Paper Correctly
First, you need to start with a layer of packing paper at the bottom of your box. This will help to prevent plates and glasses from cracking every time you hit a bump in the road on the way to your new home. Don’t fold the paper; gently crumple it up and place it at the bottom.
(If you have kids, this is an awesome job for them — plus, it helps to keep them busy during the process and lowers your stress level.)
Once you’ve made the ‘bed’, you need to wrap each piece of china or glassware. Set out your plate in the middle of your packing paper. Then, fold the end of the paper towards the centre, and begin to gently roll the rest of the paper around the dish. If needed, you can tape the ends of the paper.
Never roll more than one dish with the same piece of paper.
Once you have the dishes wrapped up, begin lacing them in the box (start with your hardest and heaviest pieces first) and make sure to put another layer of packing paper in between each dish.
Get Creative with Separation
If your dishes are on the more fragile side, a single piece of paper might not be enough to keep them safe in transit.
This is where you have to get creative! Think about all the other soft items you need to pack, like bath towels, pillowcases, t-shirts, sweaters, etc. These can be great for separating larger fragile items like vases and serving trays.
Seal Your Boxes
Finally, it’s essential to pack your box to the top! You don’t want to leave any space at the top of the moving boxes.
Doing so will give your plates plenty of opportunities to jostle around and potentially break. Instead, use any remaining crumpled packing paper to fill your moving boxes. You’ll know you’ve put in the correct amount of packing paper when, once the box is closed, you can’t push down too far.
Seal it up with packing tape and you’re ready to go! Po Tip: Label each box, it will save you loads of time unpacking.
Skip the hassle all together and hire professional packers. With Alero Moving and Storage, you can trust that your items will arrive safe and sound. Click here to more about our packing services.