Do you have a lot of glassware in your home? These items can be tricky to pack up for a household move, and your goal is to tackle your relocation without breaking anything. Here are four common mistakes to avoid when packing glassware before your move.
1. Not Having the Proper Packing Tools
Prevent your glassware from breaking by ensuring you have the appropriate packing materials. In addition, the glassware must never come into abrupt contact with any hard surface. So make sure you have the following packing essentials on hand when packing your glassware.
- Small to medium-sized boxes
- Glass pack kits with cell dividers
- Packing paper, newsprint, towels, packing peanuts, or other soft material
- Extra cardboard pieces
- Markers
- Packing tape
2. Not Wrapping Each Item Individually
You might be tempted to wrap smaller glasses together in a single piece of packing paper, but it is better to wrap everything individually. If you use newspaper or packing paper, roll each glass into its own piece of paper. Avoid stacking or nesting glasses together and wrapping them in one sheet of paper.
Place your packing paper on a flat, smooth surface. Start with the heaviest glassware by placing one glass in the corner of the first sheet. Then roll the glass diagonally across the paper, stuffing the ends of the paper into the opening of the glass as you proceed. Finish by folding the bottom end of the packing paper over the glass.
When you wrap stemware, cover the stem separately, then wrap the entire glass.
3. Not Filling Empty Space
Put several sheets of crumpled paper at the bottom of the box. Then place the heaviest glasses in your box first and add layer after layer of new glasses. You can consider adding cardboard layer dividers in between if you want.
Once you have placed everything you want in a box, fill any remaining dead space with some filler material. This could be packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or even crumpled newspaper or towels. In any case, you want a pretty tight pack once you are done. Leave room at the top of the box for a final layer of padding or more crumpled paper. Before sealing the box, ensure the items and padding are snug and don’t shift in the box.
Finally, tape your box shut and label it. Write ”fragile” on all sides of the box to ensure your movers are extra cautious with these delicate items.
4. Not Using a Sturdy Box and Seal
Glass can be heavy, so not considering the overall weight when choosing a box is risky. Instead, look for the weight rating on any moving carton you select for packing glassware. Also, ensure the seal on the bottom and top of the box is sturdy. Instead of taping only the central seam where the flaps meet, add tape around the flaps. This means that the contents are less likely to fall out if that central seam falls apart due to weighted pressure.
Need Help with Your Residential Move?
From the garage tools to the glassware, packing is a significant undertaking. However, knowing professional movers will be helping with the transition means a lot. If you want to find out how we can help, reach out for a free moving quote.
