When packing your fragile items for a move, it can often feel like you’re just filling up boxes and hoping for the best. Luckily, Little Guys Movers in Nashville has some packing methods that can help secure and protect your fragile stuff.
Packing Materials
Safely packing breakables starts with having the right materials. Fragile items should go in small, sturdy boxes — the smaller the box, the less room there is for your things to shift around during the move. You should also fortify your boxes by taping them in an ‘H’ pattern — taping down the center seam and the side edges — and don’t hesitate to reinforce the tape on the bottom.
You will also want materials to cushion and buffer your items in the box. These can include your own linens (sheets, towels, and pillow cases), packing paper, old newspapers, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and anything else you have on hand.
Packing Your Fragile Items
Once you have everything you need, it’s time to pack, and pack strategically. Start by placing a layer of your chosen packing material along the bottom of your box to cushion everything that goes in. Put your biggest or heaviest items on the bottom so they can’t break any lighter items beneath them, and, if possible, pack your items vertically rather than horizontally. This is effective for things like your kitchen plates, which can be placed vertically on their sides rather than flat on the bottom for better protection.
You should also wrap your items individually. Place paper or towels between each plate, and wrap each tchotchke in newspaper. If you have any hollow items — vases, glasses, figurines, etc. — fill them up with more packing material. Then, fill any empty space left in the box with more material. All of this padding will protect your items from shifting against each other in the box, and from any jostling from outside.
Packing Large, Fragile Items
For larger items that might not fit in small boxes, we have some other packing options. When it comes to lamps, we suggest packing the lamps and shades separately, and you should absolutely remove the lightbulb to pack with other breakables. For your electronics like monitors or TVs, the best option is to move them in their original packaging. If you don’t have their original boxes, then remove any cables, dongles, and mounting equipment and wrap the monitor in bubble wrap. For additional padding, cover the whole thing in a thick blanket or towel. Make sure you note where you put everything that was removed to make setup easier on the other end. For your large art and picture frames (and small ones too), securely wrap them in newspaper and bubble wrap.
Once You’re Packed
Once you have everything packed up, make sure you clearly label your fragile boxes. We recommend putting a fragile label — something like ‘Fragile: Top Load Only’ to be sure nothing is stacked on top of them — on the top and at least two sides of each box, then set those boxes away from the rest to be sure your movers won’t mix them in.
If you have any hesitation or nervousness about particular boxes — if they contain items with sentimental value for example — you can always point them out to your movers specifically or simply move them yourself.
Finally, check with your movers that your items will be protected and insured in the case of an unfortunate event. Little Guys Movers offers Full Value Protection for every move we work on, because we’re here to get you and all of your belongings to your new home in their best condition. If you want any more tips for moving fragile items, check out our video: A Little Advice: Tip #7 The Fragile Move.