How to Safely Pack Fragile Items When Moving

Staying in one place for a long time is not always possible. There are times when we have to move to somewhere better, or at least somewhere else.

Moving into another house may not be the most fun in the world, but it is an art form, so to speak. It can be as simple as putting stuff in boxes or as complicated as a test of resources and logistics.

Here are some tips to make moving as smooth and light as possible.

1. Avoid over-packing. If you cram as many things as they can fit in every box, then every box would be bulging at the sides. You would want to make sure this doesn't happen. This would lead to two unwanted results.

One is that the carton of the boxes would be in danger of ripping open, and everything inside will spill out. The other is that you can never fit the boxes into safe and secure piles during transport.

2. Use different boxes. You don't have to have your boxes the same size. While various things can be put into small containers, some things need a bigger package. So you can put your heirloom jewels or toiletries in one box, but you need a bigger one for the microwave oven, the toaster, and, most important, the coffee machine.

3. Use box inserts. Box inserts can be wrapping paper, or, more popularly, crumpled newspapers and bubble wrap. You put these in-between spaces to avoid breakage. A classic example would be in packing various glasses and porcelain plates. These are fragile items, and care must be put into place to prevent them from slamming and smashing into each other.

4. Place the heaviest items at the bottom, with lighter items at the top. This may sound like a piece of common-sense advice; nevertheless, mistakes have been made when the heavy item was placed at the top of light yet fragile items. The owner would later find the crumbled remains of the light thing squished by the heavy object on top.

5. Communicate clearly with the movers. There are hauling services available in most places. A truck and some men who would be carrying your things will arrive in your home. It would make their job easier, and they would appreciate it if you can have the boxes ready in one place if that is possible. Let them know which items are fragile, and which items are not exactly fragile but still need careful handling. Don't be embarrassed if you emblazon a box with a "Fragile" sign.

6. Wrap sharp objects in thick towels. It's for your protection rather than for the movers because they wouldn't be opening the boxes anyway. We are talking about knives or razor blades. Other sharp things, like push pins, can be put in a small wrapped box.

7. You don't need to put heavy furniture, such as the bed and the sofa, inboxes. But you can wrap them so they would still be in perfect condition when moving. You can use bubble wrap, wrapping paper, or corrugated cartons.