Moving is stressful enough without arriving at your new home to discover your favorite lamp or antique tea set is smashed to pieces. How were you supposed to know your improvised wrapping job of newspaper and scotch tape wasn’t going to work?

Brownstoner Services Movers Not Shakers
Photo by Tracey Adams via Flickr

The good news is that a little care can protect even the most fragile items during the roughest move. We asked Mark of Movers Not Shakers! to give us some practical packing advice.

What is the proper way to pack a fragile item so that it doesn’t break during a move?

After a fragile item has been wrapped, no matter how well or poorly, it then needs to be transported, and that’s what you’re really wrapping for, the movement that occurs in the truck. Whether that driver is dodging potholes or not seeing them, the violent jolts inside a truck box traveling through NYC are inevitable.

The proper way to pack a fragile item so that it doesn’t break is to allow that object to move, very slightly, in a highly protected environment. So how do you do it?

Begin with a soft layer, such as bubble wrap, or cardboard, since that too is layered. Then add a second layer of protection, at least.

Depending on how delicate the object is, you have to consider the weight of the wrapping at this point.

Finally, place the item in a box of an appropriate size that has been either lined or filled with space consuming materials, such as filled air, peanuts (not environmentally sound) or even your own bath towels (it’s all going to the same place).

Also, don’t underestimate the importance of proper taping, there’s almost no such thing as too much.

What are some of the worst packing jobs you’ve seen?

— Large 4′ x 5′ framed pieces with one layer of newspaper
— Boxes full of dishes or glasses with no protection at all
— Some people have Saran-wrapped their own furniture. (We use blanket wrap.)
— Sculpture or vases in a box. Unsealed.
— The mattress bags you get from the hourly truck rental place. (Spoiler alert: they don’t work when you need them to.)

 

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