What is the Best Way to Pack Fine China When Moving?

Packing delicate items correctly is essential for their protection during a move. Homeowners wishing to pack their own fine china should understand the best ways to do so, to ensure that local movers, get it there safely, and in one piece. By using the following tips, and packing fine china the way professional residential moving services do, odds are it will get to its new destination undamaged.

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Basics of Packing Fragile Items

The biggest mistake people make when packing fragile items is not the failure to wrap individual pieces, but failure to add enough padding to prevent movement. Companies who offer residential moving services assert that shifting and moving within the box is what causes the most damage, so double-boxing, and filling both boxes with enough packing material is essential. The goal is to protect each piece individually, provide enough padding on all sides to add extra protection and prevent shifting while boxes are being moved around. Wrapping pieces individually and ensuring there is enough padding surrounding them is the best way to pack china and crystal for moving.

Use the Right Packing Material

Packing with the right materials is essential when packing fine china. Wrapping and packing should be done with material that is delicate on the china, can be wrapped in layers, and also has a little bit of give to it. Packing material should also be bulky enough to fill up all the empty space in a box to provide the best cushion. For the best results, this means using multiple types of wrapping material including:

• Tissue paper
• Large and small bubble wrap
• Packing peanuts
• Sturdy, larger exterior cardboard boxes, or double-walled dish boxes
• Smaller interior cardboard boxes
• Scotch tape
• Clear packing tape

Double-Box Wrap the Right Way

For the greatest protection, pack china the way most insurance companies deem acceptable, to help ensure it is as safe as possible during a cross-country or local move, as follows:

• Tissue Paper – Start off by wrapping all pieces in a few layers of tissue paper, then affix it with a little bit of tape. Avoid using newspaper for this, as most insurance companies do not consider newspaper as acceptable wrapping material. Before moving, make sure that you have enough tissue paper for packing china to ensure it has proper protection.
• Bubble Wrap – Go over the tissue paper with a wrap of small bubble wrap (3/16” size) and tape it. Follow this with the larger bubble wrap (½” size) taping that shut as well.
• Small Boxes – To “double box” fine china, put similar wrapped items into smaller boxes that fit snuggly around the other pieces. Fill any empty space with tissue paper or peanuts. Pack wrapped, stacked plates, bowls, cups, etc., together. It is also possible to purchase dish-wrapping boxes that include thick cardboard dividers and partitions. If using these boxes, remember to fill any empty space between layers and partitions with paper or peanuts.
• Larger, Heavy Boxes – Once all items are packed in the smaller boxes, prepare the large, main box. Fill with at least three inches of packing peanuts on the bottom. Next, place a smaller, packed box inside and ensure there is at least three inches of space on all sides, and the top. Fill all empty space with packing peanuts so the interior box is well padded and cannot move around, then close the outer box and tape well.

By following the above method used by professional residential moving services, anyone can safely pack their own fine china for a move. Remember, double-boxing, providing enough padding, and reducing movement within the box are the best ways to prevent breakage. If this job seems too difficult, it can always be done by local moving services, who know how to pack delicates such as fine China the proper way to prevent damage, and reduce the issues that could arise when items become damaged in a move! At Transtar Moving Systems, we know how to pack fine china for storage and moving to give you the peace of mind that your valuables will safely make it to their destination.

View Transtar Moving System’s advice on 3 ways to protect your items while moving on CBS!

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