How to Pack Fragile Items For A Long-Distance Move?

Get expert tips on how to pack your belongings when planning a move with long-distance movers and keep your belongings in perfect condition.
How to Pack Fragile Items For A Long-Distance Move?

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The first step to packing fragile items when moving long-distance is to carefully protect the item with plenty of bubble wrap and tape. Avoiding damage, as opposed to saving space, is the main priority when packing items so that they can be transported.

While long-distance movers are the best at this job, you can do a pretty good job packing on your own as long as you’re careful. You may not have the skills and techniques used by professionals, but your stuff will be much less likely to get damaged.

This guide will help you ensure that all of your belongings are packed safely, even your most fragile pieces.

If It’s Heavy Use A Smaller Box

Oftentimes, people are tempted to just throw their items into a large box and fit as much stuff into it as possible. This can cause problems down the road, as the box could break open or things could shift during transit and end up damaged.

The best way to pack boxes with fragile items is to keep heavier items in smaller boxes. This can mean more boxes, but it also makes sure that anything heavy isn’t at risk of crushing something fragile or expensive. If there’s extra room in the box, fill it with padding (t-shirts and underwear work great here).

Avoid Flimsy Boxes

An important packing tip that should always be followed is to avoid flimsy boxes. You can find boxes all over your neighborhood or city, but this does not mean that every box is a good box. Thoroughly examine boxes to make sure they’re strong enough to carry your items on a long-distance move.

Good quality interstate moving companies can provide their own boxes, which are sturdy and strong enough to keep everything safely enclosed. This can be a great service if you don’t want to search high and low for free or cheap moving boxes only to throw out about half of them. Ask movers about this service when getting moving quotes so it will be included in the overall cost.

Secure Bottoms with Extra Tape

No matter what box you use, it’s essential that you take as many precautions as possible when moving items that are considered fragile. Any boxes that you’re going to be packing should be secured with tape, but not just once.

Wrap the bottoms of moving boxes, especially, several times. This keeps items from spilling out when a single strip of tape gives way. You may end up needing another roll or two of tape for this endeavor, but it’s well worth it.

Layer Packing Material

Along with layering tape across the bottom of moving boxes, you should also line the bottoms of boxes with soft materials meant for packing. This keeps items that are made of glass of extremely fragile from breaking or getting scratched as they jostle around.

Some of the common materials used for lining the bottoms of boxes include packing paper, styrofoam, bubble wrap, foam peanuts, and towels. You could also look in your linen closet for soft items to keep your things from getting bumped around on the drive.

The Bottom is for Heavier Items

We’ve focused on the bottom of boxes in the last few tips, and this is because the bottom of a moving box is where the most action will happen. The bottoms of boxes will be in contact with the floor of moving trucks, so anything packed at the bottom is more at risk than other items.

Because of this fact, it’s highly recommended that heavy items are packed on the bottom of boxes and lighter stuff is kept at the top. This ensures that you have a base that supports your items and they don’t get crushed during the move.

Use Dividers

Dividers are used to separate glass and stemware when you need to move them around without worrying about breakage. You can buy your own dividers, but movers also provide high-quality glassware containers and crates for items.

Dividers are extremely important for transporting stemware, as the stems of glasses are very fragile and can easily snap if mishandled. To keep all of your glass items in one piece, make sure that some type of cardboard divider is used when packing.

Fill Hollow Items

If you have glass bowls, jars, flower vases, and other items that have a hollow space, you should fill them with some sort of packing material. Doing so keeps the items from vibrating as much as they would if they were empty, reducing the chance of incidents or accidents occurring.

To fill glass pieces, you can use packing peanuts, newspaper, small pieces of cloth, and even t-shirts or underwear.

Wrap Individually

No matter what you’re planning on packing, if it’s fragile then it should be wrapped individually. If an item needs to be disassembled, then each piece should be wrapped individually. Loose pieces should also be wrapped to avoid damaging them, keeping your items perfectly intact.

Pieces of china and other items should be wrapped using bubble wrap and secured with tape. These items can also be put into smaller, separate boxes so that too many items are not stacked closely in one space.

Hire Movers

While you may think that packing is the easiest part of a move, it’s actually one of the most difficult things to tackle and do right. Many times, people underestimate just how much stuff they have. Long-distance moving companies provide premier packing services, so you can sit back and let movers do all the work.

By hiring professionals, you’re getting the best packing services around. Your items are packed by experienced movers who know exactly how to pack to avoid losses. You’ll also have the added protection of being covered just in case any mishaps occur. At the least, you can explore what the additional cost for packing might be by entering it as an extra service when using the moving cost calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I avoid packing if I’m moving long-distance?

Some of the things you should avoid moving long-distance yourself include bulky items, such as large couches or oversized chairs. You may also consider leaving behind or purging books, large electronics you no longer use, DVDs, and other unused items. There are also items movers are not allowed to transport, so be sure to avoid packing these into boxes meant for movers to transport.

When to start planning a long-distance move?

The best time to start planning your long-distance move is when you’ve decided on exactly where you want to go and when. Even if you have movers working with you, there are plenty of things you can do to jump-start the moving process, such as sorting through your belongings, setting up new health insurance, and contacting utility companies.

How many miles is a long-distance move?

In general, most movers consider a move long-distance when items will be transported over 100 miles. Moving across state lines is also considered a long-distance move, even when you won’t be traveling very far to cross them. If you’re not sure what type of movers you need, get in touch with a few companies to find out what you require.

Pack for the Long Haul

Use these packing tips to keep your fragile items safe, but don’t worry if this all seems a bit overwhelming. When in doubt, or stressed out, give a reputable long-distance moving company a shout. With them on your side, you won’t even need to lift a finger.

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