One of the most daunting aspects of moving house is whether your fragile items will make it from one place to the other in one piece. Concern over the safety of belongings such as mirrors, framed artwork or valuable items is only natural, which is why people will often look to utilise professional packing services.
If, however, you’re planning to handle your move alone, we’ve compiled a list of key packing precautions that will give your fragile items some extra support.
Preparation is key.
There’s no denying that moving house without professional support will be challenging. For those doing so, our most important piece of advice is to make sure that you are as prepared as you can possibly be.
We recommend mapping out all the items you need to move and then working out how many of those are considered ‘fragile’ so you can organise the relevant plans and provisions.
Use the right equipment.
Once you know which fragile items you need to move, ensuring you have all of the required equipment for a successful move is essential.
Here at Edwards, we use bubble blankets, reinforced cases, boxes and wooden crates for fragile and high-value items. Although you may not have all of these materials available when managing your move alone, substitutes can be found with bubble wrap and even plastic containers. If cardboard boxes are all you can get your hands on, we recommend using new rather than old, as the latter may give way if your fragile items carry some weight.
Clearly label your fragile items.
We highly recommend labelling your fragile items once they are packed up, and there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, you won’t risk getting your fragile items mixed up with non-fragile items. Secondly, it means that anyone who is helping with your move will know to take special care with the boxes labelled as such.
Wrap each item individually.
Another recommendation when packing fragile items is to wrap each item individually. This may sound like an obvious thing to do, but many people may think that packing multiple items together will help save time and materials during their move. However, packing items together can actually increase the risk of damage.
If you are packing small, fragile items, such as glassware, and want to keep everything in one crate or box, you should wrap each item individually. This gives them a little extra protection from smashing or gathering dust or scratches from rubbing up against other items.
Packing glassware and ceramics.
On the topic of glassware, glass and ceramics are notoriously easy to break and extremely difficult to pack and move safely.
To ensure you’re being as careful as possible, use smaller boxes as they’re much easier to handle for the packing services, and there’s less room for items to shift around while moving. You can also place a few sheets of bubble wrap or tissue paper around the bottom of the box to cushion your items.
Packing artwork.
Other items that are notoriously tricky to move safely are pieces of art. When you move alone, unlike when you move with a reputable company, you may not have insurance to cover any potential damage to your belongings during the process of moving house. As such, when it comes to moving items like artwork, especially if it’s of value to you, it’s worth investing in more specialist materials.
At Edwards, we utilise individual picture cartons and bespoke crates when moving any artwork, which really helps keep pieces protected. For those moving alone, there are options available online, including packing boxes specifically for artwork, photos and even mirrors.
Packing a TV.
Moving other valuables like televisions can be extremely scary; if not packed properly, there is a big chance of breakage.
If you happen to still have it, using the original packaging of the TV would be ideal, as typically TVs arrive in fitted polystyrene and perfectly sized boxes. If you don’t have the original packaging, we recommend trying to recreate it. Find a suitably sized box and pack your TV with plenty of bubble wrap, and keep all wires and plugs separate to avoid any damage.
Finally, take your time.
We know better than anyone how stressful moving house can be. It can also be a pretty lengthy process, and likely one that – by the time you are physically moving – you are really wishing was done and dusted. But our final piece of advice, no matter how long the process may seem, is to take your time when moving fragile items.
Allowing yourself an extra day dedicated only to your fragile items will be entirely worth it for the assurance that all your delicate items arrive at your new home in one piece.
No matter what the specifics of your fragile items are, you can see that there are a few key rules to follow when preparing these items for relocation.
- Know which items are your fragile ones, making sure they are clearly labelled and accounted for in your planning process.
- Make sure you have the right materials. You’ll need plenty of bubble wrap, secure boxes (wooden if possible) and spare bags for any loose parts, such as TV wires.
- Wrap and pack all your fragile items individually.
- Go slowly and with care!
For more information and support on how to make your move as smooth as possible, whether that’s with your fragile items specifically or any other aspect of your move, contact the Edwards team today, and we’ll be happy to advise you.