How to Move Fragile Items With These 5 Tips

One of the biggest challenges when moving house is handling fragile belongings. Oftentimes these carry a lot of monetary or sentimental value which means care should be taken when dealing with such items. We’ve all heard stories of people breaking their television sets or fine china due to negligence and recklessness. If you want to keep your fragile items in perfect condition, then you have to know how to move them safely from one place to another. Here are 5 value-minded tips that homeowners can use to ensure their fragile goods arrive safely to their new home. It is imperative when moving furniture that you consult with the leading furniture removalist in Perth to get a second opinion.

1. Hire an expert removalist

The number one option should always be your go to choice when looking to engage in any kind of removals. If you want to expedite the process and not deal with the packing process yourself, you can hire an expert removalist to do the job for you. Professional removalists offer packing and unpacking services to ensure that even your most fragile items are packed carefully and securely. The great thing about hiring a team of removalists is that it eliminates the guesswork and allow you to sit back, relax, and just wait until all of the boxes have been arranged. If this is not suitable for you then the following steps will come in handy.

2. Use the right packaging materials

To ensure your fragile items are protected from bumps, shocks, and vibrations, you must use the right packaging materials. This is especially true if you’re moving long distances as you want the boxes to hold up during long hours of transportation. Packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and styrofoam are just some examples of packaging materials that keep fragile goods from getting damaged.

Here is a complete checklist of the packaging materials that you should have at your disposal:

• Small moving boxes for things like glassware and fine china
• Medium-sized moving boxes for electronic devices and other technological accessories
• Large moving boxes for things like monitors and TVs
• Packaging tape
• Loose fills
• Markers
• Labels with “fragile” written on it
• Newspapers
• Box cutters
• Moving blankets

You can also make use of old linens like towels, t-shirts, and bedsheets to wrap around fragile items for even more protection.

3. Pack fragile items the right way

Now that you have the packaging materials, it’s time to pack the breakables carefully inside the moving boxes. How you pack the items will depend on its fragility. Here are a few practical tips when packing fragile goods:

• Plates – Use an old newspaper and wrap it around the plate. Do the same with the other plates and stack them vertically up to five stacks high. Place the stacked plates on its side and put crumpled paper above and below the plates for extra cushioning.
• Glassware – Just like with plates, cover up the glasses with newspaper/packing paper and arrange them sideways inside the moving box. Fill in the gaps with packing peanuts to cushion the glasses during transportation.
• Electronics – When packing electronic devices, use bubble wrap and cover the item proportionately. Do this for each device before placing them inside the moving box.
• Lamps – Remove the bulb and the stand from the lamp (if applicable). Wrap the stand with newspaper and lay it sideways on the moving box. Then wrap the bulb with bubble wrap and the shade with newspaper and store them separately.

TVs and monitors – Use a zip tie to manage the cables and then wrap a moving blanket around the TV. If you have the original box, that’s great news. If not, you’ll have to acquire a large box that can fit your TV/monitor. Never lay down the TV flat on its back or the front as this will risk damaging the display during transportation.

4. Label the moving boxes

All that packing won’t do you any good if you fail to label your moving boxes. Labelling is important when moving fragile items as the person handling the boxes will take extra care not to damage its contents. You can purchase fragile stickers and stick them on the side of the moving box or use a marker and label the boxes as fragile. It’s also critical that you indicate the contents of the box and the orientation in which the boxes should be stored. For example, a box containing glassware should always be stored flat to prevent the glasses from getting damaged.

5. Don’t rush things

Most homeowners make the mistake of just frantically packing fragile items to get done as quickly as possible. Not only does it increase the risk of damage, but it can also cause serious injury if you’re not careful. When moving house, take the time to pack breakables as they require a bit more TLC than your other belongings. This means starting the packing process ahead of schedule so you don’t end up rushing things on the last minute.

They’ll also supply the necessary packing materials and boxes which means one less thing for you to worry about. Moving fragile items requires careful planning and preparation on your end. How you approach the packing process is critical to protecting your breakables from any sort of damage. Make sure to follow these tips when moving fragile items so that they safely arrive at their destination.