Almost every broken item we see on a move could have survived with ten extra seconds of wrapping. The good news: packing fragile items is not difficult. It is just tedious. Do it in the right order, with the right materials, and even a full china cabinet arrives intact.
Why proper packing matters
Fragile items break for two reasons: they hit something hard, or something hard hits them. The fix is the same either way — put padding between the item and everything else. A single layer of newspaper is not padding. Two inches of crumpled paper, bubble wrap, or foam, on every side, is padding.
The second risk is weight. Heavy fragile items stacked on top of lighter ones crush them. Keep heavy on the bottom, light on top, and mark boxes accordingly.
Supplies you need
- Small and medium boxes — never large, a large box of glass gets too heavy to lift
- Bubble wrap (small bubbles for glassware, large for larger items)
- Moving paper or unprinted newsprint
- Packing tape and a tape dispenser
- Permanent marker
- Labelled "FRAGILE" stickers, or write it clearly in marker
- Cardboard dividers for plates and glasses
All of the wrap and tape can be supplied by your mover. Boxes usually are not, but ask — we can bring them at cost.
Prep before you box
Empty every cabinet, drawer, and shelf before packing. Tape loose parts (lamp shades, mirrors, TV stands) so they do not shift. Photograph the back of your TV and any electronics before unplugging them — you will want to know which cable went where when you set up again.
Get rid of anything you were going to throw out anyway. Moving is a great excuse to give away china you never use.
Boxing technique: layers of protection
The rule of thumb: three layers. Wrap each item individually, then box items so they do not touch each other, then cushion the whole box top and bottom.
- Wrap the item. For glassware, use bubble wrap with the bubbles facing inward against the glass, then secure with tape.
- Place the wrapped item in the box with crumpled paper on all sides. Nothing should shift when you shake the box gently.
- Add a layer of crumpled paper on top before closing. Tape the box shut along all seams.
- Write "FRAGILE" and the room it belongs to on at least two sides.
Room-by-room notes
Kitchen
Plate stacks go in on their edge, never flat. Stack too much weight and the bottom plate cracks. Use a cardboard divider between every plate. Glasses go in upside down (rims are the strongest part).
Living room
Mirrors, art, and TVs need cardboard corners and a full wrap. Tape a large X of painter's tape across a TV screen before boxing to prevent flex damage.
Bathrooms
Bottles and jars leak. Put a piece of cling film under every cap and pack liquids separately in a plastic bin, upright, on the floor of the truck — not in the stack.
Loading fragile boxes
Fragile boxes go on top of the stack or in the cab of the truck. Never under furniture, never under other boxes. If the truck is packed tight enough that nothing can shift, that is the safest configuration — but "packed tight" for a fragile box means "surrounded by soft things", not "crushed by heavy things".
When to call a mover
If you have a lot of fragile items — a full china cabinet, art collection, or heavy electronics — the time it takes to pack properly is often more than the cost of having us do it. Our packing service includes all wrap and tape, and everything we pack is insured by the job. Call us and ask what a packing-only job would cost for your home.