With the right preparation, you can ensure your delicate items reach their destination intact. Here’s our six-step guide to keeping your breakables in one piece.
What you’ll need
- Strong boxes
- Packing tape
- Scissors
- Markers
- Packing materials (bubble wrap, Styrofoam, packing peanuts, airbags, old clothes)
Step 1 – check your box
Your boxes need to be strong, and ideally similar in size to the item or items you’re going to put in it. The closer the fit, the less packaging material you’ll need. For heavier items or loads (anything over 20 kg), a crate is better. Tape the edges and corners of the box before use.
Step 2 – wrap your item
Wrap the item fully in bubble wrap. Use packing tape to secure the bubble wrap, and add additional layers to particularly delicate areas of the item, such as protrusions or thinner sections.
Step 3 – Line the base
The item’s weight will be resting on the base of the box, so place a protective layer at the bottom.
Step 4 – Arrange your items
If you’re putting several items in one box, make sure heavier items are placed at the bottom. Use packing materials as you go, to avoid collisions between the items.
Step 5 – pad it out
Make sure you have enough packing materials to stop the item moving around inside the box. Choice of material is important here – packing peanuts, airbags, and Styrofoam are all effective, but use a combination of different packing materials to get the best result. Make sure you add another layer at the top, to prevent crushing from above.
Step 6 – Seal and label
Use plenty of packing tape to seal the box fully. Using a marker, clearly write ‘fragile’ on the top and sides. This should help prevent anyone stacking anything on top of it.
If you’re worried about your fragile items, you might be better off asking a home removal company – we can provide packing materials, and we’ll package your items for you.
