Having Trouble Packing Fragile Items? Here are 7 Tips to Help You Out

Irrespective of whether you are planning on relocating your residence, or you are shifting your office to a new location, there would always be some fragile items that will give you a tough time during packing. You can never be too careful with these items because if they break, then it takes a lot of effort to repair it. In certain situations, it becomes impossible to repair it and the only possible resolution is to get a new one. So if it is an expensive vase or a delicate frame, then you would be in a lot of trouble.

Don’t let fragile items scare the hell out of you. Here are 7 tips that will help you to ensure their safety and proper packaging.

Always Prepare the Moving Boxes Correctly

This is the most crucial stage in the packing process. It is obvious that you would be going for the regular Moving Boxes or boxes made from corrugated packaging material. You need to focus on the packaging when you are dealing with heavy items or fragile products. The best way to go about doing it is to make sure that the base is secure as this is the area that is bound to collapse if it is not taped off properly. Make sure that you tape the bottom of the box in an “X” pattern. This should give it better strength. Additionally, you may put crumpled paper in the bottom to provide more cushion. 

Upgrade the Moving Boxes If Required

Like mentioned above, with delicate and fragile items you can never be too careful. It would be wise to do away with the old Packaging Materials and boxes. Instead, get high quality boxes that are not only durable but provide adequate protection from external impacts and forces, and this is really beneficial during transportation. This also helps to reduce the risks that the products are subjected to during transit.

Only Use Good Packing Paper

Generally, we make use of old newspapers or other things to provide cushioning to the fragile products. Newspaper is the most commonly used packing paper and it is good. However, if you wrap it around anything, the ink tends to get rubbed on to it. This can be really off putting if you have an expensive or delicate fragile item. It is also rather cumbersome to remove the ink that has rubbed off from the newsprint. The best approach is to use an unprinted paper as it gives the same quality but has the benefit of having no print at all. This may be slightly expensive as compared to newspaper, but if you are on a low budget then you may use both in combination to achieve the desired result.

Fill in the Gaps

The first rule of packing fragile items is that they should not move while being transported. So make sure that you fill in the gaps with adequate padding and other cushioning materials that the things are packed tightly. People usually think of using packing peanuts and this would be a good option if it wasn’t so expensive and if it did not create a mess every time the package was opened. You can use old paper or other simple materials also.

Wrap Each Item With Care

In the case of bowls, glasses or other small delicate items, it would be better if they were to be wrapped individually and then placed together because they tend to rub against each other. For glasses and other items with a hollowed centre, you need to crumple paper into a ball and then stuff it into the gap. This needs to be followed by wrapping the item with paper or other wrapping material. However, in the case of plates, it is better to stack them up and then wrap the entire “tower “of plates. It is much easier to handle it this way.

Listen to the Package

This is the best way to check whether you have packed the things properly. If there is any mistake or faults with the padding, then you would be able to hear a clink or a thud upon shaking the package. So add more cushioning till the time the contents are so intact that they don’t move and you don’t hear anything.

Go With the “Top-Light and Bottom-Heavy” Approach

Irrespective of the type of fragile material or the quantity, you should always place the heavy items at the bottom while leaving the light ones for the top. Even with proper packaging, if you place heavy items on top, then the contents in the bottom are at a risk of being crushed under the weight.