Getting ready to move can be a hassle. Although you're excited to be getting a new home, packing up your furniture and goods is a lot of work. Besides, you worry that either you or the movers will break your mother's china or that antique bowl you got at last year's tag sale.
Although moving companies guarantee their work and the employees are bonded and insured, there is still a risk that something can go wrong and a dish or two may get broken. Some companies will pack your things for you, but to make sure it's done in a way that bolsters your security, here are a few ideas for packing dishes on your own.
1. Get sturdy boxes or crates. Ask the moving company what is recommended for breakable items like dishes. The company may be able to provide, sell, or recommend where to get the kind of boxes you need. Get enough so that you don't overfill a box, making it too heavy to safely manage. It's better to have extra boxes that are not filled to capacity than fewer that are loaded to the hilt.
2. Wrap each dish carefully. Some people wrap individual dishes in newspaper or packing paper. If the dish is important to you, consider double-wrapping it. Place each one on the floor of the box until it is covered. Then decide if you want to start a second layer or use another box with to maintain single layers. It will depend on how sturdy your dishes are and how much they mean to you in case one gets chipped, cracked, or broken.
3. Stuff packing paper into each individual drinking glass and cup. Then wrap more paper around it, making two or three wraps. Place these, too, in the bottom of a box, making sure each is padded well enough to survive a bruising if it bumps again those next to it. Do the same for serving bowls, gravy boats, bowls, casseroles, and other dishes until all have been carefully padded and packed, each kind to its own box for extra protection, if you wish.
4. Label each box with a permanent marker to indicate its contents and where it is headed in the new home. For example, mark your box as "glasses--kitchen," doing the same for each box. A carton marked "dishes" or "china" might be taken by movers to the kitchen. But you may really want it to go to the dining room china cabinet or the downstairs storage area.
5. Verbally remind the movers of the location of your most valuable and precious items. Even with carefully marked boxes, an added oral request or reminder may be appreciated and helpful. You may even want to set those boxes apart from the others for extra attention. Consider moving them yourself, in your own vehicle, to be sure they arrive safely.
You may be able to take a little less care with durable pots and pans, unless they are made of glass or otherwise breakable. Wrap them in packing paper, lids separately, and place them in their own box.
While there is always a degree of risk in transporting glass dishes or china, you can increase your chances of successful delivery by taking an active role in planning the move.
