How to Pack Glass for Moving
Though packing and preparing for a move can seem stressful, some things are more challenging to pack than others. One of the most fragile things to pack is glasses – mugs, wine glasses, plates, and other delicate items. Hiring professionals to help you pack would be great, but if you need to save money for something else, you can tackle the packing yourself.
Unlike sturdier items such as clothes and shoes, you can’t just shove your glasses in a cardboard box without wrapping them properly. You’re going to need suitable materials to do this. So you gather several cardboard boxes, some packing paper, bubble wrap, and packing tape, and you’re all set, right? This is excellent if you’re not moving too far and don’t have high-priced glassware or too much of it.
However, if you have some really expensive glassware and are moving to another state, you should let professionals do their thing. Below are some key tips on how to pack and safely move your glasses.
What to Know Before You Start Packing Glasses
If you want to safely pack your mugs inside the same box as the wine glasses and other glassware, you must be well prepared.
You need to know how to use several wrapping materials to secure your glassware with little effort. Your choice of wrapping materials can be dictated by the type of glassware you’re moving, your budget, and your favourite choice.
● Newspaper & Packing Paper
This is a great option, especially when moving on a budget. Whether moving within the state or long distance, you’ll need to provide your glasses with extra protection by folding the newspaper into several layers. Since a single layer of newspaper won’t work well, use as much paper as you need to ensure your dishes are firmly secured.
Though this is one of the cheapest packing materials available, you need to be careful while using it for packing glassware. If the newspaper gets wet, the ink printed on it could bleed off and destroy your glassware.
● Bubble Wrap
Next, you need to learn how to use bubble paper wrap. Use bubble wrap sparingly if you want to leave room in the moving boxes. Though it’s great for cushioning your glasses when moving, bubble wrap takes up additional space; thus, it is not ideal when you have a lot of glassware to pack.
Ideally, you should look for bubble wrap with smaller bubbles when moving priceless glassware such as heirlooms, wedding gifts, and the like. They tend to be more secure and take less space, leaving enough for all the fragile items to be packed. Try using crumpled paper more to keep your glasses safe without taking up too much space.
● Packing Boxes & Packing Tape
Small cardboard boxes are the ideal option for the type and size of packing boxes you use. Cardboard is excellent because it’s sturdy and strong enough to keep your wine glasses safe but not hard enough to break them.
Small boxes are ideal for moving fragile items because they don’t leave extra space that could lead to breakage. You will also save on packing papers and bubble wrap, as you won’t need as much of them for extra reinforcement.
● Packing Style
This won’t be a concern if you are working with a professional removalist. However, if you’re doing it yourself, you must figure out the best and safest way to pack your glassware. When you pack glasses for moving, placing all heavy items at the bottom of your moving box is always advisable.
Once you’re done arranging your glasses, ensure you cushion them using bubble wrap or crumpled paper. You should have two layers of crumpled wrapping material cushioning your glasses from the top and below.
With fragile cargo, you don’t want to leave any excess space inside the box, which could result in an expensive accident. You should gently shake your moving boxes after packing them to find out If there’s any extra space before sealing the box shut.
How to Pack Glasses for a Move in 3 Steps
Once you have all the necessary materials to safely and securely pack dishes and your glassware, it’s time to start packing. Follow the steps below to understand how a professional moving company would pack your glasses and other fragile items.
1. Prepare Your Moving Boxes
The first step is to prepare your moving boxes to ensure that they are well-sealed and ready for your fragile items. Start by using your tape to secure all the loose parts of your boxes. This will help keep the glasses inside the box when you lift them.
If you have extra money and aren’t sure you can adequately secure your packing boxes, you can choose to use special boxes for your move. Use all the necessary tape to ensure that your boxes are firmly secure when using a cardboard box.
Next, you need to pad your moving boxes to provide your dishes and glassware with some cushioning. This padding reinforces the wrapping paper you use for your glasses, plates, and other fragile items. To be safe, you should make this padding a few inches thick and have two layers at the bottom and the top. For padding, you could also use other soft materials, such as towels.
In the case of large boxes, you’ll need to make it easier to access when you start packing your glasses. Using the packing tape to hold down the flaps of your boxes will help improve your access.
2. Choose the Best Order to Pack Dishes
Once you’re done preparing your moving boxes, it’s time to start packing your glassware. To be safe, you should use the same technique as most moving companies. Start with the heavy dishes and work your way up to the lighter ones.
Hiring a professional removalist company will save you the stress of doing this all by yourself or worrying about breaking your China in transit.
● Plates
When packing your glassware for moving, you should always start with your plates. Start by wrapping each plate individually with paper to ensure they’re completely covered and don’t keep knocking against each other while moving.
Arrange them vertically against one another to have them offer each other support. You should ensure that they are tightly packed and leave no extra space to keep them from breaking on the way to your new home.
● Bowls
Next, you should wrap and pack the bowls. If you’re using large boxes, you can pack them in with the plates. When wrapping your bowls, place the packing paper inside your bowl and then use the rest to wrap it up. This excess crumpled paper plays an essential role in keeping your bowls intact should the box get dropped or mishandled.
You’ll need extra layers of cushioning paper to help keep your bowls packed sideways. Nesting one bowl inside another can be a call for disaster. Always use the same technique for all your bowls and add extra packing paper to improve safety. You can gently shake the cardboard box to ensure your glassware isn’t moving.
● Glasses
Finally, it’s time to pack your glasses. Since glasses are the most fragile and lightest of all glassware, you should always pack them last. To keep all your glassware safe, use cardboard dividers to separate glass, or better yet, you can use a separate small box for them. You want to ensure that your glasses reach their destination in one piece. Use newspapers or your go-to packing materials to wrap the glass properly. Starting from one corner of the glass, use extra paper to create a thick layer of cover around and inside your glasses.
When wrapping wine glasses, you should always start by wrapping the stem and ensuring it’s completely covered before moving on to the rest of the glass. Always have enough crumpled paper cushioning the flat surface of the box before you start to arrange your wrapped glasses.
3. Cushion Packing Boxes
Finally, once all your glassware is neatly packed in large and small double corrugated cardboard boxes, it’s time to ensure that everything is firmly in place. Simply give your box a gentle shake and listen for any movement inside.
Use more packing paper or other soft materials to cushion your glassware. When you pack glasses for moving, there should be no noise coming from your package once you get the box closed.
Finding the Best Removalist Services
Moving house can be a very hectic process – especially the packing and unpacking, which is why, at times, it is just best to hire a professional to get it done quickly and safely. There are a lot of fragile items, such as glassware and dishes, that require extra care when being moved.
You should always do thorough research and vetting when looking for the right moving company. Below are some of the necessary factors that you should consider:
● Insurance & Licensing
When moving expensive, fragile items, you need to find removalists with valid licence and insurance. Specifically, you need to choose a company approved by the Australian Furniture Removers Association (AFRA), and this body only approves the best, most qualified, and most fully equipped removalists.
Most of these moving companies have an online presence, and you can quickly determine whether they’re licensed. Keep in mind that moving companies that work within the state might have different licences to those that do it across states.
Using packers and movers who have a licence and insurance will give you peace of mind. You are assured that you’ll be compensated in case of any damages to your glassware. Therefore, take your time to review numerous companies until you find one with the right moving insurance coverage and licences.
● Efficient & Careful
Next, you need to look at how good the removalist you want to work with is at their job. Though fast packers and movers are outstanding, you want to ensure they are also careful with your belongings. Look for an efficient moving company to help you pack and move quickly.
If you’re moving expensive or priceless glassware, you need to look for an efficient and careful company. How they pack glassware will tell you a lot about their efficiency. Do they make good use of crumpled packing paper to keep the glass separate for maximum protection?
● Affordability
With hundreds – if not thousands of removalist companies across Australia, you’re bound to find one that fits your budget. It’s important that you always consider the amount of money you’re willing to part with when choosing the ideal removalist.
Ask questions about the services offered, available discounts, and any other necessary factors that might increase the charges. Ideal removalists will be the ones with great services at affordable prices. However, if you’re moving expensive glassware, you shouldn’t compromise quality to save a few dollars.
● Customer Reviews
The best place to find first hand information about any removalist company is in the customer review section of their website. When looking for a great company to work with for the first time, you can learn and understand it better by reviewing past customers’ comments and reviews.
Look for companies that specialise in moving fragile things to ensure you don’t end up with broken wine glasses when you arrive at your destination. Customer reviews will inform you how a particular removalist handles such incidents. If you’re paying a premium price for services, they’d better be great and cover any unforeseen damages.
● Quote Comparison
Finally, you can choose the five best companies you like and compare their services and charges to get the ideal one. Contact several removalist companies and compare their prices, services, and professionalism.
Though using the cost of moving to guide your selection is great, don’t overlook service quality. You want to strike a good balance of services (packing and moving), charges, and any additional services. Ask as many questions as possible to fully understand the scope of services each removalist provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much does Sydney removalists estimate cost?
Though the moving prices differ from one removalist to the next, there are some similarities in how these companies arrive at it. First and foremost, removalists will consider the specific services you ask for when estimating the cost.
Secondly, they also consider the distance and weight of your goods. If your move is local, you’ll get an hourly estimate that will also consider the number of movers needed. For interstate moves, the estimated cost will factor in the distance and additional services such as packaging materials, insurance, etc.
2. What are the benefits of working with a professional removalist?
Though moving can be a DIY project, hiring a professional removalist has its benefits. First, these professionals know how to handle all sorts of things, from furniture to fragile glassware. You don’t have to worry about what goes where and how to ensure it all arrives in one piece.
Professional movers also save you time since they work in a given time frame. If you lead a busy life, you can use the packers and movers to do everything from A-Z. A professional removalist will handle everything and make your move a breeze if you’re willing to pay for their services.
3. What is removal insurance?
This insurance policy covers the removal process of your belongings from one point to the destination. It’s a broad policy covering every single process, from packing and loading to unloading and unpacking your items.
Removal insurance is essential, especially when moving fragile goods with a high chance of getting damaged if not handled properly. The policy gives you peace of mind since you get a full refund for anything damaged during removal.
Conclusion
If you don’t enjoy other people going through your belongings, you can do the packing yourself and have the moving company only handle the transportation. However, you should mark all the boxes correctly to prevent those with fragile items from being packed under heavy ones.
Remember, when packing your glasses, always gently shake the box a bit to hear if there are any loose glasses. You should spend as much time as necessary to ensure that everything is firmly in place before packing them into the movers’ truck. Use more paper to ensure no corner or the bottom of the box has empty space.
Working with a reputable removalist company is always a great option, as it reduces the amount of work you’ll have to do for the move (especially if you are moving interstate). You can also rest assured that all your fragile items and glassware will be intact when you get to your new address.
