Obviously, the key to moving your fragile china and dishware without damage is to pack it well. Just to be safe, don’t ever be afraid to overpack these kinds of goods. A little extra paper or bubble wrap never hurts when trying to avoid damages.
If you use newspaper to pack these things, you will have to hand wash all of your china after you unpack them in order to remove the ink residue. Dishwashers
Some people use their clothing, towels, washcloths and linen for packing material rather than to purchase bubble wrap or paper. Using these things for packing materials is a good idea and also saves the effort of having to box them up.
When packing dishes or any other
If the box is tall, place crushed paper or bubble wrap on top of the first tier and then put some cardboard on top of that and some more crushed paper or bubble wrap on top of that. Then put in another tier of dishes on top of all that and line the four sides and top with more crushed paper or bubble wrap. Finish by carefully filling and sealing the top of the box and labeling it with its contents.
Packing Plates and Saucers
Plates and saucers of the same size should first be stacked on top of each other, 6 – 8 high using paper plates or foam plates between each one as shown in the 3 pictures below.
Then wrap them all up into a well papered bundle and label it as shown in the 2 picture sequence below. Do this bundle wrapping using at least two or three sheets of paper in order to give these plates adequate cushioning.
This makes for a nicely protected bundle of plates which should be placed standing up on their side in a box with bunched up paper and /or cardboard on the box’s bottom. Make other stacks of plates in the same manner and stack them next to each other, also on their sides. Never place plates flat on the bottom of the box because if the mover sets the box down hard, the bottom plate can easily break.
Fill the box with these stacks on their sides. No more padding needs to be put in between them but it won’t hurt to put more bunched up paper on the bottom and around all 4 sides and the top of the box.
You can also add cardboard to the top and bottom of the box to further protect the fragiles inside.
You can also use towels or linens or magazines to fill the box to the top. Do not try to fill a plate box with glassware or cups or bowls or other fragiles because the weight of the plates can break these things
When the box is completely full, tape it shut and label it.
Moving Cups and Bowls
Wrap cups and bowls separately with 1 or 2 sheets of paper each and stack them with glassware in a separate box. Be sure to stack cups, bowls, and glasses vertically in the box because this is their strong position. Never lay them on their sides because they easily break that way.
Think of these things as if they are delicate eggs and pack them in a similar manner as eggs are packed in an egg crate. Egg crates take advantage of the eggs strong vertical position so do the same with your cups. Did you realize that flimsy cardboard egg crates full of delicate eggs can be stacked up 5′ -6′ high without breaking a single egg? The same can happen with your
Box-in-Box Packing
For very fragile, very expensive items you can use box-in-box packing. To do this, you first pack the item using crushed paper, bubble wrap, peanuts (although they’re hard to handle) or light clothing to cushion it within the smaller box. Then you pack that sealed smaller box using the same materials into a bigger box. This double-protects the item! This way, it’s possible to drop kick the box without damaging the contents within its inner small box!
Packing Platters and Soup Tureens
Use bigger heavier duty boxes (3-wall) for platters and soup tureens or other larger china items. Be sure to wrap plenty of bubble wrap or paper around these items and use extra material packed in between them in the box. Use crushed paper, bubble wrap, cardboard, towels or linen to fill the box to the top.
Packing china and dishware when moving can be rather tricky due to the super fragile nature of your chinaware. If you’re not sure you can handle that specific packing task, get a quote from professional packers and see how much they will charge you to get the job done for you.
