How to Pack Fragile Valuables For Storage

If you are planning to relocate your home or business, one of the most regular problems you will face is how to secure your valuables, fragile items, art pieces, etc. from breaking. Packing services are a business on their own, and for good reason. Packing by yourself is a huge job, which is especially important when handling odd items. That’s why we put together this collection of tips and tricks on how to pack fragile valuables for storage. Hopefully, you will be a packing pro in no time.

Tips on How to Pack Fragile Valuables for Storage

First of all, there’s plenty of services out there that can help you, like Monterey moving and storage. If you can hire professionals, we strongly recommend that you do. It will save you a lot of stress. However, if you aren’t hiring them for whatever reason, here’s what you can do to pack fragile valuables for storage.

Artwork

For framed painting, pictures or other artwork, you should use foam corners to protect the edges of the frame. If you’re planning to move multiple frames at the same time, bubble wrap is a must. You can use masking tape to create star patterns across the glass part of the picture, to minimize movement — reducing breaks, cracks, scratches etc.

For table pieces or shelve pieces (statuettes, trinkets etc.), packing like usual fragile items will be fine. So, plenty of packing paper and bubble wrap. Add padding between items if you want to be extra safe.

If you have sculptures, paintings, or other pieces that you consider to be of great value, you should ship those separately from your more mundane items. If you have room in your vehicle, you should consider moving those yourself. Even though movers are professional and ensured, you never know what might happen. Best not risk it!

Dishes and Other Glass Items

Who hasn’t broken a dish or two (or a hundred) in their life. Dishes and other glassware is easily breakable. That means that packing it properly is a must if you want to avoid breakage. First of all, don’t put dishes and glassware into large boxes. Instead, use a couple of smaller ones, to ensure that it’s never too cumbersome to move.

Placing something soft at the bottom of the box is a good way to start. You can use packing foam, a towel, or bubble wrap. Afterward, wrap every piece in packing paper. Newspapers can work as well if you’re out of packing paper, but you will need to wash everything to remove the potential ink leaks.

Wine glasses and other stemware can be quite tricky to pack properly and can break easily. That’s why you should always include a lot of wrapping around the stems, to avoid any snapping of the glass stems. Crumpling up pieces of packing paper inside the glasses will also give them more stability.

Antiques

Due to their age they are often the most fragile items in people’s collections, and also some of the most valuable. You need to pack fragile valuables for storage very carefully, especially antiques. If your antiques have drawers or doors, you should secure them with either straps or masking tape, so that they don’t shift and move during relocation. However, do note if the product will damage the finish of your piece or leave glue or other residue that might be hard to clean.

Afterward, wrap the pieces in some moving blankets to protect the edges from denting or getting damaged. Ratchet straps can also be useful for this purpose.

If an antique is very valuable or of sentimental importance to you, or it is perhaps too large for you to move yourself. You should look into hiring some moving companies in Carmel CA. Hiring professionals is always a good bet if you’re unsure if you can handle the relocation of an antique.

Electronics

If you can, put back the electronics in their original packaging. TVs, gaming consoles, screens, computers all have styrofoam molds in their packaging, and that can be very useful when relocating. Of course, if you’ve thrown it away, like most people do, don’t worry there are other options.

Try to find boxes that are similar to the original packaging, but slightly bigger. That will give you that extra needed space for bubble wrap, or other padding. In addition, always try to pack these items separately. However, if that is not an option, at least try to include a lot of padding between the various items. If it’s possible, pack any associated cables with their respective items. That will make it much easier for you to identify what belongs to which item. Watch out for screws, or other small items, as they can get lost easily. Keeping such small items in a small resealable bag packed with the electronics themselves, can save you a lot of trouble.

Appliances

Refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc. are always a costly thing to move. In fact, most owners will leave their appliances as part of the purchase. However, if you need to move them, here’s a couple of tips:

• Be prepared for the high cost and hassle
• Take stock of all of your appliances and decide which ones are worth bringing with you.
• Prepare your appliances for transport (especially refrigerators).
• Determine how you will move them. Whether you will call in professionals, or do it yourself.

Oddly-Shaped or Miscellaneous Items

Many things can fit into this category; pianos, aquariums, terrariums etc. These items need extra precautions in order to ensure they are relocated safely.

Obviously, for aquariums and terrariums, remove all the animals and the water/earth. Afterward, place the contents into a smaller transport container. Try to keep some of the water before you drain it. That water can help you restart the bacteria culture after. You might need some moving equipment for large tanks.

Pianos, on the other hand, require professional assistance. They are very heavy and cumbersome to move. Most of them don’t have wheels, and if they do, they aren’t made for moving longer distances. While it might seem annoying, it is best to let professionals handle it. Someone like piano movers Monterey can handle that easily, while you might very well damage your floors, carpets, or even the piano itself.

Conclusion

There you have it, hopefully, you are now prepared to pack fragile valuables for storage. Remember, to always get professional assistance if you don’t think you can handle moving something. Movers can help you avoid breaking or damaging your items, and hurting yourself. So, just remember, safety first!