How To Keep Fragile Items Safe During A Move

Breaking a cherished belonging is one of the most frustrating things that can happen when you are moving. If you do a bit of research and prepare before moving day comes around, you can greatly reduce the risk of breaking any items. Here are four tips that every homeowner should know for moving fragile belongings.

Carry Fragile Items Safely

Glass cabinets and other heavy fragile items pose the greatest challenge when it comes to moving. The first step to move these items is to disassemble them as much as possible. Removing furniture legs, drawers, and any other pieces that you can will make the items much easier to carry and keep you from breaking them before they even make it out of your home.

Even if you think you can handle it on your own, you should always have someone else help you carry heavy fragile items. For the best defense against dropping and breaking the item, you should also use lifting straps so that you don't have to worry about losing your grip. After you get the item to your moving truck, secure it with ratcheting straps so you don't have to worry about it falling over while you are on the road.

Pack With Corrugated Boxes

The boxes that your belongings are packed in will have the biggest effect on how likely they are to survive the trip. No matter how carefully you pack your items, standard cardboard boxes often cannot provide the necessary support to minimize the risk of breakage. Corrugated shipping boxes are less likely to bend, and the bottoms of these boxes are less likely to fall through when they are full of heavy items.

Corrugated boxes are constructed with rigid paper columns between two layers of cardboard. Pockets of air between the paper columns allow these boxes to be much more resistant to impacts than standard boxes. Corrugated boxes are also ideal for stacking items in a moving truck, as they will not buckle from the weight of the boxes above them.

Don't Leave Empty Space

The more space that your belongings have to move around, the more likely they are to break if they are jarred while moving. Packing all of your boxes to maximum capacity will hold your belongings firmly in place and keep them more protected. After you have filled a box with all of the items that you can, fill any remaining spaces with bubble wrap, blankets, newspaper, or other packing materials.

For more advanced protection, you can pack your boxes using a layering technique. Line the bottoms and sides of the box with packing material, and then cover the bottom of the box with individually wrapped items. Place a pad of packing material over each layer of items before you pack the next layer to eliminate as much empty space as possible.

Make Glass Shatter-Resistant With Tape

Even if you are taking all the proper precautions, there is never a guarantee that you won't drop one of your fragile belongings. If a glass item shatters, not only will it be ruined, but the shards of glass also pose a risk of injury while you are moving.

Preventing mirrors, picture frames, glass cabinets, and other glass items from shattering when they are dropped is often as simple as using masking tape. Place several strips of tape over the glass so that most of the surface is covered, and it will be more difficult for glass shards to fly off if the item breaks.

Keep these tips in mind when you are moving so you have the best chance of getting your fragile belongings to your new home in one piece. To learn about how professional movers can help with your move, check out websites like http://www.bekins.com.