With almost 10% of all Americans relocating every year, who can tell how many plate sets get broken daily. The good news is that learning how to pack plates for moving is not that difficult, meaning you don’t have to worry about breaking your china. Take a look at how you can prepare them for transport like a true pro.
Getting all the right materials, preparing the containers, and labeling everything are all key parts of the process. If you can’t find the time to properly secure these delicate belongings, know that you can always hire professional Orange County CA movers to help you out.
Get All the Necessary Supplies Before You Start Wrapping Things up
Before you can learn how to pack plates for shipping, you’ll have to get all the required packing materials. Acquiring all the necessary supplies on time is crucial if you want to avoid a lot of relocation stress further down the road. If you’re not sure what to get, remember to add the following items to the shopping section of your to-do list:
- Packing paper,
- Cardboard boxes,
- Bubble wrap,
- Tape and scissors,
- Sharpie and stickers.
Get Smaller or Medium-Sized Boxes or Consider Getting Specialized Containers
Similar to packing books and any other heavier objects, the best way to pack plates is to use smaller boxes. While a larger container might have enough room to fit most of your china, it would be too heavy to lift off the ground. Besides, stuffing a container with dishes could cause it to rip open, leading to most, if not all of them breaking.
If you can afford it, get a dish box for your most delicate china, as these specialized containers will ensure that nothing gets broken during transit. You can always get these from the best movers in Orange County, California, which is another reason why you should consider getting professional assistance.
These Tips Will Help You Find Some Relatively New Packing Supplies for Free
Although most materials don’t cost a lot at first, packing fragile items will require you to get a whole bunch of them. This could often cause you to go over the budget you planned in the relocation expenses checklist, meaning you might have to find some supplies for free. If your friends and family don’t have anything that might help you, you can always get a box and some paper at a local supermarket or a liquor store. Some websites like Craigslist and The Freecycle Network also offer plenty of wares for free.
Securing the Box Is the First Step of Packing Plates for Moving
Since even a properly wrapped dish could likely get damaged when placed in an unprepared container, securing the box should always be your first step. The first thing to do would be to tape the bottom so nothing can fall through once the container is full. Next up is the padding, so you’ll need to add a protective layer at the bottom, usually made of crumpled-up papers or bubble wrap. Once you finish loading the container, add another layer of protection, fill out space between each dish, and tape the top.
Using These Tips Will Help You Learn How to Pack Plates for Moving
We’ve finally come to the main part of this blog. While hiring local Orange County movers would be a much easier thing to do, these next few tips will allow you to pack any plate with ease:
- Each piece should be wrapped individually – While doing a few pieces together might save you some money on supplies, you’ll end up spending way more once your items break in transit. It’s better to secure each plate on its own by wrapping it with paper. Place a sheet and the item on a flat surface, and start folding until all the edges meet.
- Taping the wrapped plate keeps it from unfolding – If you want to ensure that the fold doesn’t unwrap, secure it with some tape
- Place each dish vertically when loading the containers – Accidents on the road can cause damage even to a properly packed container. Thankfully, doing this will minimize the chances of any breakage occurring, and you’ll also save a lot of room in each box.
Separate Some Essentials for the Day You Move Into Your New Home
Since you’ll need some dishes on the day you move in, placing a few essential pieces in a separate box makes the last day of the relocation a lot easier. Depending on the size of your household, a set of plates, some kitchen utensils, and a few glasses should be enough for at least a few days. Essentials are some of the most commonly forgotten things to pack, so make sure you’ve brought everything you need, or you might have to unpack right away.
How Do You Pack Dishes Without Papers?
Although paper is the most commonly used material for securing a plate, you can still find some alternatives at home. Many everyday items such as clothing and towels are just as good for packing dishes as common supplies, while small pillows can be used for padding. The rest of the space in each container can be filled with sheets or maybe even a blanket. Using these objects instead of regular materials can save you the trouble of getting more supplies, and you’ll likely save some storage space as well.
How Do You Pack Dishes for Moving With Bubble Wrap?
Besides using common household objects, bubble wrap is another great alternative, as it can protect even your most delicate china. The process is very similar to what we mentioned earlier, just make sure that the bubbles are facing the item before wrapping it. You can even pad the cardboard with it for extra protection. While some more affordable movers in Orange County, CA might not use the material as often as possible, the best companies often choose it as their go-to material when securing your most fragile belongings. Take a look at how you can secure your items with this material in the video below.
Using Newspaper Will Require You to Do Some Cleaning Afterward
While there are several ways to wrap your belongings without a bunch of papers, you should always try to avoid using newspaper as a wrapping material. Although they can serve as a cheap alternative to the real thing, it’s not clean, and it might leave stains on your dishes. If you don’t have any other choice but to use it, remember to wash each dish you used it on when you get to your new home.
Labeling Makes the Entire Process a Lot Easier
Labeled containers are much easier to deal with, which makes labeling an essential part of the process. Not only will loading the truck be a lot less complicated, but you’ll find anything you need fairly quickly once your stuff has been moved to your new home. There are several ways to label all your boxes, with solutions going from simply writing down the contents to using a sticky note system or even doing full inventory. When boxing up dishes, most of the time, you’ll only have to add visible labels that say “FRAGILE,” making sure that it can be seen from at least three different sides.
Labeling Is Crucial When Loading the Truck With Your Delicate Belongings
Even if you appropriately packed all your delicate belongings, they still have a chance of suffering damage if not handled correctly once the truck loading starts. To avoid any accidents, each container must be labeled with appropriate stickers that say “Fragile” from at least three sides and “This side up” on the top. Labeling is crucial when hiring local movers in Orange County, CA, to assist you, as they won’t know which box contains breakables if there’s nothing on it. Avoid placing boxes with dishes on top of all other containers since they can become very heavy when fully packed and crush lighter containers beneath them.
What Should You Not Pack When Moving? Anything You Haven’t Used in a While
As you’re going through the entire inventory, you’ll likely come across several things that haven’t been used in a very long time or since you can remember. If you own a lot of plate sets and glasses, but you’ve only been using a few of them for all occasions, it might be better to get rid of anything you don’t need before relocating. Since you’re likely not going to use them later anyway, focus your time and money on the things that matter.
Decluttering Can Help You Get Rid Of Any Unused Item
Getting rid of things is easier said than done. Depending on how much stuff you own, you might have a harder time deciding on what to do with each specific item. The good news is that decluttering can always help you get rid of unused belongings. After going through the inventory, following this relocation hack will enable you to sort everything into one of the several categories:
- Keep – This group only contains china that’s certainly going to get wrapped and moved.
- Sell – If you have a few expensive sets that you got as a gift, selling them could be a great way to earn some money on the side.
- Donate – Anything you can’t sell that’s still in pretty good shape could be a useful donation to one of the local charities like the OC Goodwill.
- Throw out – If you have any pieces that are broken or unusable, it might be better to simply throw them away than risk cutting yourself when using them.
Remember That You Always Have the Option of Hiring Our Professional Movers in Orange County, CA
While some of the tips in this guide can help you prepare everything, hiring Orange County Moving Services is the only way you can truly move efficiently. If you’re planning on residential relocation to one of the best cities to live in the OC, our convenient local moving services are there to cover everything you’ll need during your move. Whether you’re relocating a piano or you require a professional packing service for your upcoming commercial relocation, you won’t find a better company for the job. Contact our representatives today to receive a free quote from one of the best movers in Orange County, CA.