5 Tips for Packing China

Packing china and other valuables for a move can be disastrous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Your valuables could be destroyed during transit, and even if you have insurance, it could be hard to replace items given to you by loved ones, or antiques that are irreplaceable. Follow these 5 tips for packing china, and you can avoid broken plates, bowls and cups when the truck or mailman arrives:

1. Use Dish Pack Boxes

For your flat china, buying boxes especially made for packing dishes is a worthwhile investment. These are harder to find used or free, and so you may have to spend some money up front. Some people make the mistake of packing china in used boxes with compartments. However, these may not be sturdy enough, and when the dividers collapse, your china can get ruined. A dish pack box will have sturdy compartments and it will be padded for dishes. These are also heavy duty boxes, and are much stronger than used or cheaper boxes.

2. Wrap China in Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap for all of your china is another added expense, but it’s worth preserving expensive china. Buy enough to wrap all of your china individually. Use tape to seal it; packing tape or sturdy tape is fine. This step is time consuming, but necessary to packing china safely. Otherwise, your fine china can smash during transit or when being delivered. You can find bubble wrap locally, but if time is short, you can buy some from the moving or truck rental company.

3. Use Peanuts

Styrofoam peanuts are useful for packing china. They can spill out of boxes when unpacking, creating a bit of a mess, and they’re not the best to have around pets or young children if you can help it. However, they will cushion your china well in the boxes. Dish pack boxes are already padded, but for other china or if you opt not to use dish pack boxes, styrofoam peanuts are important, or an equivalent alternative.

4. Use Shipping Air Bags

If you don’t care for packing peanuts, then give shipping air bags a try. If you’ve ever received a shipment from an online store, you’ve probably come across these. They also cushion items in the boxes and work the same way styrofoam peanuts do. It may not work well with all of your china.

5. Pack on Edge

Don’t lay your dishes or glassware flat. Pack them on edge (standing up) and in layers with bubble wrap in between. This has proven to be the best way to keep china from breaking in the boxes. If you lay them flat, they’ll more than likely get damaged. Newspaper can also be added to provide another layer of cushion above the bubble wrap. Stuff wads of newspaper above the bubble wrap in each layer.

Packing china can be tedious, but it’s necessary to preserve your expensive dishes and glassware. You could hire a professional moving company to pack them for you, but why spend the extra money when you can do it yourself?