11 Tips on How to Move Dishware

Moving dishes is something that requires a little bit of extra care when it comes time for packing, moving, and unpacking. These items can very easily break during the process of a move with all the shaking, jumbling, and occasional dropping that goes on.

Dishware and cookware can be wrapped in a variety of ways, but the method for placing these delicate items in moving boxes is the same. Always begin by putting crumpled paper in the bottom of the box to act as a cushion for your dishware. Put more crumpled paper on top of the things once you’ve packed them to add more padding. Never stack plates or cookware; always place them on their sides.

The following tips will give you some basic knowledge on how to move all of your dishwares from silver to odd-shaped items.

1. Purchase Dish Packs

Dish packs are specially designed for the purpose of moving dishes. They are usually made of stronger material than standard moving boxes. These packs also have cells made of cardboard to put dishes in. To purchase these types of boxes, you can find a moving company to buy them from or order them from an online vendor.

2. Wrap Items in Paper

All items should be wrapped with care in paper.  A lot of people recommend using old newspapers or magazines if you are budget constricted. While this type of paper will work fine for protecting dishes, it also can leave unpleasant dust, smears, and dirt on dishes. For just a little extra money you can use clean paper or tissue paper to wrap up the dishes without worrying about dirtying them too much during the process of moving.

3. Label Cartons/Boxes

Make sure that you label all boxes and cartons with large letters on all sides. The label should obviously read “FRAGILE” in big bold letters that no one could miss especially if you plan hiring move helpers. Also, you will want to draw arrows indicating which side is supposed to be up. Usually, pre-purchased dish packs will already have this step taken care of for you with a bold print that is very easy to see.

4. Use Cushioning

Use cushioning on the top and bottom of the box. For said cushioning you can use things like clothes, padding, peanuts or anything soft to add a little extra padding for any upward or downward motion that may go on when the boxes are being moved to your new home. Cushioning is an important step to prevent damage to fragile items such as dishes when loading boxes onto a moving truck.

5. Put Large Items at the Bottom of Boxes

Larger items are usually best placed at the bottom of the box where their weight and size will not be an issue. From there you can easily stack smaller items on top of them. When setting up a box it is usually best to have the largest and heaviest items at the bottom and then gradually increase in size toward the top.

6. Place Unusual Shaped Items Carefully

Deciding where to place oddly shaped objects is something you spend a little time on. First off, determine whether the item is heavy or light. If it is a heavier item, try to place it towards the bottom of the box. Usually, there is space in the middle or the side that works as a perfect space for an oddly shaped item, so that you can just put in other objects around it as you pack.

7. Wrap Lids Separately

Do not tape lids to a dish, because they will still bounce around which leads to chips and scratches. Instead wrap each individual lid separately from the dish that it belongs to, so that you can avoid damaging the lid and/or the dish.

8. Leave No Unfilled Space

Any space that is left empty makes room for more shaking and jumbling during a move. Crumble up paper to fill up every empty space that may be left from packing the dishes.

9. Bundle Items for Extra Security

To further prevent items from shifting around in the box, if you are not using a dish pack, bundle items together in twos or threes. You do this by wrapping each dish individually and then wrapping two or three together with paper. This creates bigger bundles that fill up more space, and it also prevents the smaller items from moving around when the box moves.

10. Don’t Pack Boxes too Heavy

When you pack boxes heavily, it increases the amount of weight that shifts around in the moving truck. Additionally, it increases the likelihood that someone will drop or handle the box roughly because it is hard to set down a heavy box carefully.

It’s crucial to pack dishes properly while moving them in a car to prevent breakage. To protect the dishes during transportation, use padding materials like bubble wrap, towels, or newspaper.

11. Stack Bowls

To save more space, it can be helpful to stack smaller bowls inside bigger ones. You should still pack each individual bowl and then stack them afterward.

Even though there is always a danger that plates and glasses will break during a move, using these expert moving recommendations for packing dishes will reduce the likelihood of that happening.