I Am Moving Out!

Packing your things and personal belongs correctly is the key to getting them to your new home safe and sound. This is especially true when talking about dinnerware and glassware, which break fairly easily if simply thrown into any old box. There are measures you can take to help protect your dishes to better insure their safe arrival to wherever you may be sending them; the tips below are steps you can take to safeguard your dining stuff.

Plates: Don’t stack plates like you would in a cabinet. The top and bottom surface of a plate is actually its weakest point which means if you place them in a box this way they’re less likely to make it the whole trip. To avoid this problem, it’s best to pack plates on their side instead of on top of each other. It sounds counter-intuitive but it’s the geometry of a plate that allows this to work.

Bowls: Because the walls of a bowl are rounded, they’re better off stacked on top of each other. In other words, pack them the same way you would stack them in the cabinet and opposite of how you should pack your plates.

Knives: If stored in a wooden block, it’s best to keep them in said block. This prevents them from stabbing other items or you when unpacking. If you don’t have a block set, then wrap each knife individually in paper and then bound all the knives together so they cannot cause unnecessary damage.

Pots and Pans: These aren’t likely to break but can be a pain to pack nice and neatly because of handles and lids. Flipping lid, so that the handle on top are inside the pot, can make it easier to pack them. If you have a set, it may be wise to stack the pots inside each other as best possible instead of flipping their lids.

Glasses: Using a cardboard cell divider, the same kind of thing that the glassware originally came in, is a great way to keep everything from bouncing off each other. Fill in any extra space with paper or packing peanuts; this will keep your glassware from bouncing around inside their cells. If you cannot find a cell divider then do you’re best to use paper to keep the glasses from shifting around in the box.

Stemware: Like packing glasses, stemware will benefit from a cardboard divider and paper. They do have one extra weak point though and that is the actual stem. Wrap an inflated tube, bubble wrap, or other supporting objects around the stem  to better brace the it.

These tips should improve the odds of your dinnerware and glassware surviving the move in one piece. There is still no guarantee, sometimes stuff breaks no matter how protected a piece may be. If you’re driving to your new home, I suggest taking the boxes of fragile items with you as they’re less likely to bounce around inside your own vehicle. Here’s to not opening a box of glass or ceramic shards the next time you move!