5 Tips For Packing Fragile Items So They Arrive At Their New Home Intact

Packing up your belongings and moving them yourself saves a lot of money, but it adds some worry when it comes to moving fragile items. To help you get everything from Point A to Point B in your own U-Haul truck, here are 5 tips for keeping precious things safe.

Use Dedicated Cartons. When possible, use original cartons for fragile items. These boxes were designed to protect specific goods, and they can do so again. If original packaging is not available, look for boxes or bins that can hold the fragile items by themselves. Don't opt for a snug fit, though, so you have plenty of room for padding. 

Use Padding from Home. While commercial padding material is good for many uses, you probably have a lot of things at home that can pad fragile items and fill empty space quite well. Make use of fluffy things like pillows, blankets, and towels. Place padding on all four sides of the fragile goods and secure it as well as possible. Do you have padded winter outerwear? Wrap fragile belongings right inside them. 

Label Well. Don't invest a lot of time carefully packing up sensitive goods without letting everyone know they're fragile. Mark boxes as fragile in large labels or letters, and place this warning on the top and all four sides. You may even want to store these boxes separately so they aren't mistaken in the rush to load the truck. 

Use Inserts. Glasses, plates, cookware, and fragile collectibles benefit from dividers inside the box that keep individual items upright and prevent jiggling. You may be able to find cardboard or plastic dividers from similar goods by checking at local retail stores that sell them. You could make your own dividers by cutting cardboard yourself and fitting it neatly in place inside the boxes. You can also use shrink wrap to prevent items from banging together. 

Place Boxes Thoughtfully. Load fragile boxes carefully into your U-Haul truck after most other items have been loaded. Make sure boxes are stabilized and aren't underneath other items that might fall on them. If you have a few very special items, you may prefer to bring them to your new home yourself. Mark such boxes as "hand deliver". 

A little extra time spent carefully packing and labeling your fragile items will yield great rewards when you arrive at your new home and open the boxes to find your treasures safely ensconced inside. Contact a company, like Lake County Storage of Round Lake Heights, for more help
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