It is heartbreaking to find your glassware in shreds when you arrive at your new home. Avoiding this damage is part of the stress of moving, and glassware requires careful handling, well-ordered packing, and proper storage.
How to Pack Glassware For Moving
Whether you’re packing a valuable set of flute, Delmonico, snifters, or wine glasses, utilizing these moving tips will enable you to keep your glassware in one piece.
Buying The Right Packing Supplies For Glasswares
Getting the right packaging material is the first step for every move. It is clear that you will need a lot of moving boxes, but keeping your glassware secure in the box requires these shock-absorbing packaging materials:
- Bubblewrap
- Padded dividers
- Packaging shavings
- Styrofoam packing peanuts
- Packaging foam
- Packing paper
Essential tips for choosing packing materials:
- Dish barrel boxes are the perfect moving box for glassware. These boxes are thicker and stronger than standard moving boxes. They are specially crafted to absorb shocks in transit. Although regular moving boxes cost lesser, the protection dish barrels provide is worth the extra dollars.
- It is easier to pack glassware using Cell Kits. This packaging material comes with adjustable packing compartments. You can store each glassware in separate compartments, preventing the glasses from colliding.
3 Ways To Pack Glassware For Moving
There are three ways to box glasses for a move. You can either package them directly in the box or use cell kits to store them in the compartment. The latter is always the best option, especially for stemware.
1. Packing Glasses with Cell Kits
Packing glasses using a cell kit is not as straightforward as stacking them in a box, and you have to assemble the cardboard correctly. Follow these steps:
- Assemble the base level cells. The tallest partitions usually form the base, which comes with cutaways. Put the four partitions together with your hands using the cutaway spaces.
- Place packing papers at the bottoms: To protect your glasses, lay packing papers or other cushioning materials at the bottom. It provides a shock absorption against accidental drops and bumps on the road.
- Customize compartments. The base is crafted for holding large items like beer glasses. You can create more spaces on the base level depending on the kind of glasses you are moving. Stemwares fit nicely in the outer corner cells.
- Pack level by level. Arrange the glasses from the heaviest items at the base with light and more fragile items at the top. Pack gradually, ensuring you place well-padded cardboard above each section.
- Seal the box properly. The third section is typically the last uncovered at the top. Before sealing the box tightly, stuff the box with packing paper, bubble wrap, peanuts, or any other cushioning materials.
2. Stacking Glasses in A Regular Box
- Choose small boxes. Stacking glasses in a small box makes it hard for glasses to move around, making them less likely to break. Additionally, small boxes are easy to move around and arrange in the truck.
- Create a cushion. Line the bottom of the box with crumpled sheets of packing paper up to 6 inches.
- Use plenty of cushioning. Unlike cell kits, without enough cushioning materials, glasses stacked directly into a regular box breaks easily in transit. As you stack the glasses, ensure you’re generous with bubble wraps and packing paper.
- Place Heavy and Large Glasses at the bottom. Despite the wrapping of all the glasses, heavy glasses can still shatter small, lightweight glasses if kept on top. It is always helpful to place large, heavy glasses at the bottom.
- Leave space for cushioning. When packing without cell kits, you may be tempted to stack boxes to the brim. But doing this won’t give you enough space for extra cushioning material at the top. It’s helpful to leave enough space to enable you to place a thick layer of protective packaging materials on top.
- Check and seal the box. Before sealing the box, it is advisable to shake the box gently. If well packed and cushioned, you shouldn’t feel any movement. Then, you can go ahead to seal the box tightly.
3. Moving Glassware in Quilted Bags
Quilted Bags are specially fabricated for carrying glassware. These bags are designed like mini suitcases with about twelve glass compartments. They have hard exteriors that prevent squashing in storage or transport.
The soft, felt dividers protect the glasses against breakage and chips, and the padded & quilted interiors cushion drops and bumps.
These bags give your glasses all the protection they need. You don’t need to wrap the glasses or add cushioning materials inside the bags. Once you have cleaned the classes, you can place them directly in these bags.
The advantage of purchasing quilted bags for moving your glassware is their reusability. You can use them for camping or any outdoor events that require moving your glassware. StorageBud offers high-quality quilted bags on Amazon.
However, these bags have two downsides: They are pretty expensive, and you’ll need more than one if you have more than twelve pieces of glassware.
How To Wrap Glassware For Packing
Begin With The Largest
When wrapping the glasses, begin with the heaviest and biggest. Doing this will help you manage your packing materials efficiently.
- Prepare a clean flat surface like your table or counter.
- Spread your packing papers or towels on the table.
- Place the glass on the packing paper and roll it until the glass is well-covered.
- Cushion the glasses with the ends of the wrapping material.
Combine Identical Glasses In One Wrap
To save packaging supplies, you can wrap two glasses of similar size together. Following the steps above, wrap the first glass using half the sheet. You can place the second glass next to it when it’s well wrapped and continue wrapping using the same procedure.
Wrapping Stem Glasses
Stem glasses are the most fragile of all the glassware. Though they are wrapped similarly to the others, you need to pay extra attention to the stems. Before rolling the entire glass in packing paper, wrap the stem separately to the glass globe.
You can add bubble wraps to the stem for extra protection. It is important to note that all glassware with stems are more protected when you wrap them individually.
Helpful Tip: When using newspaper for packing glasses, make sure you wash the glasses immediately when you unpack them to avoid stains.
How to Transport Glasswares Securely
Label Boxes “Fragile”
Regardless of the box type or packing method, ensure you label the boxes, and this will serve as a warning sign to anyone handling the boxes.
Use The Mom’s Attic
To prevent your glasses from colliding with other items in the back of the truck, Mom’s Attic is the ideal place to keep them. It is the smallest space in the truck hanging over the driver’s cab. Because of the size, boxes in this truck section are resistant to shocks.
Move Them To The Passenger Seat
If you have enough space in your car, keeping the box where you can see it will be helpful. With the car on the passenger seat of your car, you can watch how it moves as you transport it to your new home.
