The minute you get to packing your kitchen (hopefully still a good number of days before moving day), you are expected to know how to pack plates for moving. That is, know how to pack dishes safely, not just stuff them inside randomly chosen cardboard boxes and hope in vain to find your kitchenware in one piece upon delivery.
Be smart when packing dishes for long distance move and observe our tips on packing dishes to make sure your highly fragile and breakables kitchen items stay 100% safe throughout your move to a new home. To make things easier for you, we have broken down the packing process into 2 distinct stages: initial preparation and actual packing.
Stage 1: Plates packing preparation
The preparation stage is all about procuring all the essential materials for packing dishes for a move. The packing dishes supplies you can’t do without include:
Dish boxes. Also known as dish boxes or dish packs, dish boxes are moving boxes with a double layer of corrugated cardboard which differentiates them from standard moving cartons having only have one layer of corrugated cardboard. As a result of this extra cardboard layer, dish packs provide a much better level of protection for your kitchen breakables /plates, bowls, glasses, cups, stemware, etc./. If you can’t get hold of such specialized boxes with thicker walls through your moving company, then standard moving containers will also do the trick with a bit more packing efforts on your part.
Packing paper. You’re going to need plenty of packing paper to pack plates in a box so that they reach your new residence safe and sound. In fact, the more paper you use, the better protection your fragile kitchenware will have during transport. Don’t worry – you can’t possibly overwrap your fragile items so be as generous with packing paper as possible /see details below/.
Newsprint. Packing paper is perfect for packing china plates for moving but it doesn’t come for free. A great alternative is the potential use of super cheap newsprint, especially as padding and cushioning material.
Bubble wrap. Bubble wrap provides the best possible protection for your kitchen breakables so get as much of that air-filled bubbly material as you can afford.
Packing tape. Wide tape of high quality will contribute greatly to your safe dish packing experience.
Stage 2: Packing plates in boxes
Once you have the necessary packing materials, it’s time to learn the proper ways to pack dishes for moving. Here are the consecutive steps you need to take:
Step 1. Take a medium sized cardboard box /a specialized dish box in the best case scenario but a regular moving box will also do fine/ and tape its bottom with wide tape by drawing the roll across the entire bottom center and up to the box sides about one third of the side length. This precautionary step will ensure that the bottom of your plates-filled container won’t break under the weight of the fragile kitchenware you own.
Step 2. Place an initial layer of crumpled pieces of newsprint on the bottom of the box to create a soft protective padding for your breakables. Crumpled packing paper is even better for this purpose but it’s not as cheap as the ever-present newsprint so you’d better keep it for packing your kitchen dishes with it. This initial creation of a bottom protective layer is an important step, so don’t skip it. Besides paper, you can always use a few sheets of bubble wrap to cover the box bottom or even a thick hand towel to absorb any shocks along the way.
Step 3. The moment your moving receptacle is ready to receive your delicate kitchen items, it’s time to make sure the latter are ready as well. Use the individual plate packing method for best results: place a plate in the very center of your stack of clean packing paper, take a couple of sheets from one corner and pull over your piece of flatware to cover it completely. The wrapping motion should be done diagonally by tucking in the paper ends as you continue packing your dishes for moving.
Step 4. When a kitchen plate is completely wrapped up by soft white paper, place the wrapped up dish into the moving box standing on its edge / do not lay it flat!/, and continue to do the same with each delicate kitchen piece you own. Remember that heavier plates should be packed first and arranged along the box bottom, while the lighter ones should go on top of them.
Step 5. For more expensive and valuable kitchenware sets, place an additional layer of bubble wrap over the pieces already bundled with two sheets of white packing paper, and then arrange them in the moving container as described above.
Step 6. When you’re done arranging up one row of kitchenware in a single cardboard box, put down crumpled newsprint on top of it to serve as cushioning /crumpled packing paper, bubble wrap or towels are also a great choice/ before you begin the second row. When you finish packing the box altogether, place a final protective layer to guard the fragile items on the top of the cardboard carton.
Step 7. All empty spaces inside a moving box should be filled with crumped pieces of newsprint with the purpose of immobilizing the contents, and thus keeping your valuable items safe and sound.
Step 8. Close the dish box shut, tape it well to avoid the accidental opening of its lids during transport and label the moving container appropriately on at least 3 of its sides: KITCHEN PLATES, FRAGILE, THIS SIDE UP, HANDLE WITH CARE.
Step 9. Take another cardboard box and repeat the abovementioned steps until all your kitchen plates, dishes, and bowls are completely ready for the relocation trip.
Step 10. Be very cautious when taking the dish boxes out of your home and loading them onto the awaiting moving vehicle.
Now you know how to pack dishes when you move house. However, if you still feel nervous about packing your kitchen plates in the safest way possible, then get in touch with professional packers who have extensive experience in packing breakable dishes for safe transportation.