When it comes to moving, how you pack and prepare your items can make all the difference in the world. Fragile and delicate items require extra special care to avoid breakage and damage during your move. If you are in the process of moving and you are preparing to pack up your crystal and china, consider these tips so that you can protect your valuable pieces as you move.

How to Pack Your China

1. China
2. Crystal
3. Insurance   

China
The original packaging that your china comes in is one of the best ways to protect your items during the moving process. Original manufacturing boxes are sized to provide optimum fit and protection against shifting and sliding during transport. Yet for many, the original boxes that your china comes in are often tossed so that your china can be displayed. If you find that you need proper protection for moving your china, seek out boxes that are the equal width of your china products. The less room your china has to move around in, the better protection you have against unwanted damage and breakage.

How you wrap and protect your china is equally important. Obtain bubble wrap or durable packing paper so that you can wrap each piece of your china individually for extra added protection. Be sure to position each item in the box carefully so that you avoid stacking too many items on top of each other. A good tip is to package plates with plates, cups with cups and so forth. Your main goal is to make sure that each china piece is protected and wrapped well. After you finish wrapping each piece of china, carefully place it in your fitted moving box, and secure the inside of the box with extra cushioning or padding. Seal with care and be sure to indicate that the box contains china and the contents inside are fragile. This will help to notify anyone handling the box to handle the box with care.

Crystal
Packing crystal also requires special care and consideration. If the original stemware boxes are no longer present, purchase moving boxes for glasses and stemware at your local hardware or home and garden store. Boxes for glasses and stemware contain special compartments that help to secure and protect your crystal stemware against moving and shifting during transport. They also offer better protection than what you will get with a box that does not contain the compartments. Wrap each piece of crystal carefully with protective bubble wrap or soft cushioning and carefully place it in your glass and stemware moving box. Apply the same labeling to the box so that your moving company knows that the contents inside of the box are fragile.

Insurance
While no one ever wants to think about the possibility of an item breaking, especially a piece of china or crystal, accidents do sometimes happen and having insurance to cover those items is always a good idea. Whether your china and crystal is covered under your own personal home or renter’s insurance plan or you obtain moving day insurance coverage from your moving company provider, having that additional layer of protection will allow you to replace items that may get damaged or broken during the moving process.

For irreplaceable china and crystal pieces that may be gifts from relatives or family heirlooms, consider transporting those pieces on your own, so that you can control how they are lifted, moved and transported at all times. These are simple tips that can go a long way in helping you to protect your crystal and china for many years to come.