Preparing for an international relocation can be strenuous and tiring, and you have to know how to properly organize the move and the boxing-up process. What can be tough for some people is figuring out how to pack dishes for moving. If you don’t want your cups, plates, and bowls to shatter in transit, take a look at our easy guide to packing dishes.
You are preparing for your new life overseas and gathering all the documents needed to travel abroad. You want to ensure that you find the best place to live abroad with your family. Maybe you’ve already researched what the friendliest countries in the world are and how to make friends abroad. Now the time has come to plan your boxing-up process, and you are wondering how to pack dishes when moving. The preparations will require appropriate supplies, materials, and a strategy that will ensure you don’t have to deal with relocation stress.
Why It’s Essential to Know the Best Way to Pack Dishes
When preparing for moving overseas, you have to ensure that all of your belongings stay protected in your cardboard containers. So, what is so special about packing dishes for moving? For starters, there are several types of it. You will have to know the correct way of storing wine glasses, fine china, big and small plates, coffee cups, knives, and mugs.
Also, you will require the appropriate cardboard containers and cushioning material that will best protect the china you have. There are also different types of wrapping methods you can apply when boxing up. Your china is delicate and fragile, and if you use the correct methods when boxing everything up, you won’t have any problems with a scratched dish or a broken coffee cup.
Purchase All the Packing Supplies and Materials
The supplies you require can be found in any local hardware store. You can always buy an ordinary cardboard box and use old newspaper as cushioning material. However, if you are adamant about keeping your china intact, evaluate your budget and invest in quality materials that will add an extra layer of protection.
If you want to prevent things from breaking inside the truck, we recommend that you get a dish pack. These cartons are usually sturdier and corrugated, which makes them suitable for boxing-up delicate china. But, what to use to wrap dishes in when moving? For cushioning material, you can opt for either paper or bubble wrap. Both materials are useful, but the paper is a little bit more flexible, and it allows air inside the carton, which is better for glassware. Consider visiting the Craigslist website if you want to find free cardboard containers or cushioning materials. To summarize, the most important supplies you will need are:
- Dish packs,
- Packing paper,
- Bubble wrap,
- Duct tape,
- Markers or Colorful sticky notes.
What to Do With Old Plates, Mugs, and Pans?
Each dish has its special place and purpose in your kitchen. But, sometimes it seems that some coffee mugs and pans stay a long time in one corner of the room and collect dust for a very long time. You may have bought too many new mugs, or the pan you’ve been using for a couple of years has now become worn out. Therefore, whether you’re relocating to Scotland or even heading to Russia, you don’t want to have unnecessary things in your new home.
Consider specific reasons to move each dish – separate those items that you don’t want to leave without and those you can discard. Platters and saucers that are chipped, mugs that have paint scratched off, and pans that have lost their original color after years of use should be thrown away. Declutter your whole kitchen, so you are left with only necessary belongings. In case you are relocating abroad alone, you want to take only glassware and cutlery that you will require for yourself. On that note, here is a video on how to declutter your kitchen easily and efficiently:
How to Pack Dishes for Moving?
Before investing in international moving by sea, organize your china and glassware into different categories. Allocate each container for specific belongings you want to place in them. If you want to move efficiently and smoothly, choose tall cardboard boxes and tape the bottom and edges so that nothing can fall through.
Some items can be packed individually while others can be bundled together. For example, breakable china should be boxed up separately and plates in bundles of up to three or four. Bear in mind that you should always start with heavier items. Organize the process by deciding if an item can only be wrapped only in paper and then placed in a container or you need to use bubble wrap or more cushioning materials.
Before sealing the container, make sure that you fill all the voids and spaces with cushioning material. Don’t overfill the boxes because they will be too heavy for you to carry.
Packing Wine Glasses for Your Move
Many people who search for how to pack dishes are apprehensive about their wine glass collection. Some people own a lot of wine bottles and glasses, and they need to know how to properly store each glass so that the fragile glass stems don’t break. So, how do you pack glasses for moving?
If you are relocating for the first time, pay attention to the wrapping process. What you want to do is take each wine glass and cover it individually. Using bubble wrap has been proven to be more effective for these items. Make sure that the stem of the wine glass is covered and protected. A crucial mistake you don’t want to make is laying them on their sides once they are wrapped, so always put each glass upright in the box. Moving abroad with this boxing-up strategy will be stress-free.
How to Lay Bowls in the Moving Box
You are relocating across the world, but thinking about how to protect your bowls? You should start wrapping your bowls one at a time. Begin by placing the corner of the paper inside the bowl. Then, cover the bowl from all sides. If you have to store shallow bowls, it would be wise to put them on the edge of the container. Those that are deeper should be well placed in the middle. What you can do is bundle two or three together and cover them with cushioning materials from all sides. Also, using bubble wrap for the handles adds an extra layer of protection. When you put them inside the container, ensure that they are upside down on the rims.
Fragile Dishes – Boxing-Up Plates
There are some crucial tips you should follow when deciding how to pack when relocating abroad. Your platters and saucers are among the most delicate items in your kitchen, and you have to take precautions when boxing them up. When you finish decluttering your kitchen, start lining your cartons with cushioning material.
Cover the bottom and the sides of the containers. Each plate should be wrapped in protective material and completely covered. Put each plate on its side and fill the carton with cushioning material so that you fill the whole container. A useful hack when preparing your belongings for the move is that you can use towels as cushioning material.
How to Store Cups and Mugs?
Some of your favorite cups and mugs can be placed inside a small container with some cushioning material and carried in an essentials bag. If you are relocating with kids or a couple of family members, you want to have some cups and cutlery for when you have to rest and eat during the move. The rest of the coffee cups you want to prepare for the move can be put in dish packs. These cartons have sections and can be also double corrugated for extra strength.
You can envelop each cup with cushioning materials and then secure everything with duct tape, so the materials don’t slip off. Some valuable tips suggest placing crumpled newspaper inside the cup as an extra layer of protection. The next step is putting the cups in the container. The most useful way is to arrange them carefully next to one another. If you have to stack them on top of each other, use cushioning material in between each cup.
What to Do With Pots and Pans?
When preparing to relocate to the best European countries to live in, you also need to decide how to plan the boxing-up process of pots and pans. The first step is always to get rid of old and worn-out pieces. When you decide on what you will definitely take with you, ensure that all your pots and pans are clean. Anything loose should be separated from the item and put in a plastic bag, which should be kept close to the pot.
The best way to store pots and pans is by stacking them on top of each other. The smaller ones should be put on top of bigger pans. You can stack them in groups of three. Put all of the pots and pans inside a container already filled with cushioning material of your choice.
Don’t Forget the Last Steps
When you finish with the boxing-up and wrapping-up process, it’s time to check if you have done everything correctly. You should look at the duct tape you have placed on the containers and see if you have to tape anything again for extra protection. You can also pick up the cardboard containers and give them a slight shake. If you can’t feel or hear any movement inside, you will know that the process is complete.
The finishing touch is always labeling the containers. Take your markers and write down on the box’s surface what is inside. Another option is to take colorful stickers and place them on the box’s surface for reference, where the container should be unpacked after the move.
Another Possibility for How to Pack Dishes For a Move
Let’s face it, categorizing your belongings and doing everything yourself can sometimes be boring and overwhelming. Another possibility available to everyone is getting professional help when preparing for the move. A reliable international moving company will be able to provide you with full packing services as well as partial, so you can save precious time when planning everything out. You can contact their customer representatives any time of the day to get additional information on various services they provide, such as storage services and overseas vehicle shipping. You will be able to get help with anything you require, which will allow you to relocate much more easily.
You’re Now Prepared for the Move
If you take your time and follow our tips on how to pack dishes for shipping, you’ll be ready to move to another country. Organize and categorize your belongings, so you know how much supplies and preparation you need to do before you even start packing your home. If you have some dilemmas or important questions, always consider reaching out to your professional movers, as they are there to ensure your move is efficient and stress-free.
