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Tips for Moving Day:
Gather together everything you need:
- White paper, tissue paper, paper
towels or newsprint (unprinted newspaper cut into 20" x 30"
sheets) - good for all purpose wrapping and cushioning
- Newspapers for cushioning or use
as outer wrapping only *Note: No matter how old the newspaper,
the ink always rubs off and can be embedded in fine china if used
for wrapping. When using newspaper, wash your hands frequently
or wear latex gloves to prevent leaving ink smudges on items you
handle. Ink smudges can be wiped off. It is better not to take
a chance.
- Various sizes of sturdy cartons with
lids that can be completely closed
- Notebook and pencil for listing cartons
as they are packed
- Packing tape for sealing packed cartons
o Note: We recommend 2" wide plastic tape. Do not use masking
tape or duct tape, as they do not adhere well to cardboard boxes.
- Felt marker for labeling the packed
boxes
- Scissors, sharp knife and/or tape
dispenser. Now that you are ready...
Good packing means:
- Wrapping items carefully
- Making sure to pack firm boxes that
will not rattle, bulge outward or bend inward
- Providing plenty of cushion to absorb
shock
- Limiting the weight of boxes, where
possible, to 50 pounds to make handling easier
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BASIC RULES OF PACKING
- Pack similar items together.
- Do not pack delicate china in the
carton with iron frying pans, for example.
- Start with out of season items. Next
pack those items used infrequently. Leave until last the items
that you need until moving day.
- Keep pairs and sets of things together.
For example curtain rod hangers, mirror bolts, and other small
hardware items should be placed in plastic or cloth bags and taped
or tied to the item which they belong.
- Empty drawers of breakables, spillables,
or anything that would puncture or damage other items. However
blankets, sweaters, towels and other lightweight goods may be
left in drawers.
- Wrap items individually in clean
paper; use tissue paper, newsprint, paper towels or even facial
tissues. Colored paper draws attention to very small items.
- Wind electrical cords, fastening
them so that they won't tangle.
- Pack the boxes in layers with the
heaviest items on the bottom, medium weight items next and lightest
items on top.
- Avoid overloading the carton, but
strive for a firm pack which will keep articles from shifting.
The cover should close easily without forcing but should not bend
inward. Seal all cartons tightly with packing tape.
- Label all cartons clearly by marking
on the 2 sides and the top. When marked in this manner, determining
the contents of a carton in a stack is easier.
- As you finish with each carton, list
it and its contents on an inventory in a notebook. You may want
to number and code the cartons as well.
- Indicate your name, a general description
of the contents and the room that the box should be carried into
at the new house on each box; e.g., kitchen glassware, bathroom
linens.
- Label any boxes that you will
need immediately at the new house "unpack first".
How to Pack Glassware, China Silverware:
- Red's recommends using a Dishpack
carton, an extremely sturdy carton of double wall construction
designed especially for china, glassware, clocks and other fragile
items less than 18" in size.
- Place a two or three inch layer of
wadded up paper in the bottom of the carton to serve as a cushion.
- Wrap items individually in clean
paper. Using several sheets of paper start from the corner, wrapping
diagonally, continuously tucking in overlapping edges. A generous
amount of paper and cushioning is required for all china and glassware.
- Pack the largest and heaviest items
in the bottom of the carton, medium weight and most fragile items
on top. As each layer is completed, fill in empty spaces with
wadded up paper and add additional paper to make a level base
for the next layer. You may want to use our Dishpack cell dividers
to protect the most fragile items such as stemware, figurines
and model cars.
Flat China and Glassware:
- Place cushioning material in bottom
of the box. Then wrap each piece individually; then wrap four
to six like sized items into a bundle with a double layer of newsprint.
Place these bundled items in a Dishpack carton on edge.
- Fill an entire layer of a box with
bundles and surround each layer with wadded up paper to prevent
shifting. Add two or three inches of wadded up paper on top of
each layer to protect rims and edges and to make a level surface
to pack the next layer on top of. Dishpack cell dividers can also
be helpful in keeping layers level.
Bowls and Odd Shaped Pieces:
- Stand shallow bowls on edge in a
carton and deep ones (such as mixing bowls) nested two or three
together upside down on their rims.
- Wrap bowl lids in tissue paper or
half a sheet of newsprint and turn upside down on top of the bowl,
then wrap both pieces together in a double layer of wrapping paper.
Wrap cream pitchers in clean paper then a double layer of outer
paper. Place pitchers, bowls and similar items upright in the
carton being careful to cushion carefully. Complete the layer
as for plates. Depending on their weight these items may be used
as either the bottom or middle layer of a Dishpack.
Cups and Stemware
- Wrap cups and stemware in a double
layer of wrapping paper and place them upside down on rims in
a row on the upper layer of a Dishpack.
Figurines, Bric-a-brac, Other Delicate
Items:
- Small mirrors, plaques and pictures
should be wrapped individually in tissue paper or newsprint. A
bath towel also makes excellent wrapping for large glass. Place
flat items on edge in a carton. Figurines and other small fragile
items should be wrapped in tissue paper and packed in the top
layer of a Dishpack or in a Dishpack cell divider.
Lamp Bases and shades:
- After removing the light bulb and
base harp, wrap the base separately in newsprint or a bath towel
and place together in a carton, filling spaces with crushed paper.
Never wrap a lamp base or shades in printed newspaper. Wrap the
shade in two or three sheets of plain newsprint or a pillowcase
and place separate from the lamp base in a medium or large carton.
Only add enough packing paper around the shade to keep it from
shifting. Too much paper can cause the sides of a shade to bow
inward.
- It is best to have a professional
packer crate large Tiffany type or other glass type shade or chandelier.
Glass Table Tops, Marble Slabs, Extra
Large Mirrors, Paintings:
- All items are very fragile. They
should either be professionally crated into a wooden crate or
carried separately in your personal vehicle if possible.
Dresser Mirrors and Pictures:
- Mirrors, pictures and glass table
tops up to approximately 30" x 50" can be packed into
a mirror carton. Wrap each item in a paper pad or light blanket.
After assembling two sections of a four-piece mirror carton place
one section inside another section so that they overlap. The width
can be adjusted to the size of the item to be packed but leave
ample room on the sides for cushioning material. Place a two to
three inch layer of wadded up paper into the bottom of the two
sections then place the item(s) to be packed into the carton.
Add some wadded up paper to the sides and adjust the width firmly
against the item being packed. Assemble the other two sections
and add cushioning around all sides. Cover the exposed section
of the item being packed and make sure that all four sections
overlap. Wrap tape completely around the box both horizontally
and vertically. Do not lay a mirror carton flat; make sure that
it is upright at all times.
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