Making Your Business Shine

Your dishes are one of the most used items in your home, and when you're moving into a new home, they can bring a sense of familiarity with them. However, dishes are also relatively fragile despite their heavy weight, which can make transporting them difficult. Fortunately, there are a few relatively simple steps that you can take to make sure that your dishes are adequately prepared for moving day and will not be damaged or broken when you start unpacking.

Use Heavy Duty Cardboard or Plastic

The first step of preparing your dishes for a move is choosing the right boxes to transport them in. Unlike your other items, like clothes, which are not fragile, you can't simply place your dishes into any container that will fit them. You'll need something that is both able to protect your dishes from blunt force trauma and sturdy enough to support their weight without the bottom giving way. This means that you should either make use of plastic containers or smaller heavy duty cardboard boxes. Make sure that you don't overload each container as well, as you need to be able to safely pick up and move your boxes around without worrying about dropping them.

Cushioning

Beyond the boxes that are used to transport your dishes, the next most important step that you should take is placing adequate cushioning around each dish to blunt the force of blows from things accidentally falling over or your dishes shifting while in transit. You should make use of moving paper, bubble wrap, or packing peanuts, all of which are designed to not cause damage to your items. Avoid using DIY options like newspaper, as they can transfer ink to your dishes that can be hard to remove.

Vertical Packing

While it may seem counter-intuitive, it is best to store your dishes on their side. This is because stacking them horizontally as you would normally in your cabinet places a great deal of stress on the bottom plates and bowls and makes it much more likely that one or multiple dishes will break while in transit. If stored vertically, dishes will be able to withstand more pressure, and in the event that something falls on your box, it is likely that only the edge will be chipped or broken instead of the entire dish. Head to a storage or moving supplies store if you want to find dividers that can help hold your dishes in place; otherwise, make sure to use extra cushioning to fill in any gaps in your boxes.