Packing fragile things so they survive the journey

Things rarely break because something hit them. They break because two hard objects were allowed to touch, or because a box flexed and the contents shifted into each other.

Almost all good packing technique is about those two failures.

Fill every gap, always

A half-full box is a box whose contents will move, and moving contents collide. The single most effective habit in packing fragile things is filling the space until nothing can shift when you gently shake the box.

Paper is the cheapest filler and works fine. Avoid printed newspaper against anything porous or pale — the ink transfers, particularly onto unglazed ceramic.

Plates go on their edges

Stacked plates break. Plates standing on their edges, like records in a rack, survive remarkably well, because the force of a knock runs through the strongest axis rather than across the flattest one.

Wrap each individually, stand them vertically, and pack them tightly enough that none can tip.

Glasses get filled and wrapped, not just wrapped

Stemware and tumblers are hollow, which means they collapse inward. Loosely stuff the inside with paper first, then wrap the outside, then stand them upright — never on their sides.

Stems are the weak point. Wrap the stem separately before wrapping the whole glass.

Small and heavy goes in small boxes

The most common structural mistake is putting heavy things in a big box. The box fails, or the person carrying it does.

• Books, tools, tins, crockery: small boxes only
• Bedding, cushions, lampshades: big boxes
• The rule of thumb is that any box should be liftable comfortably with one hand under each side

Reinforce the bottom of any box carrying weight with tape across the seam and along it.

Heaviest at the bottom, and nothing on top of fragile

Inside the box and inside the van, the ordering is the same: heavy low, light high, and nothing stacked on a box marked fragile.

This is the one label that should still be words rather than a number. Numbering is the right system for everything else, but "FRAGILE" is an instruction to whoever is carrying it, and it needs to be readable with no lookup.

Things that need special handling

Mirrors and framed pictures. Corner protectors, then wrapped, then carried on edge — never flat. A flat sheet of glass with weight on it is a broken sheet of glass. Tape an X across large panes so that if it does break, it holds together.

Lampshades. Never nest them inside each other, and never pack them with anything else. They crush.

Televisions. The original box if you have it. If not, blanket, then a corner-protected box, and always transported upright. A screen laid flat can flex enough to fail.

Lids and hollow items. Pack them separately from their bases. A teapot with its lid in place breaks at the lid.

Anything with a liquid. Bag it separately, whatever the seal claims.

Photograph the valuable ones before they go in

If a thing is worth insuring, photograph it before it goes into the box, in one piece and undamaged. This takes seconds and it is the only way to establish condition prior to a move.

If something does arrive broken, a photograph of it intact the day before is the difference between a claim and an argument. This is the same photograph you would want for contents insurance generally, so it is not extra work.

Record what is in the fragile boxes

Fragile boxes tend to be unpacked last, which means they sit sealed for weeks or months. A record of what is inside means you know whether the thing you are looking for is in one before you start cutting tape.

Waoo Storage does this the easy way — photograph the open box, print a numbered QR label, scan it later to see the contents. It is free for a single location.

The condensed version

• Fill every gap until nothing shifts
• Plates vertical, glasses stuffed and upright
• Small heavy boxes, reinforced seams
• Heavy low, light high, nothing on the fragile
• Mirrors and screens travel on edge or upright, never flat
• Photograph the valuable ones intact, before they go in