How to Pack Dishes for Moving So Everything Arrives in One Piece

November 3, 2021Moving Tips
Julie Grace

Originally from The Golden City, Julie has explored the ins and outs of moving and has written all the tips down.

Relocating is challenging, especially if you count in all the wrapping up you need to do. An average American moves around 12 times in life. That’s a lot of boxing up and protection to do. So, no wonder you’re asking how to pack dishes for moving. Not only do you have to ensure everything is packed well, so nothing breaks during the transportation, but you have to know some tips for best techniques, too.

Knowing the best way to pack dishes is a very important step in organizing your move. You don’t want to end up unpacking the boxes full of broken dishware just because you didn’t know how to do it efficiently. However, it can be quite tricky since some items have irregular and hard-to-box up shapes. So, if you’re wondering how do you pack dishes for a long-distance move, ensure you do your homework first.

Why It’s Important to Know How to Pack Dishes for Moving

We all know how difficult and stressful relocations can be. You have to set a relocation budget and decide whether to move a car to another state and figure out its benefits. However, when it comes to preparing your belongings for the move, it’s a whole different story.

If you want to move efficiently, you need to count on every little task there’s to do. For example, you’ve never packed fragiles before, and now you’re wondering how to pack dishes when moving. It’s completely understandable, but it’s also important to know how to do it properly. You don’t want all the effort and hard work of wrapping up just to be a waste of time. That’s why you should learn some techniques that will not only help you carefully prepare everything, but they will also save you a lot of time.

A woman packing plates with packing paper before door-to-door auto transport comes to pick up her vehicle
Keep in mind why you’re putting so much time and effort into this process

Organize Yourself Before the Wrapping up Process

Once you decide where you’ll live, you have some planning to do. Relocating to a new state isn’t an easy task at all. Especially when you’re doing it alone. There will be many tasks, like transferring utilities and hiring a reliable car shipping company that will take care of other services as well. So, plan as soon as possible because you surely want a stress-free relocation.

The best way is to create a relocation to-do list. Put all tasks you need to do before the move. That way, you’ll be on track with completed tasks and those that still await. One of the tasks you shouldn’t omit is the wrapping up process of your kitchen items. It’s probably the most demanding one in the whole packing process since there’s a lot of stuff to be packed.

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Items You Don’t Use Anymore Give Away or Sell

After choosing a relocation company, roll up your sleeves and start thinking about what to get rid of. Downsizing for a move is a step you shouldn’t skip, especially if you’re relocating from a house to an apartment. In that case, you’ll need all the free space you can get and not take it with some dishware you don’t even use.

So, start with decluttering as soon as possible and give yourself a special day when the kitchen comes up next. It’s because numerous fragile stuff is in the kitchen cabinets, from plates and glassware to potentially dangerous ones – cutlery. Don’t forget to check your storage place. Check those hidden places with that one glass or plate that hasn’t been used for a while.

If that’s the case, you can clean them and decide whether you’ll sell them or donate them. If a donation is what you’ll do, then check the website Goodwill and help others in need.

Cutlery on the decorated table
Get rid of all unnecessary stuff from your kitchen and home

The Key Is to Use the Best Materials – Gather As Much As You Can

When it comes to wrapping up your belongings, the key to a successful process is to have the right packing materials. If you’re wondering what to use to wrap dishes when moving, don’t worry. It’s practically the same materials for the regular wrapping up.

Also, you need to get as much supply as possible. You surely don’t want to end up in the middle of the boxing-up process without a tape, for example. So, ensure you gather the following supplies:

  • Boxes,
  • Packing paper,
  • Bubble wrap,
  • Plastic wrap,
  • Tape,
  • Scissors,
  • Sticky notes.

On the other hand, these supplies can be costly. If you’re looking for ways to save money to move, then you should consider other options – the free ones. All soft materials you can find at home could be excellent substitutes for the expensive ones. For example, sheets, towels, and socks can be great protection against breakage.

Fill the Box to the Top and Avoid Breakage

Fill each box with the wrapped bundle of a dish up to the top. Be sure you leave about three inches before the top of the package. This is a very important step because that way you’ll prevent the breakage of the breakables.

However, don’t forget to put some soft material before you seal the carton with the tape. So, if there is a slight push down on the package, each dish will be protected and remain in one piece, no matter if you’re using enclosed auto transport or you prefer an open trailer. In both cases, your packages will arrive safely.

A box filled with packing paper, ready for terminal-to-terminal car shipping
Don’t leave a box half empty - fill it with crumpled paper

Learn Some Techniques Make the Packing Dishes for Moving a Breeze

When you decide the greatest time to move, you should consider learning some techniques on how to pack dishes for a move. Yes, you probably think what’s there to know when you just have to put the breakable stuff into a box. However, with some light but efficient packing hacks, you’ll have everything in one piece after the move.

Before you start wrapping up the stuff, ensure the packages are adequately secured. Otherwise, all your hard work will be in vain.

Before the Packing Process Ensure the Packages Are Properly Secured and All Items Ready and Clean

All the tips for packing you come to memorize. It can be pretty helpful when you decide to move and bring some of the breakables to your new house. So, before you actually begin with protecting part, ensure each dish is clean and dry. This could seem like a step you don’t have to do, but you surely don’t want to deal with dirty dishware once you move in.

After the cleaning, you should pass on protecting the packages you’ll put the dishware into. This shouldn’t be a thing you forget when you move since it’s a way of protection and the wrapping up process itself. That’s why a soft bed of paper in the carton is more than a good idea. It will be some sort of cushion that will protect the stuff inside it and prevent it from breaking during transport.

How Do You Pack Dishes for Moving Without Paper

We all know that interstate relocation isn’t free. And one of the relocation mistakes is to spend a fortune on packing materials. Instead, you can use soft materials from your house. Sheets, pillowcases, towels, soft clothes, and any other fabric will be a good substitute for expensive paper and bubble wrap.

Get your fragile kitchen stuff ready for transport using these free materials; just ensure everything is wrapped tightly. Also, fill all the gaps in the packages with clothes or napkins. That way, your packages will be protected completely.

Close up photo of clothes hanging on the hangers
Any soft fabric is a great substitute for pricey supply

First Wrap the Plates and Place Them in the Dish Barrel

One of the relocation tips for preparing the breakables for shipping is to start with the bulkier and resistant ones – plates. The key here is to make layers and know should you pack dishes vertically or horizontally. So, wrap each plate separately with paper and ensure you put some soft material between each dish. Also, put them vertically to make them lighter, and there will be less chance of breaking. Repeat the same technique of layering after each plate.

When wrapping up more fragile stuff, like china or stoneware, be generous with the materials you’re using for protecting them.

Plates placed horizontally after they’ve been cleaned for auto transport company
Put a plate vertically in the carton and ensure there’s a layer of soft material after each one

Work With One Bowl at the Time

Pretty much the same techniques you can apply as you did for plates. Work with one bowl at a time and roll up all around and inside the material you’re utilizing. Then, store them on their sides when placing them in the carton following the same relocation hack. Don’t hesitate to add more soft material on the top – it can only boost the protection. In the video below, check how to protect bowls for shipping fast and efficiently.

YouTube video

Roll and Tuck the Glassware to Prevent Breakage During Transportation

The key to successfully wrapping up breakable things like glassware is to put the most sturdy and heaviest one first. Then you can add the more delicate ones. But, before you start placing them into the boxes ensure each piece is properly packed.

The more materials you have the better – there should be enough covering on both the top and bottom of your glassware. Also, don’t put them together in the protective material, but follow the checked rule of wrapping pieces individually.

Place Any Soft Material In and Around the Glasses Before Putting Them Into the Carton

When it comes to protecting the glasses, you have to keep in mind they are the lightest and so, the most likely to break during the shipping. So, apply the same wrapping procedure as you did with the bowls. Cover them with the material you have from inside to outside. Then put one extra layer around each glass then they will be ready for shipping.

If you don’t want to waste time washing each glass all over after the move, then you should avoid wrapping them with newspaper. You could end up with stains on your favorite glasses.

A glass with water and lime before the car shipping company comes to load the packages into the truck
Secure each glass with a double layer of soft material

Additional Tips for Wrapping up Other Kitchen Items

Boxing up the kitchen stuff doesn’t mean you have to deal only with dishware. There is other stuff you should think about and how will you protect them for shipping. Here are other pointers you should keep in mind:

  • Cutlery – knives can be quite dangerous if you don’t prepare them correctly for transportation. Keep them together and cover the pointy top with tape.
  • Pots and pans – cover them with any material you have and avoid scratches and dents during the move.
Silver knife and fork on the brown table
Protect cutlery and pots and pans for the shipping

Enjoy Your New House WIth All Dishware You Properly Packed

Once all the packages are loaded into a truck, some of them will probably go stacked. That’s why it’s good to know how to pack dishes for shipping. Also, no one likes to spend time adjusting to a new home by opening a bunch of boxes filled with broken stuff.

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