As long-time professional Fort Worth movers, we have had a lot of experience assisting customers with packing, loading, and moving of their valuables. We at Craddock Moving and Storage will often suggest to our customers that they allow us to pack their breakables for them, but if this is something that isn’t in their moving budget, it is very important that they take certain precautions when packing. One observation that we have made is that people often rush their packing and do not take the proper precautions to protect their valuables. Carelessly packed valuables can often come out damaged even when using the most cautious movers in Fort Worth; this can create a frustrating situation for both movers and customers alike that is easily avoidable when following certain packing guidelines.
Before you start to pack your valuables, make sure that you have packed up almost everything else in your house or apartment. Packing breakables generally takes a long time and when people start with their breakables they will take too long and then realize that they have a day left and an entire house to pack because they have spent such a long time packing breakables. We will often suggest to people to pack their breakables last and if they need any extra help to pack them, then they can call for our help of they need it, but please make sure to take plenty of time to do ALL of your packing.
Items that are easily breakable should be carefully wrapped in “unprinted” newspaper before being placed into a box. If you are not using a professional mover or packer to help you with your move, you will want to take some extra caution when packing breakables and line the bottom of the box with bubble wrap or some sort of extra cushioning. With items of significant monetary or sentimental value we would advise that you use bubble wrap. If you do use bubble wrap for your breakables and you are on a budget, you should use it sparingly as it can be quite expensive (a great option for wrapping items in bubble wrap can also be tissue paper and it is less expensive, so be sure to ask your moving coordinator about it). It is also advisable to pack your breakables into a type of box known as a dish pack. These are made of much thicker cardboard that will better absorb the shock of a puncture or sudden movement to the box. Although these boxes are more expensive, they are a great way to further protect your valuables. Also, it is very important to pack your valuables very tightly into your box, so when you are done packing a box make sure put crumpled up unprinted newspaper into any crevices, plus the bottom, sides, and top inside of the box. Click here for more packing tips.
If you decide that you don’t have the time or money to pack your breakables properly and are moving locally, it is advisable you transport your breakables yourselves because any box that you pack yourself and is transported by ANY moving company (that wasn’t physically damaged in transit) will not be covered by insurance other than the standard $.60 per pound. But if you decide to let a moving company transport these items even though you know they aren’t packed properly, and while this may seem like obvious advice, one should always remember to mark boxes as being “Fragile.” Even though they aren’t packed properly, the movers will take extra precautions when moving these items. Although, we at Craddock Moving and Storage would never advise that you transport ANY breakables that aren’t packed properly.
These are just a few ideas that one could implement during their packing to help ensure that his or her valuables are not damaged during the moving process. While these techniques do decrease the likelihood of something being broken, one’s best bet is to hire professional movers that offer a packing service, as they have been well trained in the art of packing and moving valuables.