The Ultimate Guide to Moving Fragile Items
The Ultimate Guide to Moving Fragile Items
There’s a simple reason why moving house takes as long as it does. It’s because you want to keep using the items you are moving at your new location. If you were to simply remove everything in your home into a giant skip bin out the front of your house, you could do it quickly from start to finish. However, moving valued, important possessions to be used or enjoyed at a different address is a very different proposition. It means packing gently and thoughtfully, disassembling furniture or other larger items so they fit into moving trucks, and physically transporting them and unloading them safely. Moving fragile items is why relocations can turn normally calm individuals into sweaty, wide-eyed wrecks.
So how do you maintain your cool while handling breakables? Here’s our handy guide to successfully moving your delicate possessions.
Glasses
It’s a cliché, but with good reason. Glasses and glassware are a common casualty during moves as they are very fragile items, so be mindful when you’re packing them. To begin with, you’ll need plenty of strong, spacious moving boxes. They need to be roomy as you’ll now be individually wrapping each item before placing them in the box. You don’t want to be tempted to skimp on padding because you’re running out of space or boxes. If you’re well organised you’ll have been collecting newspapers for some time to use as padding. Alternatively, you can obtain butcher’s paper from Officeworks or a newsagent. You can also use your clothes or tea towels to layer your items and make sure you have plenty of padding between each item and between the items and the box.
Once you have packed and sealed the box, clearly mark the boxes as ‘fragile glassware’ and ‘this way up’. This will allow your removalists to pack glassware safely within the moving vehicle.
Artwork
We may not all have a Van Gogh on our wall but chances are that you have art you enjoy and treasure decorating your walls or sitting on tables. What’s more, the art we collect for our home is often expensive and unique, so damage to these would be very upsetting. If you do own valuable pieces of art, it’s recommended that you have them insured before the move. For added protection, it’s also worth considering having customised containers, such as travelling frames, made for your pieces. This eliminates the opportunity for surface contact, assuring a greater chance that the artwork will arrive at its destination without damage. Customised containers also ensure your art will have a snug fit inside its box, minimising movement. Be sure to mark these boxes or containers as ‘fragile art’ and let your removalists know what they are moving.
Pottery and Ceramics
Another commonly damaged item is pottery, not surprisingly. When moving fragile items such as pottery and ceramics, you firstly don’t want to rush handling or packing. Time is always your best friend when moving house, so start this process as soon as possible. It’s also likely that your pottery won’t be something that you’ll need access to right up until you move, so do this task before the more rushed days leading up to moving day. Be sure to have plenty of padding on hand, including clothing, rags, bubble wrap and paper. Beware packing your pottery too tightly, as this can backfire and lead to breakage.
Furniture
Surprised? A lot of people don’t think of their furniture as fragile, yet furniture presents its own problems during moves and is often damaged in transit. What’s more, without proper handling, moving furniture can also damage your walls and doorways, so extra care is needed. If a piece of furniture can be disassembled, it will immediately make your life easier to move smaller, lighter parts. Again, don’t rush moving fragile items. When you’re time-pressed, it may seem easier to move an entire table rather than removing the legs, which can lead to damage. With time you can also take more breaks if your hands or back are protesting. You also definitely don’t want to rush moving a bulky item up or down stairs.
If you would rather leave these heavy, awkward, yet delicate items to someone else, why not leave it to the professionals? Professional removalists are trained how to move all types of furniture safely and how to manoeuvre them around corners and up stairwells. It’s worth seriously considering this service, even if it’s just for the heavier items.
Sports equipment
Sporting equipment is often overlooked as something that may be easily damaged during a move. While it may look sturdy, moving fragile items such as bikes, golf clubs and gym equipment needs just as much care as glassware. If possible, pack the equipment in its original packaging. It may also be a good idea to disassemble larger equipment for easier handling and wrapping. Pack and pad it well during transit, and check if there is any advice for moving it in the manuals.
Plants
For many people who are adept at not only keeping their plants alive but thriving, it is an absolute must to bring their beloved plants. Of course, plants are alive and need special care to ensure they go on to thrive in their new home. Hold off watering the plants that are coming with you for a couple of days before the move. This minimises mess and makes them lighter to move. Use ties and bags to protect branches and to separate each plant. If you are packing your plants in boxes, ensure there are holes for breathing. Don’t forget, always pack your plants last and unpack them first!
Call Your Skilled, Careful Removalists
Moving fragile items from A to B can take up much of your valuable time, but you don’t want to give that job to someone you don’t trust 100%. At Optimove, we have built our reputation as Brisbane’s best removalists on our uncompromising high standards and consistently happy clients.
To begin with, we only hire the best people. Our removalist teams are made up of professionals with years of experience in the moving industry. When they come to work with Optimove, they get even better. All our movers take part in ongoing training to keep their skills sharp and moving day ready.
Our team leaders are absolute experts at what they do. They have each carried out over 600 moves over at least four years, so there is no moving challenge they can’t handle with confidence and efficiency. One of these veterans will be on-hand throughout your relocation to direct their moving team and ensure your move is handled with the highest care.
All of our staff are friendly and courteous, and are more than happy to accommodate your needs and requests. They will listen to your directions and preferences when it comes to how you would like your belongings handled. They will also call on their years of experience to make sure your valuables are delivered to your new address exactly as they departed.
You can also delegate the entire packing and moving task to us! With our full service moves, we will carefully pack your entire home and unpack it at your new location. This includes disassembling and reassembling your larger items. You can simply take the day off, relax, and arrive at your new house with everything unpacked exactly where you want it.
We also include all the free moving boxes you will need as well as removalists insurance, so you can have complete peace of mind when you move with us.
Call our friendly customer service team on 1300 400 874 or contact us online for premium relocations.
