Perhaps you are moving, downsizing, or simply decluttering your kitchen. Whatever the reason, it is important to handle your dishes, glasses, and china with great care when you pack them. Since these items are so fragile, you want to use proper packing techniques to ensure they remain in good condition while in storage.

The last thing you want is to open your boxes to find shattered dishes. Portable storage containers are a great place to keep fragile items that you don’t have space for in your home. This ensures they remain securely packed away until you are ready to use them again. Here are a few important tips to keep in mind as you are preparing your dishes for storage.

Gather the Right Materials

Packing Material

Your dishes are going to need some padding to prevent them from breaking. You can purchase packing paper from a hardware store or moving supply store. You can also save some money by using newspapers. You should also invest in bubble wrap and packing peanuts for additional protection. Other low cost options include dish towels, plastic grocery bags, or soft rags. You are also going to need packing tape and markers for labeling.

Storage Containers

It is best to pack your dishes in something stronger and sturdier than a cardboard box. You don’t want to risk a box breaking from the weight of the dishes. A few great options are wooden crates, plastic containers, or liquor boxes with cells for your glasses.

Sort and Organize Your Dishes

Once you have gathered all of your supplies, you need to sort and organize all of your dishes. Group like items together such as plates, bowls, glasses, etc. If you have more than one set of dishes, you also want to make sure each set is organized on its own. This is also a great time to decide which items you really want and which ones can be donated.

How to Pack Your Dishes

1. Pad the Inside of the Boxes

Before placing your dishes inside the box, you need to make sure the box is well padded. This will prevent the dishes from breaking if they shift around during transport. Packing paper, towels, bubble wrap, or crumpled grocery bags all make a soft bed of packing material to cushion your dishes.

2. Wrap Dishes Individually

It may be tempting to do but do not place more than one dish in a single piece of packing paper. Though it is more meticulous to do, it is absolutely necessary to wrap each dish individually for proper protection. For glasses, you need to lay the packing paper flat and carefully roll the glass diagonally in the paper, tucking the paper inside the top of the glass. Make sure each item is completely covered and sealed with a piece of tape to keep the paper in place. For extra fragile items such as fine china or crystal, you should double wrap each piece with bubble wrap for superior protection.

3. Place Glasses in a Cell Box

Pre-made cell boxes are ideal for storing glasses. You can usually pick these up at a local liquor store or grocery store but you can also purchase them at a moving supply store or hardware store. The cardboard dividers separate each glass, preventing friction and breakage.

4. Store Plates and Bowls on Their Side

You should never store plates or bowls flat in a box. Instead, place them on their side and add filler material such as towels or packing peanuts to keep them in place. You can also add cardboard dividers for additional padding. In the event that the box gets jostled, the edges of your dishes will be able to handle the force better than if they were laid flat.

5. Fill Empty Spaces with Packing Material

Once your dishes are carefully packed, you want to fill in any empty space with packing peanuts, crumpled paper, or soft towels. This will prevent your dishes from shifting during transport.

6. Avoid Overpacking Boxes

Dishes can be heavy and will break easily so you want to be careful not to overpack your boxes.

7. Label Your Boxes

Once your boxes are packed, you should label the outside of each box so you can keep things well organized. You also want to be sure and mark each box as “fragile” so anyone handling the box knows to be extra careful.

8. Stack the Boxes Properly

When storing your boxes in a closet or storage unit, be sure and place the heaviest boxes on the bottom and leave the most delicate items for the top. Also, make sure to stack like-sized boxes together and never stack too many boxes on top of each other.