Learn the best way to pack dishes for moving and avoid breakages. When making plans for a long distance move, you need reliable packing. We are here to offer tips on how best to pack dishes, including an eco-friendly alternative that can save time, space, and resources.
When making your plans to move to a new state or new city, moving dishes can be disastrous if you don’t have a plan. First, because they are fragile, and second. because some are bulky or irregularly shaped. To avoid your treasured dishes arriving at your new home in pieces, here are some tried-and-true packing tips using paper, bubble wrap, or an eco-packing strategy that saves resources and time.
Be sure to check out the list of links at the end of this article to order the packing supplies you’ll need.
Packing Dishes With Paper or Bubble Wrap
Using paper can be cost-effective since you can save newspapers or collect free advertising circulars in advance. Bubble wrap can be pricy but effective. Prepare ample space on a table or the floor to lay out all of your material for packing. The materials should include assembled boxes, packing paper or bubble wrap, and packing tape. Be sure to use a strong moving box of higher quality. Paper and bubble wrap require slightly different packing techniques. Following are step-by-step directions to protect your kitchenware using paper.
- Create a cushion on the bottom of the box using ample packing paper.
- Lay your paper flat on a large table or the floor.
- Place a dish in the center of the stack of packing paper, and fold two or three sheets.
- Place more paper and another dish on top and fold another two or three sheets from the bottom layer of paper.
- Repeat these step with the third dish. This time round, wrap the remaining corners of the packing paper over the dishes to make an excellent package.
- Turn the wrapped dishes upside down and tape them securely.
- Place the wrapped dishes vertically in the box as you do when loading a dishwasher.
- Once the box is full, fill in all the remaining spaces using additional packing papers to hold the wrapped dishes together firmly.
- Consider adding a list of the box’s contents on the top so you will be reminded of exactly what’s inside when you open the box.
- Close the box and seal it using tape. Be sure to tape the bottom and top securely.
This packing procedure is suitable for packing flat plates, bowls, service dishes and other kitchenware. However, when it comes to glasses and cups, the procedure differs a little bit and will be as follows;
- Create a cushion on the bottom of the box using ample packing paper.
- Lay your packing paper and flatten it on a large table or the floor.
- Place a cup or a glass in the center of the stack of the packing paper, and wrap it entirely with the packing paper.
- Tape securely to ensure it does not unwrap.
- Take the package and place it vertically in the box. Continue this process with more glasses and mugs.
- Once the box is full, fill in all the remaining spaces using additional packing papers to hold the wrapped cups or glasses together firmly.
- Consider adding a list of the box’s contents on the top so you will be reminded of exactly what’s inside when you open the box.
- Close the box and seal it using tape. Be sure to tape the bottom and top securely.
To pack dishes for moving with bubble wrap, use the same procedure as noted for using paper., except you will not need as many sheets per item. You may choose to wrap each dish or plate individually and tape the wrap in place. Multiple kitchen utensils and flatware can be rolled up in a single sheet of bubble wrap.
Which is Better, Bubble Wrap or Packing Paper?
Bubble wrap and packing paper each has its own advantages in packing dishes and other utensils. There may be times when blending the two could be the most appropriate. Whether you will be storing your kitchenware for an extended period or unpacking as soon as you arrive in your new home should be considered when deciding which packing materials to use; paper will deteriorate over time and lose its effectiveness as a cushion between your dishes, while bubble wrap will last for years and can even be saved and reused later.
| Bubble Wrap | Packing Paper |
| Best for fragile dishes such as glassware | Best for the prevention of scratches on your dishes. |
| Saves a lot of space in storage | Takes up a lot of space. |
| Costly | Cheap or free |
| Long-lasting and reusable | Gets damaged after use, deteriorates over time and loses its effectiveness if it gets wet |
| Works for all dishes, regardless of size and shape | Not recommended for oddly-shape and very large dishes |
Packing Dishes Without Paper or Bubble Wrap: Eco-Packing
A greener alternative to using plastic or paper packing materials can be found in abundance in most households; collect all your towels, and consider using pillow cases, sheets, blankets, and even rugs. And every household is going to have at least one drawer-full of t-shirts that could become soft, cushioned wrappers for tableware. Best of all, you’re using things that have to be packed to pack other things, saving time, space, and resources.
Towels top the list for protecting your best dishes because they are soft and thick. Just use the same procedure as packing with paper, although you should consider tying the dishware “packages” together with string or yarn instead of using packing tape. Thicker cushioning is especially beneficial on long-distance moves. Here are some tips for packing with eco-friendly alternatives:
- Tie each group with twine, string, or yarn to secure (alternative to using packing tape)
- Clean everything before packing or use plastic wrap or bags to avoid stains on linens
- Use thick towels for heavier glassware
- Pillow cases and folded sheets can be folded alternatingly around several plates
- Fold sheets to size and use as cushion on the bottom of each box
- Leave room to add another sheet on the top before sealing box
- Use small or thin blankets to pack pans and utensils. Try putting the blanket into the box first and folding it alternatingly around each pan you add.
- Lay out utensils every few inches on a small blanket and roll it up to create a cushion between each item
- Use throw rugs to pack large or heavy pans
- Use t-shirts for fragile or irregularly shaped items (like stemmed glasses, knickknacks, utensils, tableware)
- Use t-shirts and wash cloths to fill the voids after packing the box
Get Supplies
Bubble wrap provides great protection and buying recycled-grade wrap can be more environmentally friendly Here’s a link to a good choice at 6 cents per square foot. | Shop Bubble Wrap
Honeycomb paper is a more sustainable alternative to bubble wrap. Here’s a good choice at 12 cents per square foot. | Shop Honeycomb Wrapping Paper
Standard wrapping paper is sheets and rolls. Newsprint-style 17″ by 27″ paper sheets can save time and space over a roll of paper you have to cut and is affordable at 640 sheets at 6 cents each. For larger items, brown “craft paper” comes in rolls that are 36″ wide and a variety of lengths at around 7 cents a square foot. | Shop Sheet Wrapping Paper | Shop Rolled Wrapping Paper
Quality boxes can make a big difference in making sure your treasures dishes make it to your destination in one piece. Here are some links to a selection of good-quality boxes that won’t break the bank.
- Reusable ‘Bankers Boxes’ with removable lids may be a good choice for some kitchenware and small appliances at $1.78 each in a pack of six. | Shop Bankers Boxes
- A variety of sizes can come in handy. Here’s an option that offers a selection of four “small” 10″ x 16″ x 10″ boxes, six “medium” 14″ x 18″ x 12″ boxes and color-coded packing labels for around $3.40 per box. | Shop Box Combo Pack
Packing tape and dispensers is another area where it’s not a good idea to skimp. Paying a little more to get quality tape and an easy-to-use tape dispenser makes the packing process easier and more secure. | Shop Packing Tape With Dispenser
If you’re using eco-friendly household materials to pack – like towels, linens and clothing – it’s best to use twine, string or yarn rather than tape to secure each item. Here’s an inexpensive option for 1,100 feet (330 meters) for just 2 cents a meter. | Shop Roll of Packing Twine
Dwellics.com is dedicated to providing quality data and information free of charge to help people find the right place to live their best life, however they choose to define it. It helps support our research efforts when you use the links on this page to make Amazon purchases. Our small commission doesn’t affect the prices you pay but helps Dwellics.com’s PhD-level data scientists keep working to bring you the best pop-up-free content you’ll find anywhere online. We thank you for your support!
Need more info on relocating? Read our article on “How To Move To A New City” here.
Get a 30-day Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited
Use this link to get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Music Unlimited. You get access to 90 million songs ad-free and you can cancel anytime. Using this link supports Dwellics as our team continues to create new content to help people find the right place to live their best life, however they choose to define it.
Get a 30-day Free Trial of Audible Plus – Access Thousands of Free Audio Books and Podcasts
Use this link to get a free 30-day trial of Audible Plus. Audible Plus offers access to the full catalog of audio books and podcasts to stream or download for listening offline. You can cancel anytime, and using this link helps Dwellics keep creating new content to help people find the right place to relocate to.
