Fragile items break for predictable reasons: they move inside the box, they sit at the bottom under weight, or the box itself collapses. Pack against those three failures and very little else goes wrong.
The three rules
- Nothing should shift. If you shake the box gently and hear movement, add more paper.
- Fragile goes on top. Heavy at the bottom, light and delicate above, always.
- Small boxes for heavy things. A big box full of books will fail at the seams or hurt whoever lifts it.
The kitchen
This is the slowest room in any house, so start it early. Plates travel on their edge, like records in a rack, not stacked flat — stacked plates crack through the middle under their own weight. Wrap each one in paper first and pad the bottom and top of the carton generously.
Glasses and stemware want a dish barrel with cell dividers. Stuff paper inside each glass before wrapping the outside. Wrap the stems of wine glasses separately; that thin section is where they snap.
Keep knives together, blades wrapped and taped, and label that box clearly for whoever opens it.
The bathroom
Anything liquid should have its cap taped and be sealed in a plastic bag before it goes in a box. A shampoo bottle that opens in transit will ruin a lot more than itself. Throw out anything expired rather than paying to move it.
The living room
Lamps come apart: shade, bulb and base all travel separately, and the shade goes in its own box with nothing else in it. Mirrors and framed pictures need a mirror carton, packed upright, with a large X of painter’s tape across the glass so it holds together if it does crack. Never lay glass flat under anything.
For electronics, photograph the cabling before you unplug it.
The bedroom
Wardrobe boxes let hanging clothes travel on the rail, which saves both ironing and packing time. Jewellery, documents and medication should not go on the truck at all — keep them with you.
Labelling that actually helps
Write the destination room and the contents on the sides of the box, not the top, because boxes get stacked. Mark FRAGILE on several faces. A box labelled “Kitchen — glasses — fragile — open first” is worth far more at the other end than one labelled “kitchen”.
What not to pack
Movers cannot legally transport propane, gasoline, paint, aerosols, fireworks or ammunition. Plan for those separately rather than discovering it on the morning.
Sunshine Movers offers full and partial packing across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, with the right cartons for each room. Call (847) 812-5848 or email sunshinemovers2@gmail.com.