How to Pack Dishes for Moving

Organize your dishes by type and size before packing them in boxes. This step will help you keep similarly sized dishes together so you can pack them into boxes of the appropriate size. It will also make organization easier when you're ready to unpack at your new home.

When handling fragile dishes such as porcelain plates or glasses, wrap each dish individually with packing paper or foam before packing them into boxes. The extra layer of protection will help ensure your dishes don't get shattered or cracked during transit.

To wrap each dish, lay the piece of packing paper or foam on a flat surface such as a table or countertop. Then place the dish on the center of the paper or foam and gently wrap the edges of the packing paper around the dish. Secure the paper in place with a piece of tape. If the paper or foam is large enough, you may be able to use a single piece to protect two or more dishes.

Once your dishes are wrapped, you can prepare your packing boxes. Unfold them and tape the bottom flaps together with packing tape. For boxes that will be carrying heavy loads, secure the bottom flaps in place with three or more strips of packing tape. This will help ensure the flaps don't fall open and spill out their fragile contents while you're carrying them to or from the moving vehicle.

To select the appropriate box size for your dishes, place a dish inside an empty cardboard box and make sure it doesn't fit too snuggly or too loosely. You should have just enough room around the edges of the dish for an inch or two of packing peanuts or packing foam. If you're placing multiple stacks of dishes in the same box, the same rules apply. Make sure there is about an inch around each dish's edge for protective packing peanuts, foam or another type of padding.

Now that you have determined the most appropriate box size for your dishes, it's time to fill the bottom of each box with a layer of packing peanuts, crumpled packing paper or packing foam. This layer should be several inches thick to provide adequate protection for your dishes. Place the individually wrapped dishes inside the box and fill any empty spaces around the dishes with crumpled packing paper, bubble wrap or packing peanuts. The protective layer should be sufficient to hold the dishes in place so they don't slide around or bang into each other during transport.

The final step in the process of packing dishes for moving is to secure the boxes with tape and use a permanent marker to indicate what's inside. Set the boxes to the side after you've marked them, and put them in your moving truck after larger, less-fragile items have been loaded.